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Here you go wrestling fans!!! sit back and enjoy!!

By JEREMY HINES Thehines7@gmail.com Most wrestling stories don’t begin like K.J. Roudebush’s did. Then again, most wrestlers aren’t wired quite like the three-sport star from Tipton, either. Roudebush got into wrestling as a punishment, and because a household lamp was broken. “It’s really a funny story,” the Tipton senior said. “I was in fifth grade and my oldest brother was in college so my middle brother and I were downstairs wrestling around. Right when dad got home from work we were still wrestling and my brother and I had gotten mad at each other and one of my mom’s lamps got broken. My dad wasn’t happy. He said if we wanted to continue wrestling at home, we were going to join the wrestling team. I went to the wrestling team and I just fell in love with it.” Roudebush is currently ranked No. 10 in the state at 195 pounds. He lost in the ticket round last year at the New Castle semistate to current No. 1-ranked junior Silas Allred of Shenandoah. Roudebush doesn’t make excuses for that loss. “Silas is something special,” he said. “I went out on the mat and he just dominated me. I couldn’t do anything. I wasn’t tired or anything, he was just better than me.” This season Roudebush wants to go one step further than he did last year. He wants to advance to the state tournament. For Roudebush, wrestling is a part-time gig. Unlike most highly ranked Indiana wrestlers, Roudebush doesn’t wrestle in the offseason. Summers are for baseball and the fall is for his first love, football. Roudebush plays quarterback on Tipton’s offense and splits time between linebacker and defensive end on defense. “K.J. is in the top 10 of his class,” Tipton coach Mark Barker said. “He’s such an intelligent guy and he’s a leader in every sport he does. To me, he’s one of those exceptional people that don’t come along that often. If he focused solely on wrestling, I really think it would be hard for anyone to beat him. “But I like multi-sport athletes. The more sports you do the better you’ll become at all of them. That’s the way things have always been here at Tipton.” Currently Tipton has just seven wrestlers. For Roudebush, that’s perfectly fine. “Being on such a small team could really suck, but we get a lot more attention from the coaches,” Roudebush said. “Our individual time with the coaches is through the roof. We’ve never had a big team. I think the most I’ve seen here is 10 wrestlers. Because of that, we don’t win a lot of matches as a team, but when you look at our head-to-head and don’t count forfeits, we’ve won close to 40 duals. We also have a very close bond with each other. I wouldn’t trade that for a bigger program with more practice partners.” The Tipton team has adopted a philosophy through necessity. The goal is for every wrestler in the lineup to pin their opponent. If they do that, they have a shot at winning dual meets. “We know what we are up against going into the match,” Roudebush said. “Coach tells us we’re starting out down 24-0, or something like that. We know every single one of us have to pin in order for us to win. It’s awesome. All of a sudden, Bam! We pin everyone and pull off the surprise win. We love that challenge. When we get people on their backs, we keep them there.” In practice Roudebush alternatese from wrestling with the team’s heavyweight, sophomore Nate Morgan to wrestling with their 145-pounder Blake Hicks. “Nate is stronger than me and that makes me really focus on my technique,” Roudebush said. “Blake is a scrapper. He’s good on top and he can put the legs in. He has a mean crossface cradle and he’s tough. It helps me a lot getting to wrestle with guys with different body types and strengths.” Roudebush beat Elwood’s Jalen Morgan last year 5-2 to claim the sectional title. Morgan reversed that decision in regional, winning 3-2. That put Morgan on the opposite side of the semistate bracket as Allred. Morgan advanced to the championship match, losing to Allred but still advancing to state. Roudebush was eliminated in the second round. “I want to go one step further,” he said. “That’s all I’m worried about. We have a tough sectional. The regional is even harder and I think New Castle is arguably one of the most difficult semistates. My focus is on getting past the ticket round. I’m worried about each match in front of me because wrestling is a different kind of sport. Anyone can win. You have to be ready at all times.” View full article

LOTS of results.... Did the best I could, but I am sure I missed a few guys. I included season records, where I could find them via Track or the school web site. Records listed are for the Duals, then Season DII Indianapolis @125 DJ Smith 1-2, 6-8 @184 Jack Michel 0-3, 5-9 @285 Dylan Faulkenberg 3-0, 12-2 Lindenwood @165 Kyle Jolas 4-1, 14-8 McKendree @149 Isaiah Kemper 1-3 16-9 DIII Wartburg @141 Kris Rumph 1-1, 2-2 @197 Kobe Woods* 1-2, 13-4 - Didn't know he was back wrestling. And at 197! Wabash @141 Owen Doster 0-2, 5-7 @149 Griffin Schermer 3-1, 15-5 @157 Austin Bethel 2-1, 3-3 @165 Kyle Hatch 2-2, 12-3 @174 Darden Schurg 4-0 19-1 @197 Levi Miller 1-3, 12-11 @285 Wade Ripple 1-1, 13-6 NAIA Lindsey Wilson @141 Austin Ramsey 2-3, 9-14 Campbellsville @184 Aaron Mosley 3-2 Cumberland U (KY) @174 Nathan Walton 3-0, 17-4 Univ. of the Cumberlands (TN) @125 Hayden Lee 3-1 - RS Sr. after stops at Arizona State and Ohio U @165 Tristan Macri 2-0, 10-1 @174 Jarod Swank 2-2 Indiana Tech @125 Sawyer Miller 3-0, 13-2 @133 Enrique Early 4-0, 16-4 @174 Jake Weimer 0-2, 10-6 Marian @133 Brandon James 3-0, 17-3 @141 Mason Miranda 2-1, 12-7 @149 Bailey Moore 2-0 @165 Kain Rust 1-2 @174 Jack Servies 1-2 @184 Sam Osho 1-2 @197 Alston Bane 1-2 @285 Ethan Bunce 1-2, 12-11 Sorry to those I missed!

I will take the shots from Emd guys and Perry guys(they earned it)... But shots from a Harrison guy! New low for me. Dang that’s bad. Feelings are hurt now. Seriously.... I really didn’t think that not giving a match to teams which went 0-2 in the pool was a big deal (regardless of where I’m from). But... I guess it is for many. Super sorry that I didn’t see that as big as a deal as it clearly is to most. Just wanted to clear that up. Wasn’t trying to come across as a jerk. That’s not me. I really want what’s best for the kids. I guess the only choices we have to keep state a very long day or add six more mats and get everyone 4 duals. With that said, the old format was lose one loss and done right? How did those weigh-ins work back then? With all of that said, I really enjoyed being at state the last few years and plan on attending many more. Great show by the kids, coaches, and especially the people that run it.

Trackgopher that would make perfect sense for the Regionals wheb tge brackets are big due to unlimited entries. But I don’t see a need for the same setup at Girls State. State is only an 8 person bracket. Top 4 from the North and Top 4 from the South. Seems like that lines up perfectly for complete wrestlebacks to 3/4 option. I’m guessing the organizers want to speed the event along by not having the semi-final losers drop into an extra consolation round. Just let them wrestle for 3/4 and move on. From a tournament directors standpoint that does makes some sense since it’s a late Friday night. But, I thought this was about finally giving these girls some due. It’s Girls State not a random JV round robin to get matches. I say let the girls prove their placement by wrestling it out. Sure it may save a little time (that 2 less matches per weight) by cutting out a round of wrestle-backs, but then the first round draw completely decided your season. I’ve heard enough complaints over the years about the IHSAA doing the one loss and your done stuff at some round of boys state, but in this case the IHSAA isn’t the one deciding it. For most of these girls this is the highlight of the season and likely their last meet of the year (for some career). I’m guessing most of them would vote to stay two matches longer if it gave them them a opportunity to earn the placement they believed they have worked hard for.

Cathedral vs. Perry Meridian Tonight at 6pm at Cathedral. Should be some good ones. Warren vs. Mosconi at the minimum. If Fair is healthy, he'll square off against Rodgers. Always an electric dual of Northside vs. Southside.

I say we add wild cards. Pick up a couple super studs and tell the kids that has been wrestling all year sorry you’re just not good enough we found someone to take your spot.

Moran 19th at 113 Littell 19th at 120 Asa 17th at 132 Washington 18th at 160 South 18th at 170 Brewer 16th at 182 Silas 6th at 195 Andrew Irick 20th at 220 (New to rankings!!!) Super proud of this kid!

Yes, Cathedral wrestling Team has their own theme song and it’s awesome!!!

Great article, sounds like a young man with a successful future. Best of luck making it to state KJ

By old format do you mean having an 8 team bracket? Everyone got 3 matches. Winners in the 1st round were guaranteed top 4 placement. Losers wrestled each other to determine who wrestled for 5th. Losers of that match wrestled for 7tn.

State should have wrestle backs! The upsets and high drama are a lot of fun, but crazy how hard it is to reach our State finals and not have double elimination...

and there it is....... nice work @lewdwar.... way to not disapoint @Mattyb @decbell1 he is not serious he is addressing his long standing issues with elementary team state and the teams trying to fill open spots by using wildcards (some in the past have used wildcards in place of their own club kids and he takes issue with that).

OK, I am going to post this knowing there will be quite a few who disagree, but just getting tired of a few things: I have been around this sport for the last 46 years of my 50 years and wrestling is missing the boat for 90% of the wrestlers. I read all the posts here and people talking about why numbers are down. Here is my assessment. The top 2-3% of wrestlers in Indiana are better than they were when I was in high school. I officiated this weekend and have watched my son wrestle this year. There is plenty of blame to go around. This weekend as well as almost every other weekend, I have seen more kids raking kids faces, punching kids in the face, ribs, and pushing them after they go out of bounds, and trying to torque a knee after the whistle blows amongst other things. I am not soft, but I am quite sure a good hard cross face is ok when trying to pick up the far arm or fight off a shot, but the re-rake and subsequent rake is ludicrous. The coaches say he is just being physical. Totally crap, it is not a move and you are not working anything but trying to intimidate the other opponent or injure your opponent with brutality. If you watch the best kids in the state, I rarely see this happen. It is with the second tier kids and/or programs. Teach your kids how to wrestle, the above is not wrestling. This is not college, this is high school where 90% of the kids may not even wrestle in college. They are out because their parents told them to get involved and be a part of something, or were talked into it by a teacher or another coach. Why would these fringe kids (70%) even want to be a part of a sport where some "heavy hands" have been equated to punching, raked faces lead to bloody noses and lips, and the extra pull on the knee or shoulder equates to stretched ligaments or eventually worse. When the whistle blows, stop wrestling the best you can, coaches lead by example and let the kids know they did something wrong instead of arguing he is a good kid and would never do this. These fringe kids will either quit during the season or worse yet, never come out the following year. No fight shorts or uniforms will change that. So by all accounts wrestling is a great sport and can hep teach kids a lot about life and to be great workers and citizens of this country. As I always was told, "I will never miss an opportunity to teach or guide you whether you like what I say or not and you may not always come out on top, but life is not about short cuts, but about what kind of person you are in the long-run." With this being said, I love wrestling and what it has done for me in my life and hope that others will enjoy it also. The more who experience what wrestling is really about and the hard work, it will pay dividends for life. Those who don't understand will still be making excuses for their kids and rationalizing where we are going. I would challenge the wrestling community which includes the coaches, parents and officials to make the right calls and do the right thing. Maybe it will bring in more kids to the sport and maybe it won't. One way, I am pretty sure we will head down the same road, the other, it will not get worse, but maybe a chance for more to experience this great sport. TP

Most parents would be disappointed, and I totally agree with DecBell on this one. It would discourage teams to just participate in Team State if they only have a 2 match guarantee. I think it discourages teams currently from getting a 3 match guarantee. Its comes off as arrogant and elitist to only have the top teams advance, because everybody knows the top teams who will likely win because wrestling is pretty damn predictable , especially when you have Maligned applying his logarithims to it. And its going to be the same blue blood teams who get all the coverage anyway. So the Brownsburgs, Avons, Cathedrals, WCs, EMDs and PMs get their press and coverage and limelight, and they dont want those other teams, that are not as well known, taking a little bit of the attention and lime light. KIeep in minds, theres different expectations out their for every team in the state. News for you MattyB, there's a bigger wrestling world out there. There's programs due to the socio- economic status, will not ever be a tier 1 team. But these programs have goals that are different than Avon's and Brownsbug's. These programs love taking their long shot at the big teams, but they know the odds are stacked against them. But they also know that, maybe placing top 8 or top 10 or even winning a match at team state would be big deal. Maybe they cant beat a top 5 team, but they have a legit shot against a top 20 team. And when you funnel down the bracket, the matches at the top get competitive, the 7th and 8th place match is also just as competitive and 11th and 12th place could be a dynamite dual as DecBell mentioned. It comes down to expectations, it would be a big downer for Avon to wrestle in the 11th place match if that happened. But, for a team that gets that rare shot to qualify for state, they want to enjoy that moment as much as they can and prove that they can wrestle. Besides, if it was any other weekend, having two top 20 wrestle would be a big thing. Last year, my sons former high school team made it to team state. They normally don't go and they new they had a 0% chance of winning it as they were unseeded. But they got there and enjoyed the 3 matches and actually won one, and were really disappointed they didn't get their 4th match. They brought a big crowd and got hotel rooms in FW and were into it. And most of all, they were extremely disappointed at not getting a shot at wrestling a team in their bracket affiliated with an administrator on Indianamat that had made some funny and extremely colorful posts about them on Indianamat. They could of had a shot if they would wrestled the 11th or 9th place match, and it would of been a great matchup and very good dual (IMO).

DAC 106 #6 Stephen Roberson-CP #8 Malik Hall-Merr SS#8 Johny Cortez-LC 113 #1 Jacob Moran-Portage #6 Martin Cruz-Merr #14 Chris Merrill-Ches SS#5 Chris Tattini-CP 120 #3 Riley Bettich-CP #12 Danny Tolin-Ches #14 Ty Haskin-Portage 126 #1 Jesse Mendez-CP #5 Brock Peele-Portage SS#7 Juan Maldonado-Merr 132 #11 Ricky Hegedus-Portage SS#7 Ethan Kaiser 138 SS#3 Christian Ponce-LC SS#4 Tyson Nisley-LaPorte SS#6 Cade Johnson-Ches SS#8 Anthony Rivera-Merr 145 #8 Jake Burford-CP #14 Jacob Maldonado-Merr #16 Daniel Park-LC 152 #8 Brock Ellis-Ches SS#4 Jacob Beehn-Portage SS#6 Noah Hollendoner-CP 160 #1 Donnell Washington-Portage SS#6 Nick Taborski-CP 170 SS#5 Colin Kwiatkowski-Valpo SS#6 Jason Streck-Merr SS#7 Josh Warmick-Portage 182 #5 Evan Bates-Ches SS#5 Noah Perez-LaPorte SS#6 Khris Walton-Merr 195 #14 Seyi Akinwami-Merr SS#3 Ethan Potosky-CP 220 #13 Drew Bailey-Merr SS#6 John Wilcher-MC 285 #3 Anthony Atria-Merr SS#6 Nick Garcia-LC

Great attitude...our state series should be single elimination also, just win or don't waste my time with the losers.

As the Ben Davis guy who has been around a long, long time I will try to give you a couple. Don't get me wrong, they sound like excuses and I don't like excuses much. And, none of this is personal, hopefully my comments aren't construed as being a shot at anyone. Some comments i won't make in this forum as it isn't the right forum. However, there is my list, top of my head. 1. Resources - many programs develop talent by charging their kids $ every month or kids go to a "pay to play" facility like CIA, Red Cobra, Contenders, etc... In a lot of cases, we have kids who can't afford shoes, the sport fee or don't even know where they are staying tonight. Now, add on the cost of a USA card, tournaments, etc... and that is money our families need to spend elsewhere. Sure, we fund raise, but you can't cover costs for 50+ kids in a youth program to develop them in wrestling the way we would like. By the way, very few of our kids have a great support system. I can't imagine, as a 16 year old kid trying to cut weight, get to a Saturday practice, pay for a sport fee, new shoes, etc... without any parental support 2. All of the BD families from my era and later have moved to Avon, Brownsburg, Plainfield, Danvile, etc... i.. And, no families move into Ben Davis. Everyone is heading out West over the last 15 years, ncluding my family. I know I have coached a dozen or so kids in Junior High that have gone on to be successful at the state level in other programs. Good for those families for getting themselves into what they see as better situations personally. 3. I think BD has a remarkable amount of kids that start as Sophomores and Juniors. Sounds great to have bodies in the room, but wrestling in the MIC, Marion County and the same Sectional as Avon (you), Brownsburg and Plainfield - 90- percent of the time these kids just can't compete with someone who has had 4+ years of experience get frustrated and quit. And, how hard is it to sell this story "If you bust your butt, give everything you can you might win half of your matches" and "to be the most competitive you can, you need to learn how to eat right and maybe watch what you eat a little". They can't because they don't have quality food in the house. 4. The sport has no "middle class" anymore, there are elite wrestlers and everyone else. We all know the sport is hard - if you are getting beat up all the time it isn't fun, if it isn't fun you quit (unless you are an idiot like me and wired differently). We have a lot of great kids in this state who do well nationally. So, I am a 3rd year kid who has grown up wrestling some of the many studs on the WestSide and Marion County and I get pounded every time, I get discouraged. I get discouraged and just don't love the sport the way I need to love it to get better - I could have been a good wrestler, not elite, but good, maybe a Semi-State or even a State qualifier, but I can't get out of sectionals. I tihnk it was 2 years ago at the Avon Sectional at 106, 3 of those kids placed in the top 7 at state and I believe 3 others from MIC and Marion County placed as well. 5. I can keep going, but will conclude with this... I would rather build better young men (as I am sure we all do). It has taken me a while to admit that winning isn't as important to me as making someone successful at life (and this statement in no way makes me think that the previous 2 statements are exclusive, I am a better person, employee, boss, etc.... for being a wrestler). At some point, we are trying to get kids to graduate because we are now their parents. I could throw in a bunch of stats, but they don't change the situation. I would love to be singled out in a post about our wrestling, not the lack of our wrestling, but that isn't where we are at right now. Don't misinterpret any of this, I want to beat everyone. I don't want to lose. but, spend a few months inside the program and you will see it isn't just a numbers game. For better or worse, I am BD wrestling - as are a group of guys that I am proud to coach along side who also fight the daily battle to keep this program together and moving forward. Brett Nabb BD 1987 and 20 years coaching wrestling in Wayne Township

After seeing Boarman this weekend for the first time and Littell/Bettich the weekend before, he’ll be hard pressed to beat either of those two at 120. I think he’s a top talent, but not to their level. And though Lee beat Mosconi by 4 and Warren by one, I don’t think he is a lock like a Rooks or Garcia. I think EMD is Top 5, but with multiple podium winners, not multiple champs.

Wrestling is a legalized street fight and you need to be ready to scrap when you step on the mat. It is a physical sport that boys need to expend their energy and use their aggressiveness in a positive manner. With that said there are times when there are dirty moves or extra-circulars that are not needed. The referees and coaches need to step in and emphasize to these kids that this is not warranted.

Ty is red-shirting this year at 133/141, but 2 days before their first Open of the year at Virginia Tech he got banged up. He's still recovering and may end up with a medical red-shirt this year. He's been able to get a little practice over the past few weeks, but still showing symptoms of his injury and not fully cleared yet. Jeremiah was ready to battle it out this year at 133, down from 141 last year. However, he sustained a pretty severe concussion around the same time Ty went down. He's been recovering from it since and I'm not sure if he'll be cleared after break or not. At this point, Duke is FFing 133, so I wouldn't be surprised if the first healthy one gets inserted into the line for the Dual schedule. Regardless, Ty is loving the environment and I think found the perfect fit of academics and athletics. I'm excited to see what Coach Lanham continues to build in the ACC!