An Indiana Wrestling Fan's Guide to the Walsh Jesuit Ironman

[TysonNisley]

It’s about time, most Indiana wrestling fans would probably say. After years of an unusual travel rule that restricted some of Indiana’s best wrestling teams from showcasing their talents in some of the nation’s premier in-season wrestling tournaments, we have finally landed two teams in the prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman. Crown Point brings a full squad ready to scrap, while Brownsburg is bringing a select number of all-star individuals to fight for a spot on the podium this weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited for our guys to have an opportunity to put themselves on the map.

 

Now, this isn’t going to be a comprehensive evaluation of each weight class and their top 8 finishers across all teams. If you want a write-up that examines the tournament this broadly, then I’m sure there are plenty of major wrestling platforms that will provide write-ups covering the Ironman in this manner. Instead, I will be diving into how our Indiana wrestlers specifically will be navigating the field, and hypothesizing their placements based on their seeds, their past results with other wrestlers in the field, their rate of improvement, results against talented wrestlers outside of the field, and so on. Think of this as an Indiana Wrestling Fan’s Guide to the Walsh Ironman.

 

Once again, before I start, I try my very best not to bias my opinions and predictions whatsoever. If you are a parent, or a coach, or a fan of one of these wrestlers, and I predict them to go maybe not as far as you would predict, understand that one: in a perfect world, I would like Indiana to sweep 14 weight classes, and two: these are only predictions based off of previous results, and I don’t know for the most part the work that these kids have been putting in the practice room. Lastly, if you are competing in this tournament this weekend, and are reading this write-up, get off of Indianamat. You all have some training to do.

 

*Quick note that rankings may not be in order, as some ranked wrestlers are lower ranked in the national rankings, but seeded higher. I have decided to list ranked wrestlers via the seeding order. All national rankings are from FloWrestling.

 

106 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Tyler DeKraker, #4 Dominic Munaretto, #8 Davis Motyka, #19 Javaan Yarbrough, #16 Leo Pezone

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Revin Dickman: 14th seed, Logan Haney: unseeded

 

Revin Dickman receives a respectable 14th seed in his first Ironman tournament. I really like this seed for him, as it sets him on a course to face off against HM Aydan Smith, a non-nationally ranked 3rd seed from Notre Dame. Ayden Smith went 3-2 at last year’s Ironman, but not without taking out Homewood-Flossmoor’s Deion Johnson, a wrestler from Illinois that has spent some time in and out of the national rankings. Ayden Smith certainly has the pedigree to be top 20 in the nation, but I think that Dickman has a spot of stunning this 3rd seeded wrestler during a slump in Smith’s wrestling career. A win here would project Dickman to wrestle #16 Leo Pezone of Malvern Prep, a wrestler that Dickman has not faced in his career thus far. That does bring me to one of Dickman’s biggest advantages as a wrestler in this tournament: he has wrestled a lot of the wrestlers in this field, with six matches against wrestlers in the top 16 seeds just this off season. Unfortunately, Dickman came off of the wrong end of all six of these bouts, but there are most certainly results to give us hope, such as a 2-1 loss to 10th seed Liam Davis at the Elite 8 Duals, and a 5-0 loss to 5th seed and #19 Javaan Yarbrough at IHPO. It will be a battle for Dickman to make the podium, but I think that there is a possibility that he could squeak by. He has too many losses for me to confidently place him high on the podium, but I predict an 8th place finish for Revin Dickman in this tournament. Crown Point is also sending a representative in Logan Haney, but Haney is unfamiliar with the field here, and has not posted results nearly as impressive as Dickman for me to consider him a podium threat, although I am sure this will change in the next year or so, when Haney gets plenty of time in the Crown Point room.

 

Predictions: Dickman 8th, Haney DNP

 

113 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Bo Bassett, #4 Beric Jordan, #6 Nathan Desmond, #10 Mack Mauger, #13 Anthony Mutarelli, #8 Seth Mendoza, #12 Louie Gill, #7 Jayden Raney

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Preston Haines: 10th seed, Sam Westfall: unseeded

 

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see Gavin Jendreas wrestle this weekend, to the dismay of Crown Point wrestling fans, but we do get to see Preston Haines, who receives an outstanding 10th seed for the Ironman tournament. Haines will need to improve two spots in order to find himself on the podium. The 9th seed is the aforementioned HM Deion Johnson, who I think that Haines can definitely beat given Johnson’s recent results and Haines’ momentum coming into this tournament. However, the tougher wrestler to beat will be 8th seed and #7 Jayden Raney, who finds himself with an astonishingly low seed coming into this tournament, and should still be considered a threat to win the whole thing. Raney was upset at Super 32 by Jake Hockaday, and I am certain that Hockaday will be providing all sorts of tips and tricks regarding the matchup that will prove valuable for Haines. In the round of 16, Haines is projected to match up against 7 seed and #12 Louie Gill. This would be the biggest win of Haines’ career thus far, but with limited off season action, and no off season action down at 113, it’s hard to predict an upset here. Haines can definitely break through to the placement rounds, but he’s going to have to wrestle his best, and get a good consolation route if Gill is able to knock him out. Crown Point is sending Sam Westfall in lieu of Jendreas, and with limited varsity experience, I don’t see Westfall making a run at this tournament.

 

Predictions: Haines DNP, Westfall DNP

 

120 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Jax Forrest, #2 Luke Lilledahl, #8 Marcus Blaze, #3 Jordyn Raney, #12 Kael Lauridsen, #13 Leo DeLuca, #20 Sebastian Degennaro, #14 Hunter Taylor

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Jake Hockaday: 11th seed, Sonny Sessa: unseeded

 

Jake Hockaday is coming off of an impressive Super 32 run that saw him take out #7 (at 113) Jayden Raney. Now up a weight class, Hockaday is going to have to deal with the bigger Raney brother, ranked #3 in the country, and earning a 4th seed at the Walsh Ironman. The only opponent in this field that Hockaday saw during last year’s off season was 8th seed and #20 Sebastian Degennaro, who owns a 13-3 major decision over him at Super 32. Despite this result, I have confidence that Hockaday can break through to the placement rounds, given his past success and previous national ranking. In the round of 16, Hockaday will be 6th seed and #13 Leo DeLuca. DeLuca has a pedigree unusual for a #13 ranked wrestler in the country, and will be an extremely tough opponent for Hockaday. Should Hockaday win this bout, he is projected to wrestle 3th seed and #8 Marcus Blaze. Given Hockaday’s current resume, I think that he can stun DeLuca this weekend, however, I’m not so sure that he will be able to overcome Blaze. Giving Hockaday a spot on the podium here will be tough, especially since there are 8 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in this bracket, and Hockaday is new to the 120 pound weight class, but I am confident enough to predict Hockaday to place 7th at the Ironman. Given a 13-3 loss against Degennaro, I don’t think this is a result that will be reversed so quickly, however, Degennaro has a number of impressive wins, and like Hockaday, is new to the 120 pound weight class, so his #20 ranking is definitely going to rise after this weekend. Sonny Sessa is Crown Point’s representative at this weight class, and has established himself as a state qualifier caliber wrestler following a fall over #20 (in IN) Owen Bunton earlier this year, but given his match against La Porte’s Ashton Jackson earlier this year (let’s go La Porte), I don’t think Sessa is quite ready to challenge nationally ranked caliber wrestlers yet.

 

Predictions: Hockaday 7th, Sessa DNP

 

126: 126: #2 Benjamin Davino, #4 Marc-Anthony McGowan, #3 Mason Gibson, #9 Max Gallagher, #17 Dillon Campbell, #11 Jacob Joyce, #16 JJ McComas, #19 Draegen Orine, #20 Jameson Garcia

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Logan Frazier: 8th seed

 

Logan Frazier is Indiana’s first wrestler to receive a top 8 seed at this tournament, and although there are nine nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, I’m pretty comfortable in maintaining that Frazier is going to place at this tournament, especially given previous results against some of the wrestlers in the field, most notably an 8-0 major decision over 11th seed and #20 Jameson Garcia, and a slim 3-2 loss to 5th seed and #17 Dillon Campbell. The real question is: where is he going to place? In the round of 16, Frazier will wrestle 9th seed HM Nick O’Neill of Malvern Prep. O’Neill is certainly no slouch, coming from a program as prestigious as Malvern Prep, but Frazier is regardless the favorite to win the bout. After that match, however, Frazier will have to take on 1st seed and #2 Benjamin Davino. I can’t realistically call an upset here, given Davino’s pedigree, but I think an appearance in the quarterfinals gives Frazier a nice chance to place. Frazier’s placement is going to depend on who he sees, as there are competitors in this bracket, such as 7th seed and #16 JJ McComas that have given Frazier trouble this off season. Although Dillon Campbell is seeded higher, I think that this matchup would be a better consolation bout for Frazier than McComas. He also might not wrestle either of these wrestlers, but comparative results between some of his other potential matchups are not strong enough for me to make reasonable predictions. Overall, I think that a 6th place finish is reasonable for Frazier, given that he makes an upset this weekend and catapults himself back into the rankings, which I most certainly think that he is capable of doing.

 

Predictions: Frazier 6th

 

132: #1 Sergio Lemley, #2 Cael Hughes, #9 Vincent Robinson, #5 Zan Fugitt, #12 Jack Consiglio, #16 Jaxon Joy, #17 Matty Lopes

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Brady Ison: 11th seed, Kaptur Nowaczyk: unseeded

 

With limited results this off season, it’s hard to make a fair comparison of how well Brady Ison will do this weekend, but we all know that he’s good, and the Ironman seeders must know as well, as Ison’s previous body of work was impressive enough to earn an 11th seed for the tournament. With seven ranked wrestlers in this weight class, it’s not unrealistic to think that Ison could break through and place at this tournament, but with 15 Honorable Mention wrestlers also populating the field, there is also potential for Ison to end his tournament run early. In the round of 16, Ison will meet up against 6th seed and #16 Jaxon Joy. Joy’s Ironman run last year ended in a 3-2 showing, but he has built up a solid body of work this off season that includes a 7th place finish at Fargo and a bloodround performance at Super 32 that included a 3-2 loss to eventual runner-up Beau Mantanona. I think that despite these results, Jaxon Joy is a beatable opponent for Ison, and although I’m not confident enough to predict it, I also can’t dispute the possibility either. I think that Ison will put together a solid performance here, but there are too many talented wrestlers in this field for me to give Ison the nod just yet. Kaptur Nowaczyk of Crown Point is the other Indiana entry in this weight class. Given that Nowaczyk will be wrestling up two weight classes for this tournament, I cannot confidently say that he will make a deep run in this tournament, also he has the wins to promote himself as a top wrestler in Indiana. If Nowaczyk were to wrestle this tournament at 120, I might’ve been more willing to entertain the idea of a deep run, but I cannot reasonably predict one here.

 

Predictions: Ison DNP, Nowaczyk DNP

 

138: #1 Nasir Bailey, #3 Kannon Webster, #6 Kollin Rath, #7 Vince Bouzakis, #4 Hunter Mason, #9 Omar Ayoub, #14 Eligh Rivera, #20 Jakob Romero, #19 Brandon Cannon

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Parker Reynolds: unseeded, Evan Cruz: unseeded

 

With no seeded wrestlers at this weight class, it’s going to be tough to earn an Indiana placement here, although given the right draw, I think that Parker Reynolds could have a chance. Entering his freshman year ranked #4 in Indiana, Reynolds is a talented freshman that is no stranger to tough competition. However, this weight class is TOUGH, with nine nationally ranked wrestlers, and nationally ranked wrestlers seeded as low as 13th, along with a couple of sleepers dispersed throughout the weight class, such as HM Billy DeKraker, who owns a win over Logan Frazier at Super 32, and HM Ayson Rice, who defeated Eleazar Walker at the Grappler Fall Classic. I think that Reynolds can pick up a couple of wins here, but I don’t think he is quite ready to see the podium yet. Crown Point’s Evan Cruz is also battle tested, qualifying for the state tournament during his freshman campaign, but is yet to return to form after bumping up several weight classes. I don’t think Cruz will place either, but I expect him to earn a couple of wins as well.

 

Predictions: Reynolds DNP, Cruz DNP

 

At this point, I need to halt the write-up with an intermission for a moment to explain the latter half of these predictions. The Ironman tournament this year is using different weight classes than we use in Indiana, so that means that wrestlers beyond 138 are going to have to make decisions regarding what weight class they are going to go. For wrestlers in the next weight class, 144 lbs, I don’t think there will be much, or any movement (although former wrestlers know how much of a pain an extra pound can be), but at weight classes such as 157 lbs and 165 lbs, there will most certainly be wrestlers dropping up and down weight classes. Thus, I am not going to specify rankings for each wrestler; that is, if I say a wrestler is ranked #11, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is ranked at, for example, 152 or 160, but is still ranked nonetheless. Anyways, back to making predictions.

 

144 Ranked Wrestlers: #6 Mac Church, #13 Brock Herman, #9 Sam Cartella, #17 Collin Dupill, #10 Kael Voinovich, #19 Gavin Linsman, #14 Layton Schneider, #20 Q’veli Quintanilla, #17 Logan Paradice

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Anthony Bahl: unseeded

 

Despite Anthony Bahl’s talent, he is going unseeded into this weight class, which includes nine nationally ranked wrestlers. Unfortunately for me, Bahl has no comparable results between wrestlers in this weight class, but as a state runner-up that wrestled Zeke Seltzer tough on multiple occasions, I think that I have a general estimate on Bahl’s skill level and how he will do at this tournament. Looking at some of the seeded wrestlers at this tournament, the 8th seed HM Jaydon Robinson owns a win at IHPO over Mishiwaka’s Beau Brabender, which gives us a relative result to compare to Bahl. Bahl has a win of his own over a Mishiwaka stud in Eleazar Walker, and I think that a major decision over Walker has a little more weight than a major decision over Brabender, due to each of their placements at state last year. I say this all to make this point: I think Anthony Bahl is going to place at this tournament, if the draw is right. Obviously, a first or second round matchup against #6 Mac Church or #13 Brock Herman (the 1st and 2nd seeds respectively) would be a tough look going into the rest of the tournament, but I am going to use my superiority as a predictor to predict that that WON’T happen and Bahl will find himself on the podium, although I’m not sure if he’s going to make it very high, given the comparative pedigrees of the rest of the top 8 seeds, so I am going to play it safe and give Bahl an 8th place prediction.

 

Predictions: Bahl 8th

 

150 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 LaDarion Lockett, #2 PJ Duke, #5 Weston Dalton, #9 William Henckel, #16 Wynton Denkins, #19 Christopher Crawford

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Christian Washington

 

Crown Point’s Christian Washington is the sole entry for Indiana in this weight class, and given Washington’s limited experience as a varsity wrestler (which when I say this, I mean varsity at Crown Point, because Washington is most certainly a state caliber wrestler, despite only now breaking the lineup), I don’t think that he will be challenging for a spot on the podium. There’s not much more I can say about this weight class, with an overall lack of results to compare Washington to the field, although I will say that Crown Point always has sleepers in their lineups, and Washington may be able to pick up an upset or two.

 

Predictions: Washington DNP

 

157 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Joseph Sealey, #6 Ethan Stiles, #14 Paul Ognissanti

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Anthony Rinehart: 7th seed

 

Anthony Rinehart makes his debut this weekend in the red and white, and has a nice route to a spot on the podium, with a 7th seed. There are only three wrestlers nationally ranked in this weight class (probably due to the awkwardness of the weight class compared to the existing weight classes that I believe that most states are still following this year), so despite a great seed, I think Rinehart can find himself even higher on the podium. 6th seed HM Landyn Sommer out of Stillwater owns the spot just above him, but wrestled Anthony Bahl at 145 at the Elite 8 Duals, and lost 6-4. I find it tricky to compare the skill level of teammates here, especially given the weight differences, but I think that if Bahl was able to beat Sommer, Rinehart can as well. Looking ahead at his bracket path, Rinehart is projected to wrestle 10th seed Mason Alessio of Joliet Catholic Academy in the round of 16. Alessio, as an Illinois state runner-up, will be a tough opponent, but I think Rinehart will make it through this round just fine. His bout afterwards in the quarterfinals, however, will be against another Illinois stud in 2nd seed and #6 Ethan Stiles. Stiles has established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the country, but drew blood against an Indiana wrestler last offseason when going against J Conway, and losing by criteria. I’m not ready to compare Rinehart to the likes of Conway just yet, especially given the success that Conway found this offseason in freestyle, but I think that this bout will be a lot closer than many might give him credit for. Honestly, I can see Rinehart placing as high as third in this bracket, but I will not be too optimistic for the sake of making an accurate prediction and say that RInehart will leave with a 5th place finish at the Ironman this year.

 

Predictions: Rinehart 5th

 

165 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Angelo Ferrari, #3 Lorenzo Norman, #4 Daschle Lamer, #9 Sam Goin

 

Indiana Wrestlers: #9 Sam Goin, 4th seed

 

Crown Point’s Sam Goin had an excellent off season this year that included a 4th place finish at Super 32, with losses only to Nicco Ruiz and Joe Sealey, who are ranked #3 and #4 respectively at 160 lbs. I certainly think Sam Goin can keep the momentum going, however, predicting an upset at this tournament would be predicting that Sam Goin defeats a top four opponent. So, is Goin ready to make that jump? Let’s look at his bouts with previous top four opponents. At Fargo, Goin was the victim of unfortunate bracket luck, and wrestled previously #4 Braeden Scoles. The score was 9-5 in favor of the Wisconsin native. Next, at the Elite 8 Duals, Goin matched up against #2 (at the time) Joe Sealey, and lost only 7-5. At Super 32, Goin then clashed with then #3 Nicco Ruiz in the semis, and lost only a 5-2 bout. It seems to me that Goin has almost been there for a while now. I think that given his off season results, and the improvement overall that we’ve seen from him these past couple of years, I can confidently predict a 3rd place finish from Sam Goin, who I have claiming a big win over one of the top four wrestlers  in this weight class. With the level of dominance that 1st and #1 Angelo Ferrari displayed at Who’s #1, I don’t think Goin will be able to get past him, but I think that Goin can challenge 2nd seed and #3 Lorenzo Norman, or 3rd and #4 Daschle Lamer, depending on who loses the semifinal bout between the two.

 

Predictions: Goin 3rd

 

175 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Rocco Welsh, #12 Luke Vanadia, #5 Tyler Eise, #7 Dominic Federici, #17 Omaury Alvarez, #20 Dylan Newsome

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Cody Goodwin: 12th seed, Caden Brewer: unseeded

 

I think that Crown Point’s Cody Goodwin is one of the more secret gems of the current pool of talent in Indiana wrestling. With almost no off season results this year, it’s easy for Goodwin to go under the radar, but don’t forget that he missed out on a state title this year by the slimmest of margins, losing an overtime bout in the semifinals of the state tournament to eventual champ J Conway. Goodwin is ready to take on the best, and I think he will prove it in this tournament, that includes six nationally ranked wrestlers. With the 12th seed, Goodwin is projected to match up against 5th seed and #7 Dominic Federici of Wyoming Seminary. A daunting opponent for Goodwin, especially in the round of 16, but let’s explore the probability of an upset here. At last year’s Ironman, Federici put up a 3-2 performance, with a 10-1 loss to Angelo Ferrari, and a 7-5 loss to Brenden Abdon. Over the summer, J Conway defeated with a 12-1 tech fall at Fargo. Obviously, I think that Federici is better than he was at last year’s Ironman, but Conway’s dominance over a wrestler that had defeated Federici only a year ago gives a little more reason to predicting an upset here. Federici also placed 5th at Super 32, in which Goodwin did not participate, so these strings of results are really all we have to go off of. That being said, give me Goodwin over Federici this weekend. You saw it here first. This puts Goodwin on a projected path to 4th seed and #5 Tyler Eise. Eise and Federici wrestled at this year’s Super 32, which ended in a 5-3 decision for Eise, so if Goodwin can beat Federici, you better believe that he can win this one too. This weight has turned into a lot of hypotheticals, so let’s just say this: give me Cody Goodwin placing 6th at this year’s Ironman. I should also talk about the other Indiana wrestler in this field: Brownsburg’s Caden Brewer. I think Brewer is still not at a level to contend with nationally ranked opponents, but I think he will have a solid showing here nonetheless. After all, we’ve just established that a 3-2 showing at the Ironman can result in a top 10 ranking and an All-American status at Super 32, so if Brewer can rattle off a couple of wins here, he’ll be looking good for the future.

 

Predictions: Goodwin 6th, Brewer DNP

 

190 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Brayden Thompson, #5 Jude Correa, #7 Rune Lawrence, #8 Camden McDanel, #6 AJ Heeg, #18 Nate Taylor, #11 Orlando Cruz, #20 Justin Griffith, #19 Kingsley Menifee

 

Indiana Wrestlers: #11 Orlando Cruz: 7th seed, HM Gunner Henry: 11th seed

 

Buckle up, because there’s a lot to talk about with this weight class. Orlando Cruz comes into his first Ironman boasting the 7th seed, setting him up nicely to make it into the placement rounds, although I should note that there are nine nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, which means that at least one wrestler in the top 20 is guaranteed to miss out on the podium steps. And unfortunately for Cruz, he is the only top 8 seeded wrestler who is facing another nationally ranked opponent in the round of 16, where he will face 10th seed and #19 Kingsley Menifee. Despite the tough match early on, Menifee has no results that indicate that he might present a major challenge for Cruz, and I expect Cruz to beat him handily. Cruz will then face 2nd seed and #5 Jude Correa in the quarterfinals. Correa is a Super 32 Champ at 195 lbs, and is easily the favorite over Cruz. I expect Cruz to bring a battle, but this is a tough match for anybody in the quarterfinals. Luckily, I think that Cruz’s battle in the consolation matches looks to be a lot more favorable for him. While the top five seeds at this weight are all extremely tough, with the 5th seed being ranked #6 in the country, the 6th seed is a much more favorable match for Cruz to see later on in the tournament, as Cruz owns a 6-5 win over #18 Nate Taylor at the Elite 8 Duals, and should be considered the favorite per the rankings should this match happen again. I think that Cruz will place 6th at this year’s Ironman, improving his seed by one spot, but the top five at this tournament are incredibly solid. Now, Brownsburg’s Gunner Henry, although not ranked in the country, nor seeded in the top 8, has an excellent shot in my opinion to break through to the top 8. In the round of 16, Henry will face off against the aforementioned Nate Taylor, who I think Henry is fully capable of beating, given that Henry’s match with Orlando Cruz during the state tournament was quite competitive, and Henry has a weight advantage as a 195 lb wrestler. If Henry can take this win, he has a shot to break through and place, in my opinion, although I’m not sure if he will make it much further than 7th place. I think if he beats Nate Taylor, he can certainly beat the two lower nationally ranked wrestlers in Menifee and 8th seed and #20 Justin Griffith, so I will give the 7th place prediction to him.

 

Predictions: Cruz 6th, Henry 7th

 

215 Ranked Wrestlers: #19 Jersey Robb, #7 Max Shulaw, #9 Dylan Russo, #10 Kyle Snider, #12 Cash Henderson, #18 Max Vanadia

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Will Clark: 10th seed

 

Crown Point’s Will Clark earns a 10th seed for this tournament, meaning that he will need to improve his seed by at least two spots in order to place. The seeding is quite interesting for this tournament, with #18 Max Vanadia claiming the 9th seed, and three Honorable Mention wrestlers stealing the seeds above him. This works out in favor of Clark, however, who sees 7th seed HM Oscar Williams in the round of 16. Williams’ only Indiana result that I could find was a 3-2 decision over Super 32 8th placer Devin Kendrex, which gives me faith that Clark can win this bout, as the #1 ranked wrestler at 220 in Indiana. Moving on from this match, Clark will see 2nd seed and #7 Max Shulaw, which is unfortunate, as once again the seeding for this weight class sets Clark against the highest ranked wrestler in the weight class, while the 1st seed boasts only a #19 ranking in the country. Of course, rankings don’t mean everything, but they are good indicators of a wrestler’s current success. Despite a tough quarterfinal pairing, I think that a win over Williams will set Clark up nicely in the consolations. I think that Clark will walk away from this tournament with a 7th place finish, and hopefully picking up a big win over a nationally ranked opponent along the way.

 

Predictions: Clark 7th

 

285 Ranked Wrestlers: #9 Dillan Johnson, #4 Parker Ferrell, #7 Matthew Moore, #5 Carter Neves, #11 Austin Foye

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Leighton Jones: 5th seed, Paul Clark: 11th seed

 

The second weight class where Indiana has two wrestlers seeded in the top 16, Leighton Jones earns himself a 5th seed, while Paul Clark earns a respectable 11th seed. Jones has seen himself in the rankings before, and looks to take his spot back in the rankings during his first and last Ironman run. If Paul Clark was one seed lower, we would be seeing a teamkill match with Jones and Clark, but Jones instead has 12th seed Richard Thomas. With limited off season results for Thomas, it’s hard to say how much of a struggle Thomas will be for Jones, but I think we can reasonably infer that Jones will be just fine, given his pedigree. In the quarterfinals, Jones will face off against 4th seed and #5 Carter Neves. Formerly of St. Paris Graham, Carter Neves fills in his brother’s shoes as a heavyweight, after wrestling this year’s Fargo tournament at 220 lbs. Jones has not wrestled Carter, but did wrestle his older brother Nolan Neves at the Carnahan Invitational, where Jones lost a 3-2 bout. Despite the ranking, I think that Jones has the potential to win this match, and I am going to predict him to do so. Now, if I predict Jones to win this match, I surely have to predict him making the finals, as the 1st seed of this tournament is #9 Dillan Johnson, ranked four spots lower than Neves. Johnson has some impressive results, however, highlighted by a Cheesehead Invitational championship. In trying to find a comparable result of Johnson to an Indiana wrestler, I actually found a result from last year’s Central Regional, where Johnson emerged victorious, and no, not Dillan Johnson, but Franklin Central’s Jacob Johnson, in a 7-5 bout. The result was about a year and a half ago, but I think this result makes the possibility of an upset here seem more reasonable. Besides, I haven’t picked an Indiana wrestler yet to come home with an Ironman title (once again, these are predictions, not who I would like to win, because in a perfect world, I would like every Indiana wrestler to win), so let’s do it: Leighton Jones is my pick to win the heavyweight weight class at the Ironman and claim a 1st place finish. As for Paul Clark, he will have to wrestle #11 Austin Foye in the round of 16. I have a lot of faith in Paul Clark, but he hasn’t picked up that one big win yet in his career for me to confidently pick him over a top 11 ranked wrestler in the country. That being said, there are five nationally ranked wrestlers in this field (and Leighton Jones, who isn’t ranked but should be), so there are two spots up for grabs in this weight class, and I think Clark can grab one of them. I’m going to predict that Paul Clark snags the last spot on the podium and ends with an 8th place finish.

 

Predictions: Jones 1st, Clark 8th

 

Now, I realize after writing eight pages (single spaced) worth of analysis and predictions that my predictions in some cases are a little bit ambitious, but I feel like I have to give our guys the benefit of the doubt. Crown Point and Brownsburg are two of the most successful Indiana high school wrestling programs in the history of the sport, and to not assume that these guys are improving at an insane rate would be foolish. Like I have said, I realistically would like to see everybody from Indiana do well, and I would much rather my predictions be wrong and see Indiana flourish at the Ironman, than be correct and have some of our studs miss out on the podium. This article is meant not just for predictions, however, and is more so to help fans keeping up with the Ironman this weekend understand each wrestler’s history against the rest of the field, and what their chances are of making the tournament runs that we all want them to. With that being said, I appreciate the support I get from writing these, and it won’t be long until another one comes your way, with the Carnahan Invitational coming up only a week after this tournament. Thank you all, and see you soon.

[TysonNisley]

I'll sift through the article tomorrow and correct any mistakes I see, please let me know if there are any inaccuracies in the information in the article.

[Mattyb]

I spent a lot of the evening with the sports writer from the Akron Beacon (Brad Bournival) I’m going to share this post with him tomorrow. Great job!!!! 

Edited December 9, 2022 by Mattyb

[TeamGarcia]

Just going to throw this out there before this tournament starts …. 
 

132- Brady Ison places 

 

[MUSKEEWRESTLER]

8 hours ago, TysonNisley said:

It’s about time, most Indiana wrestling fans would probably say. After years of an unusual travel rule that restricted some of Indiana’s best wrestling teams from showcasing their talents in some of the nation’s premier in-season wrestling tournaments, we have finally landed two teams in the prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman. Crown Point brings a full squad ready to scrap, while Brownsburg is bringing a select number of all-star individuals to fight for a spot on the podium this weekend, and I couldn’t be more excited for our guys to have an opportunity to put themselves on the map.

 

Now, this isn’t going to be a comprehensive evaluation of each weight class and their top 8 finishers across all teams. If you want a write-up that examines the tournament this broadly, then I’m sure there are plenty of major wrestling platforms that will provide write-ups covering the Ironman in this manner. Instead, I will be diving into how our Indiana wrestlers specifically will be navigating the field, and hypothesizing their placements based on their seeds, their past results with other wrestlers in the field, their rate of improvement, results against talented wrestlers outside of the field, and so on. Think of this as an Indiana Wrestling Fan’s Guide to the Walsh Ironman.

 

Once again, before I start, I try my very best not to bias my opinions and predictions whatsoever. If you are a parent, or a coach, or a fan of one of these wrestlers, and I predict them to go maybe not as far as you would predict, understand that one: in a perfect world, I would like Indiana to sweep 14 weight classes, and two: these are only predictions based off of previous results, and I don’t know for the most part the work that these kids have been putting in the practice room. Lastly, if you are competing in this tournament this weekend, and are reading this write-up, get off of Indianamat. You all have some training to do.

 

*Quick note that rankings may not be in order, as some ranked wrestlers are lower ranked in the national rankings, but seeded higher. I have decided to list ranked wrestlers via the seeding order. All national rankings are from FloWrestling.

 

106 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Tyler DeKraker, #4 Dominic Munaretto, #8 Davis Motyka, #19 Javaan Yarbrough, #16 Leo Pezone

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Revin Dickman: 14th seed, Logan Haney: unseeded

 

Revin Dickman receives a respectable 14th seed in his first Ironman tournament. I really like this seed for him, as it sets him on a course to face off against HM Aydan Smith, a non-nationally ranked 3rd seed from Notre Dame. Ayden Smith went 3-2 at last year’s Ironman, but not without taking out Homewood-Flossmoor’s Deion Johnson, a wrestler from Illinois that has spent some time in and out of the national rankings. Ayden Smith certainly has the pedigree to be top 20 in the nation, but I think that Dickman has a spot of stunning this 3rd seeded wrestler during a slump in Smith’s wrestling career. A win here would project Dickman to wrestle #16 Leo Pezone of Malvern Prep, a wrestler that Dickman has not faced in his career thus far. That does bring me to one of Dickman’s biggest advantages as a wrestler in this tournament: he has wrestled a lot of the wrestlers in this field, with six matches against wrestlers in the top 16 seeds just this off season. Unfortunately, Dickman came off of the wrong end of all six of these bouts, but there are most certainly results to give us hope, such as a 2-1 loss to 10th seed Liam Davis at the Elite 8 Duals, and a 5-0 loss to 5th seed and #19 Javaan Yarbrough at IHPO. It will be a battle for Dickman to make the podium, but I think that there is a possibility that he could squeak by. He has too many losses for me to confidently place him high on the podium, but I predict an 8th place finish for Revin Dickman in this tournament. Crown Point is also sending a representative in Logan Haney, but Haney is unfamiliar with the field here, and has not posted results nearly as impressive as Dickman for me to consider him a podium threat, although I am sure this will change in the next year or so, when Haney gets plenty of time in the Crown Point room.

 

Predictions: Dickman 8th, Haney DNP

 

113 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Bo Bassett, #4 Beric Jordan, #6 Nathan Desmond, #10 Mack Mauger, #13 Anthony Mutarelli, #8 Seth Mendoza, #12 Louie Gill, #7 Jayden Raney

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Preston Haines: 10th seed, Sam Westfall: unseeded

 

Unfortunately, we don’t get to see Gavin Jendreas wrestle this weekend, to the dismay of Crown Point wrestling fans, but we do get to see Preston Haines, who receives an outstanding 10th seed for the Ironman tournament. Haines will need to improve two spots in order to find himself on the podium. The 9th seed is the aforementioned HM Deion Johnson, who I think that Haines can definitely beat given Johnson’s recent results and Haines’ momentum coming into this tournament. However, the tougher wrestler to beat will be 8th seed and #7 Jayden Raney, who finds himself with an astonishingly low seed coming into this tournament, and should still be considered a threat to win the whole thing. Raney was upset at Super 32 by Jake Hockaday, and I am certain that Hockaday will be providing all sorts of tips and tricks regarding the matchup that will prove valuable for Haines. In the round of 16, Haines is projected to match up against 7 seed and #12 Louie Gill. This would be the biggest win of Haines’ career thus far, but with limited off season action, and no off season action down at 113, it’s hard to predict an upset here. Haines can definitely break through to the placement rounds, but he’s going to have to wrestle his best, and get a good consolation route if Gill is able to knock him out. Crown Point is sending Sam Westfall in lieu of Jendreas, and with limited varsity experience, I don’t see Westfall making a run at this tournament.

 

Predictions: Haines DNP, Westfall DNP

 

120 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Jax Forrest, #2 Luke Lilledahl, #8 Marcus Blaze, #3 Jordyn Raney, #12 Kael Lauridsen, #13 Leo DeLuca, #20 Sebastian Degennaro, #14 Hunter Taylor

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Jake Hockaday: 11th seed, Sonny Sessa: unseeded

 

Jake Hockaday is coming off of an impressive Super 32 run that saw him take out #7 (at 113) Jayden Raney. Now up a weight class, Hockaday is going to have to deal with the bigger Raney brother, ranked #3 in the country, and earning a 4th seed at the Walsh Ironman. The only opponent in this field that Hockaday saw during last year’s off season was 8th seed and #20 Sebastian Degennaro, who owns a 13-3 major decision over him at Super 32. Despite this result, I have confidence that Hockaday can break through to the placement rounds, given his past success and previous national ranking. In the round of 16, Hockaday will be 6th seed and #13 Leo DeLuca. DeLuca has a pedigree unusual for a #13 ranked wrestler in the country, and will be an extremely tough opponent for Hockaday. Should Hockaday win this bout, he is projected to wrestle 3th seed and #8 Marcus Blaze. Given Hockaday’s current resume, I think that he can stun DeLuca this weekend, however, I’m not so sure that he will be able to overcome Blaze. Giving Hockaday a spot on the podium here will be tough, especially since there are 8 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 in this bracket, and Hockaday is new to the 120 pound weight class, but I am confident enough to predict Hockaday to place 7th at the Ironman. Given a 13-3 loss against Degennaro, I don’t think this is a result that will be reversed so quickly, however, Degennaro has a number of impressive wins, and like Hockaday, is new to the 120 pound weight class, so his #20 ranking is definitely going to rise after this weekend. Sonny Sessa is Crown Point’s representative at this weight class, and has established himself as a state qualifier caliber wrestler following a fall over #20 (in IN) Owen Bunton earlier this year, but given his match against La Porte’s Ashton Jackson earlier this year (let’s go La Porte), I don’t think Sessa is quite ready to challenge nationally ranked caliber wrestlers yet.

 

Predictions: Hockaday 7th, Sessa DNP

 

126: 126: #2 Benjamin Davino, #4 Marc-Anthony McGowan, #3 Mason Gibson, #9 Max Gallagher, #17 Dillon Campbell, #11 Jacob Joyce, #16 JJ McComas, #19 Draegen Orine, #20 Jameson Garcia

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Logan Frazier: 8th seed

 

Logan Frazier is Indiana’s first wrestler to receive a top 8 seed at this tournament, and although there are nine nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, I’m pretty comfortable in maintaining that Frazier is going to place at this tournament, especially given previous results against some of the wrestlers in the field, most notably an 8-0 major decision over 11th seed and #20 Jameson Garcia, and a slim 3-2 loss to 5th seed and #17 Dillon Campbell. The real question is: where is he going to place? In the round of 16, Frazier will wrestle 9th seed HM Nick O’Neill of Malvern Prep. O’Neill is certainly no slouch, coming from a program as prestigious as Malvern Prep, but Frazier is regardless the favorite to win the bout. After that match, however, Frazier will have to take on 1st seed and #2 Benjamin Davino. I can’t realistically call an upset here, given Davino’s pedigree, but I think an appearance in the quarterfinals gives Frazier a nice chance to place. Frazier’s placement is going to depend on who he sees, as there are competitors in this bracket, such as 7th seed and #16 JJ McComas that have given Frazier trouble this off season. Although Dillon Campbell is seeded higher, I think that this matchup would be a better consolation bout for Frazier than McComas. He also might not wrestle either of these wrestlers, but comparative results between some of his other potential matchups are not strong enough for me to make reasonable predictions. Overall, I think that a 6th place finish is reasonable for Frazier, given that he makes an upset this weekend and catapults himself back into the rankings, which I most certainly think that he is capable of doing.

 

Predictions: Frazier 6th

 

132: #1 Sergio Lemley, #2 Cael Hughes, #9 Vincent Robinson, #5 Zan Fugitt, #12 Jack Consiglio, #16 Jaxon Joy, #17 Matty Lopes

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Brady Ison: 11th seed, Kaptur Nowaczyk: unseeded

 

With limited results this off season, it’s hard to make a fair comparison of how well Brady Ison will do this weekend, but we all know that he’s good, and the Ironman seeders must know as well, as Ison’s previous body of work was impressive enough to earn an 11th seed for the tournament. With seven ranked wrestlers in this weight class, it’s not unrealistic to think that Ison could break through and place at this tournament, but with 15 Honorable Mention wrestlers also populating the field, there is also potential for Ison to end his tournament run early. In the round of 16, Ison will meet up against 6th seed and #16 Jaxon Joy. Joy’s Ironman run last year ended in a 3-2 showing, but he has built up a solid body of work this off season that includes a 7th place finish at Fargo and a bloodround performance at Super 32 that included a 3-2 loss to eventual runner-up Beau Mantanona. I think that despite these results, Jaxon Joy is a beatable opponent for Ison, and although I’m not confident enough to predict it, I also can’t dispute the possibility either. I think that Ison will put together a solid performance here, but there are too many talented wrestlers in this field for me to give Ison the nod just yet. Kaptur Nowaczyk of Crown Point is the other Indiana entry in this weight class. Given that Nowaczyk will be wrestling up two weight classes for this tournament, I cannot confidently say that he will make a deep run in this tournament, also he has the wins to promote himself as a top wrestler in Indiana. If Nowaczyk were to wrestle this tournament at 120, I might’ve been more willing to entertain the idea of a deep run, but I cannot reasonably predict one here.

 

Predictions: Ison DNP, Nowaczyk DNP

 

138: #1 Nasir Bailey, #3 Kannon Webster, #6 Kollin Rath, #7 Vince Bouzakis, #4 Hunter Mason, #9 Omar Ayoub, #14 Eligh Rivera, #20 Jakob Romero, #19 Brandon Cannon

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Parker Reynolds: unseeded, Evan Cruz: unseeded

 

With no seeded wrestlers at this weight class, it’s going to be tough to earn an Indiana placement here, although given the right draw, I think that Parker Reynolds could have a chance. Entering his freshman year ranked #4 in Indiana, Reynolds is a talented freshman that is no stranger to tough competition. However, this weight class is TOUGH, with nine nationally ranked wrestlers, and nationally ranked wrestlers seeded as low as 13th, along with a couple of sleepers dispersed throughout the weight class, such as HM Billy DeKraker, who owns a win over Logan Frazier at Super 32, and HM Ayson Rice, who defeated Eleazar Walker at the Grappler Fall Classic. I think that Reynolds can pick up a couple of wins here, but I don’t think he is quite ready to see the podium yet. Crown Point’s Evan Cruz is also battle tested, qualifying for the state tournament during his freshman campaign, but is yet to return to form after bumping up several weight classes. I don’t think Cruz will place either, but I expect him to earn a couple of wins as well.

 

Predictions: Reynolds DNP, Cruz DNP

 

At this point, I need to halt the write-up with an intermission for a moment to explain the latter half of these predictions. The Ironman tournament this year is using different weight classes than we use in Indiana, so that means that wrestlers beyond 138 are going to have to make decisions regarding what weight class they are going to go. For wrestlers in the next weight class, 144 lbs, I don’t think there will be much, or any movement (although former wrestlers know how much of a pain an extra pound can be), but at weight classes such as 157 lbs and 165 lbs, there will most certainly be wrestlers dropping up and down weight classes. Thus, I am not going to specify rankings for each wrestler; that is, if I say a wrestler is ranked #11, that doesn’t necessarily mean that he is ranked at, for example, 152 or 160, but is still ranked nonetheless. Anyways, back to making predictions.

 

144 Ranked Wrestlers: #6 Mac Church, #13 Brock Herman, #9 Sam Cartella, #17 Collin Dupill, #10 Kael Voinovich, #19 Gavin Linsman, #14 Layton Schneider, #20 Q’veli Quintanilla, #17 Logan Paradice

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Anthony Bahl: unseeded

 

Despite Anthony Bahl’s talent, he is going unseeded into this weight class, which includes nine nationally ranked wrestlers. Unfortunately for me, Bahl has no comparable results between wrestlers in this weight class, but as a state runner-up that wrestled Zeke Seltzer tough on multiple occasions, I think that I have a general estimate on Bahl’s skill level and how he will do at this tournament. Looking at some of the seeded wrestlers at this tournament, the 8th seed HM Jaydon Robinson owns a win at IHPO over Mishiwaka’s Beau Brabender, which gives us a relative result to compare to Bahl. Bahl has a win of his own over a Mishiwaka stud in Eleazar Walker, and I think that a major decision over Walker has a little more weight than a major decision over Brabender, due to each of their placements at state last year. I say this all to make this point: I think Anthony Bahl is going to place at this tournament, if the draw is right. Obviously, a first or second round matchup against #6 Mac Church or #13 Brock Herman (the 1st and 2nd seeds respectively) would be a tough look going into the rest of the tournament, but I am going to use my superiority as a predictor to predict that that WON’T happen and Bahl will find himself on the podium, although I’m not sure if he’s going to make it very high, given the comparative pedigrees of the rest of the top 8 seeds, so I am going to play it safe and give Bahl an 8th place prediction.

 

Predictions: Bahl 8th

 

150 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 LaDarion Lockett, #2 PJ Duke, #5 Weston Dalton, #9 William Henckel, #16 Wynton Denkins, #19 Christopher Crawford

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Christian Washington

 

Crown Point’s Christian Washington is the sole entry for Indiana in this weight class, and given Washington’s limited experience as a varsity wrestler (which when I say this, I mean varsity at Crown Point, because Washington is most certainly a state caliber wrestler, despite only now breaking the lineup), I don’t think that he will be challenging for a spot on the podium. There’s not much more I can say about this weight class, with an overall lack of results to compare Washington to the field, although I will say that Crown Point always has sleepers in their lineups, and Washington may be able to pick up an upset or two.

 

Predictions: Washington DNP

 

157 Ranked Wrestlers: #3 Joseph Sealey, #6 Ethan Stiles, #14 Paul Ognissanti

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Anthony Rinehart: 7th seed

 

Anthony Rinehart makes his debut this weekend in the red and white, and has a nice route to a spot on the podium, with a 7th seed. There are only three wrestlers nationally ranked in this weight class (probably due to the awkwardness of the weight class compared to the existing weight classes that I believe that most states are still following this year), so despite a great seed, I think Rinehart can find himself even higher on the podium. 6th seed HM Landyn Sommer out of Stillwater owns the spot just above him, but wrestled Anthony Bahl at 145 at the Elite 8 Duals, and lost 6-4. I find it tricky to compare the skill level of teammates here, especially given the weight differences, but I think that if Bahl was able to beat Sommer, Rinehart can as well. Looking ahead at his bracket path, Rinehart is projected to wrestle 10th seed Mason Alessio of Joliet Catholic Academy in the round of 16. Alessio, as an Illinois state runner-up, will be a tough opponent, but I think Rinehart will make it through this round just fine. His bout afterwards in the quarterfinals, however, will be against another Illinois stud in 2nd seed and #6 Ethan Stiles. Stiles has established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the country, but drew blood against an Indiana wrestler last offseason when going against J Conway, and losing by criteria. I’m not ready to compare Rinehart to the likes of Conway just yet, especially given the success that Conway found this offseason in freestyle, but I think that this bout will be a lot closer than many might give him credit for. Honestly, I can see Rinehart placing as high as third in this bracket, but I will not be too optimistic for the sake of making an accurate prediction and say that RInehart will leave with a 5th place finish at the Ironman this year.

 

Predictions: Rinehart 5th

 

165 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Angelo Ferrari, #3 Lorenzo Norman, #4 Daschle Lamer, #9 Sam Goin

 

Indiana Wrestlers: #9 Sam Goin, 4th seed

 

Crown Point’s Sam Goin had an excellent off season this year that included a 4th place finish at Super 32, with losses only to Nicco Ruiz and Joe Sealey, who are ranked #3 and #4 respectively at 160 lbs. I certainly think Sam Goin can keep the momentum going, however, predicting an upset at this tournament would be predicting that Sam Goin defeats a top four opponent. So, is Goin ready to make that jump? Let’s look at his bouts with previous top four opponents. At Fargo, Goin was the victim of unfortunate bracket luck, and wrestled previously #4 Braeden Scoles. The score was 9-5 in favor of the Wisconsin native. Next, at the Elite 8 Duals, Goin matched up against #2 (at the time) Joe Sealey, and lost only 7-5. At Super 32, Goin then clashed with then #3 Nicco Ruiz in the semis, and lost only a 5-2 bout. It seems to me that Goin has almost been there for a while now. I think that given his off season results, and the improvement overall that we’ve seen from him these past couple of years, I can confidently predict a 3rd place finish from Sam Goin, who I have claiming a big win over one of the top four wrestlers  in this weight class. With the level of dominance that 1st and #1 Angelo Ferrari displayed at Who’s #1, I don’t think Goin will be able to get past him, but I think that Goin can challenge 2nd seed and #3 Lorenzo Norman, or 3rd and #4 Daschle Lamer, depending on who loses the semifinal bout between the two.

 

Predictions: Goin 3rd

 

175 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Rocco Welsh, #12 Luke Vanadia, #5 Tyler Eise, #7 Dominic Federici, #17 Omaury Alvarez, #20 Dylan Newsome

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Cody Goodwin: 12th seed, Caden Brewer: unseeded

 

I think that Crown Point’s Cody Goodwin is one of the more secret gems of the current pool of talent in Indiana wrestling. With almost no off season results this year, it’s easy for Goodwin to go under the radar, but don’t forget that he missed out on a state title this year by the slimmest of margins, losing an overtime bout in the semifinals of the state tournament to eventual champ J Conway. Goodwin is ready to take on the best, and I think he will prove it in this tournament, that includes six nationally ranked wrestlers. With the 12th seed, Goodwin is projected to match up against 5th seed and #7 Dominic Federici of Wyoming Seminary. A daunting opponent for Goodwin, especially in the round of 16, but let’s explore the probability of an upset here. At last year’s Ironman, Federici put up a 3-2 performance, with a 10-1 loss to Angelo Ferrari, and a 7-5 loss to Brenden Abdon. Over the summer, J Conway defeated with a 12-1 tech fall at Fargo. Obviously, I think that Federici is better than he was at last year’s Ironman, but Conway’s dominance over a wrestler that had defeated Federici only a year ago gives a little more reason to predicting an upset here. Federici also placed 5th at Super 32, in which Goodwin did not participate, so these strings of results are really all we have to go off of. That being said, give me Goodwin over Federici this weekend. You saw it here first. This puts Goodwin on a projected path to 4th seed and #5 Tyler Eise. Eise and Federici wrestled at this year’s Super 32, which ended in a 5-3 decision for Eise, so if Goodwin can beat Federici, you better believe that he can win this one too. This weight has turned into a lot of hypotheticals, so let’s just say this: give me Cody Goodwin placing 6th at this year’s Ironman. I should also talk about the other Indiana wrestler in this field: Brownsburg’s Caden Brewer. I think Brewer is still not at a level to contend with nationally ranked opponents, but I think he will have a solid showing here nonetheless. After all, we’ve just established that a 3-2 showing at the Ironman can result in a top 10 ranking and an All-American status at Super 32, so if Brewer can rattle off a couple of wins here, he’ll be looking good for the future.

 

Predictions: Goodwin 6th, Brewer DNP

 

190 Ranked Wrestlers: #1 Brayden Thompson, #5 Jude Correa, #7 Rune Lawrence, #8 Camden McDanel, #6 AJ Heeg, #18 Nate Taylor, #11 Orlando Cruz, #20 Justin Griffith, #19 Kingsley Menifee

 

Indiana Wrestlers: #11 Orlando Cruz: 7th seed, HM Gunner Henry: 11th seed

 

Buckle up, because there’s a lot to talk about with this weight class. Orlando Cruz comes into his first Ironman boasting the 7th seed, setting him up nicely to make it into the placement rounds, although I should note that there are nine nationally ranked wrestlers in this weight class, which means that at least one wrestler in the top 20 is guaranteed to miss out on the podium steps. And unfortunately for Cruz, he is the only top 8 seeded wrestler who is facing another nationally ranked opponent in the round of 16, where he will face 10th seed and #19 Kingsley Menifee. Despite the tough match early on, Menifee has no results that indicate that he might present a major challenge for Cruz, and I expect Cruz to beat him handily. Cruz will then face 2nd seed and #5 Jude Correa in the quarterfinals. Correa is a Super 32 Champ at 195 lbs, and is easily the favorite over Cruz. I expect Cruz to bring a battle, but this is a tough match for anybody in the quarterfinals. Luckily, I think that Cruz’s battle in the consolation matches looks to be a lot more favorable for him. While the top five seeds at this weight are all extremely tough, with the 5th seed being ranked #6 in the country, the 6th seed is a much more favorable match for Cruz to see later on in the tournament, as Cruz owns a 6-5 win over #18 Nate Taylor at the Elite 8 Duals, and should be considered the favorite per the rankings should this match happen again. I think that Cruz will place 6th at this year’s Ironman, improving his seed by one spot, but the top five at this tournament are incredibly solid. Now, Brownsburg’s Gunner Henry, although not ranked in the country, nor seeded in the top 8, has an excellent shot in my opinion to break through to the top 8. In the round of 16, Henry will face off against the aforementioned Nate Taylor, who I think Henry is fully capable of beating, given that Henry’s match with Orlando Cruz during the state tournament was quite competitive, and Henry has a weight advantage as a 195 lb wrestler. If Henry can take this win, he has a shot to break through and place, in my opinion, although I’m not sure if he will make it much further than 7th place. I think if he beats Nate Taylor, he can certainly beat the two lower nationally ranked wrestlers in Menifee and 8th seed and #20 Justin Griffith, so I will give the 7th place prediction to him.

 

Predictions: Cruz 6th, Henry 7th

 

215 Ranked Wrestlers: #19 Jersey Robb, #7 Max Shulaw, #9 Dylan Russo, #10 Kyle Snider, #12 Cash Henderson, #18 Max Vanadia

 

Indiana Wrestlers: Will Clark: 10th seed

 

Crown Point’s Will Clark earns a 10th seed for this tournament, meaning that he will need to improve his seed by at least two spots in order to place. The seeding is quite interesting for this tournament, with #18 Max Vanadia claiming the 9th seed, and three Honorable Mention wrestlers stealing the seeds above him. This works out in favor of Clark, however, who sees 7th seed HM Oscar Williams in the round of 16. Williams’ only Indiana result that I could find was a 3-2 decision over Super 32 8th placer Devin Kendrex, which gives me faith that Clark can win this bout, as the #1 ranked wrestler at 220 in Indiana. Moving on from this match, Clark will see 2nd seed and #7 Max Shulaw, which is unfortunate, as once again the seeding for this weight class sets Clark against the highest ranked wrestler in the weight class, while the 1st seed boasts only a #19 ranking in the country. Of course, rankings don’t mean everything, but they are good indicators of a wrestler’s current success. Despite a tough quarterfinal pairing, I think that a win over Williams will set Clark up nicely in the consolations. I think that Clark will walk away from this tournament with a 7th place finish, and hopefully picking up a big win over a nationally ranked opponent along the way.

 

Predictions: Clark 7th

 

285 Ranked Wrestlers: #9 Dillan Johnson, #4 Parker Ferrell, #7 Matthew Moore, #5 Carter Neves, #11 Austin Foye

 

Indiana Wrestlers: HM Leighton Jones: 5th seed, Paul Clark: 11th seed

 

The second weight class where Indiana has two wrestlers seeded in the top 16, Leighton Jones earns himself a 5th seed, while Paul Clark earns a respectable 11th seed. Jones has seen himself in the rankings before, and looks to take his spot back in the rankings during his first and last Ironman run. If Paul Clark was one seed lower, we would be seeing a teamkill match with Jones and Clark, but Jones instead has 12th seed Richard Thomas. With limited off season results for Thomas, it’s hard to say how much of a struggle Thomas will be for Jones, but I think we can reasonably infer that Jones will be just fine, given his pedigree. In the quarterfinals, Jones will face off against 4th seed and #5 Carter Neves. Formerly of St. Paris Graham, Carter Neves fills in his brother’s shoes as a heavyweight, after wrestling this year’s Fargo tournament at 220 lbs. Jones has not wrestled Carter, but did wrestle his older brother Nolan Neves at the Carnahan Invitational, where Jones lost a 3-2 bout. Despite the ranking, I think that Jones has the potential to win this match, and I am going to predict him to do so. Now, if I predict Jones to win this match, I surely have to predict him making the finals, as the 1st seed of this tournament is #9 Dillan Johnson, ranked four spots lower than Neves. Johnson has some impressive results, however, highlighted by a Cheesehead Invitational championship. In trying to find a comparable result of Johnson to an Indiana wrestler, I actually found a result from last year’s Central Regional, where Johnson emerged victorious, and no, not Dillan Johnson, but Franklin Central’s Jacob Johnson, in a 7-5 bout. The result was about a year and a half ago, but I think this result makes the possibility of an upset here seem more reasonable. Besides, I haven’t picked an Indiana wrestler yet to come home with an Ironman title (once again, these are predictions, not who I would like to win, because in a perfect world, I would like every Indiana wrestler to win), so let’s do it: Leighton Jones is my pick to win the heavyweight weight class at the Ironman and claim a 1st place finish. As for Paul Clark, he will have to wrestle #11 Austin Foye in the round of 16. I have a lot of faith in Paul Clark, but he hasn’t picked up that one big win yet in his career for me to confidently pick him over a top 11 ranked wrestler in the country. That being said, there are five nationally ranked wrestlers in this field (and Leighton Jones, who isn’t ranked but should be), so there are two spots up for grabs in this weight class, and I think Clark can grab one of them. I’m going to predict that Paul Clark snags the last spot on the podium and ends with an 8th place finish.

 

Predictions: Jones 1st, Clark 8th

 

Now, I realize after writing eight pages (single spaced) worth of analysis and predictions that my predictions in some cases are a little bit ambitious, but I feel like I have to give our guys the benefit of the doubt. Crown Point and Brownsburg are two of the most successful Indiana high school wrestling programs in the history of the sport, and to not assume that these guys are improving at an insane rate would be foolish. Like I have said, I realistically would like to see everybody from Indiana do well, and I would much rather my predictions be wrong and see Indiana flourish at the Ironman, than be correct and have some of our studs miss out on the podium. This article is meant not just for predictions, however, and is more so to help fans keeping up with the Ironman this weekend understand each wrestler’s history against the rest of the field, and what their chances are of making the tournament runs that we all want them to. With that being said, I appreciate the support I get from writing these, and it won’t be long until another one comes your way, with the Carnahan Invitational coming up only a week after this tournament. Thank you all, and see you soon.

It's been said before.  Tyler needs to be on staff!!  Another insightful, not to HOMEY, write up.  Thank you.

[matts]

Just curious as I am way far removed from things...  What is Lukas Tsirtsis relationship to Alex and Jason?

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by matts

[Y2CJ41]

7 minutes ago, matts said:

Just curious as I am way far removed from things...  What is Lukas Tsirtsis relationship to Alex and Jason?

 

Nephew I believe.

[matts]

2 minutes ago, Y2CJ41 said:

Nephew I believe.

TY

[Mphillips]

MatScouts

 

Brownsburg and Crown Point at IronMan

· Indiana has opened up its borders and lightened up on their travel restrictions, finally allowing teams at the Ironman. This year will see #30 Brownsburg and #6 Crown Point, two of the best teams in recent Indiana history, who will get to test their mettle against the rest of the country. Crown Point comes off a record-breaking state tournament, and, despite the loss of Indiana All-Timer Jesse Mendez, returns two champs in Logan Frazier (VT commit) and Sam Goin (IU commit) and 3 runners up from last season. Brownsburg was team runners up last year and would be strong favorites in almost any other season, touting state champ Jake Hockaday and runner up Preston Haines. Notable others from these teams include Orlando Cruz, a Purdue commit at 190 for Crown Point, and Leighton Jones, an Iowa football commit at 285 for Brownsburg. 

[BrodyHardcastle]

Looks like Bahl got thrown into the 20th seed and Rinehart moves to the 6th seed. Tough tough draw for Burg Freshman Parker Reynolds drawing the #5 seed first round.

Edited December 9, 2022 by bigballerb

[BrodyHardcastle]

Sessa knocks off the 19th seed in the first round! 

Edited December 9, 2022 by bigballerb

[nk140]

So far only CP 106 has lost for IN schools

[BrodyHardcastle]

3 minutes ago, nk140 said:

So far only CP 106 has lost for IN schools

I think he was the 113

[nk140]

1 minute ago, bigballerb said:

I think he was the 113

you may be right.  no weights on the live feed

[Y2CJ41]

All results will be on our Twitter, just a heads up as this is chaos here on the floor.

[JORVILLE]

2 hours ago, Y2CJ41 said:

Nephew I believe.

Cousins as their dads are brothers

[BoonVegas]

3 hours ago, bigballerb said:

Sessa knocks off the 19th seed in the first round! 

Nice.  Keep the updates coming!

[BrodyHardcastle]

For anyone not looking on Twitter. This tournament is proving how tough it really is and they aren't even to the quaterfinals yet.

 

CP in Championship Bracket:

Frazier (Won his only match 2-0)

Rinehart (Won by pin)

Goin (Won by pin)

Cruz (13-4 win)

Will Clark (9-4 win)

Paul Clark (Still has not wrestled)

 

Some notable losses that happens include Goodwin losing 3-2 to a Blair kid, Kaptur lost to Lemley, and Evan Cruz lost to Kannon Webster who is #3 in the nation.

 

BBurg in Championship Bracket:

Dickman (won by pin)

Hockaday (Won 8-1 and also by pin)

Gunner Henry (Won by tech)

Leighton Jones (won by. pin)

 

Ison loses to 10-3 to a tough kid and Haines lost to St.Eds 5-2.

 

 

Edited December 9, 2022 by bigballerb

[BrodyHardcastle]

 Preston Haines goes 1-2, this tournament is nuts.

[BrodyHardcastle]

CP in 7th while Bburg is in 15th, hopefully both teams can earn some much needed points in the consi round.

[BrodyHardcastle]

Dickman loses to Smith from NDGP 11-1, Hockaday lost to Deluca from Blair by pin and Frazier takes out O’Neill from Malvern prep 4-3.

Edited December 9, 2022 by bigballerb

[BrodyHardcastle]

Anthony Rinehart and Sammy Goin both move onto the quarterfinals with majors.

[BrodyHardcastle]

Cruz wins a tough 4-3 match and Gunner Henry loses 4-1 to nationally ranked and Cornell commit Kingsley Menifee. Menifee has wrestled in Indiana a few times and has always impressed me. Veazy owns a couple wins over him out at Fargo.

[Guest]

Deem Dogs got 6 going strong - dis a ball buster of a tournament 

[BrodyHardcastle]

Clark bro’s wrestling well to move to the quarters and Leighton Jones loses against a tough kid from Oklahoma.