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Top 4 in order... 106 - Right off the bat you get an intriguing 4 v 1 matchup here and I think Bailey of River Forest will give Dominic Skees everything he can handle. And no slight to their potential blood round matchup but the winner of that match will be favored over the 2 v 3 matchup between a pair of unranked wrestlers. Cernus and Roberson are on the other side of the bracket in what would be a semifinal. Malik Hall is probably my 4th. Give me Cernus, Hall, Roberson, Bailey. 113 - Man you have to feel for senior Colin Reagan of Frontier, who has a devastatingly tough road to state as fellow senior Martin Cruz of Merrillville stands in his way. Reagan is a two time state qualifier, while Cruz would be making his first trip. I'm taking Cruz here in an ultra tight emotional win, and he likely faces of with Giovanni Diaz who has a favorable road to the semis. On the other side Moran is a relative automatic to the semis and really, would be heavily favored in any of his potential semifinal matchups, though the battle to be Moran's opponent in that match is intriguing. As it shows on the bracket Tattini, Fogarty, and Armstrong are 5,6,7 respectively in the rankings so look for an excellent scrap in that chunk of the bracket. I'm going to take a shot in the dark with Fogarty since Armstrong/Tattini have to battle it out first round while he faces #4 seed frosh Trevor Shammert in a match he will will be favored in. I'll take Moran, Diaz, Cruz, Fogarty. 120 - While I do think this class may have some upsets, I really thinks Bettich stands above the field here and takes the title down. Tolin of Chesterton makes for a heckuva blood round matchup for regional champion Ty Haskins of Portage. I'm going stick with Haskins in an ultra tight SV type of win. Trey Finnearty of Culver Academies probably gets through without much trouble to be Haskins opponent in the semis. Jace Alexander deserves a mention as the #16 state, but his path to a state semifinal with Bettich is a tough customer in regional champ and #7 SS Tyler Brubaker of McCutcheon. Brubaker pinned Braden Nuest of West Central in that Logansport Regional final in 2:21, so he is wrestling well right now. I still like Alexander to step in and make it the semis, but Bettich takes that one by 6-8 point decision. Give me Bettich, Finnearty, Haskins, Alexander. 126 - Yeah, Mendez. It is quite unfortunate for Brock Peele of Portage to have Mendez standing in his way. With Peele's 4th and 7th places previous finishes at state, he figures to shake up the state brackets from a lower seed as this unfortunate draw will likely drop him to 3rd, though what a time for the senior Peele to step up a pull a big upset over the super frosh. I remember attending the Merrillville SS a few years ago when Steven "Bam" Lawrence finally got over the hump and pulled off the shocker vs Jacob Covaciu. I like Burge and Mark's chances to wrestle their way to the other semifinal matchup, and I have Burge there. Give me Mendez, Burge, Peele, Mark 132 - Really tough potential blood round matches here, with seniors Andres Moreno of Lowell (7th @ 113 last year) and Reese Rodriguez of Morton (2 time state qualifier @ 126) headlining those potential bouts. If he makes it through to the semis he would like get the winner of a showdown between juniors Nate Hadary of Penn and Elijah Hickman of Rensselaer. I'll take Hickman because he is a fellow Jasper county resident, and also because his confidence is likely high after winning the Logansport Regional by tech fall over Isaac Switzer of Lafayette CC. On the other side RIcky Hegedus looks to keep it rolling after his regional championship win over Rodriguez, which he won by a score of 12-8. He likely gets senior SS #6 Brayden Ruiz of New Prairie, who must get through Switzer to get there. Hegedus has wrestled some elite talent this year and fared pretty well, beating #11 state Clay Egli of Mater Dei 2-0 and losing to #5 state Logan Bailey of Cathedral. Look for Hegedus to battle it out in semis with Geremia Brooks of Wawasee, who for me is the man to beat. Brooks would edge Bailey by the same 5-4 score at the Al Smith before suffering his only loss to state #3 ranked Matt Gimson of Jimtown by a 12-9 decision. I'll take Brooks, Moreno, Hegedus, Hickman. 138 - This will be a tale of two sides of the bracket, as it looks a bit imbalanced with the two highest ranked wrestlers meeting in the semis in SS #1/state #4 senior Wawasee's Braxton Alexander and SS# 3/state #18 junior Tyson Nisley of LaPorte. The number 2 ranked wrestler in the EC SS, senior Gabe Weeks of Mishawaka, has faced both wrestlers losing 9-4 to Alexander and winning 10-5 over Nisley. Weeks will have to knock off a pair of DAC studs to punch his ticket, and I really think Rivera of Merrillville will give him everything he can handle before falling. I have unranked AJ Poindexter of Laffy Harrison finding a way through to meet weeks in the other semifinal. Give me Alexander, Weeks, Nisley, Poindexter. 145 - I like the balance in this weight class, and it should line up to be a very entertaining final between senior #8 state/#2 SS Jake Burford of Crown Point and junior #6 state/#1 SS Jorden Douglass of Attica. Burford certainly has the edge in strength of schedule, but Douglass is a fine wrestler for the tiny Attica Red Ramblers. However in order to reach said finals, Burford will have to get through junior Jacob Maldonado of rival Merrillville. Should be noted though that Maldonado's first round match is with Shawn Hollis of Lowell, who battled Maldonado close before falling in a SV 4-2 final. Burford has won twice over Maldonado earlier in the season by scores of 5-0 and 4-2, but beating a close rival three times in one year is no picnic. In the other semifinal against Douglass, it should be a pretty epic section of the bracket as I think the first round match between a pair of seniors in Park of Lake Central and Watts of Hammond Morton starts things off with a bang. Winner of that match likely faces of with Penn senior Jeffrey Harper. Harper and Burford did wrestle earlier in the year, with Burford taking it 5-2. Burford also has beaten Park three times by decision 10-3, 16-4, and 9-7. I'll take Douglass, Burford, Maldonado, Watts. 152 - Another case of imbalance here as the two top dogs in this weight class would meet in a semifinal, with those two wrestlers being sophomore #8 state/ #1 SS Brock Ellis of Chesterton and senior #10/#2 Cole Cervantes of Griffith. Ellis beat Cervantes handily 17-5 in their only meeting of the season. Cervantes has just one other loss on the season, and that belongs to SS #4 Tyler Turley of Hobart, though they did wrestle 4 times and Cervantes won the other 3 matches albeit by close decision. Turley would have to come through to the finals for a rematch being on the other side of the bracket, however his entire road there is fraught with perilous matches. He starts it off with a grind of a match vs SS #9 junior Noah Hollendonner of Crown Point, which would set up a match with Logansport Regional champ soph Spencer Phillips of McCutcheon. Should he make it through that he does have a winnable match in the semis vs SS #7 senior Isaiah Mohmed of Wheeler. I am putting Mohmed in the semis but clearly Penn Regional champ soph Drew Mason of Mishawaka or #5 SS Jacob Beehn of Portage could slide in here as well. I'll take Ellis, Turley, Cervantes, Mohmed. 160 - Well this class is essentially the Donnell Washington show, and while there are some good wrestlers here I really don't see anyone in the field that can honestly pull a shocker...but that's simply a credit to the senior D Wash and not at all a knock on the rest of the field at 160. He's wrestling in peak form right now, pinning all three opponents at the Hobart Regional in the first period including SS #6 Jaymeire Johnson from Hammond Gavit in the final. Johnson has a heckuva battle in the blood round should he win his opening match with soph Jason Tankersley of Winamac. Love seeing the small schools like Winamac, Attica, and North White representing, but here at the SS we really start to see the benefit of wrestling a tough schedule and you start to throw out the records really because just looking at a couple match-ups like frosh Jacob SImpson of Hobart (24-8) and senior Koaldon Kerr of Attica (33-5). Simpson is 7th in the SS while Kerr is unranked because Attica is quite rural and at the mercy of their geographical footprint, as most of the schools nearby are 1A schools with a few 2As sprinkled in, and so you get some inflated records. Not to dismiss Kerr, because regardless 33 wins is an impressive accomplishment...and as a matter of fact I'll ride the Red Rambler to the blood round. Unfortunately waiting for him will likely be super frosh Braden Welch of Culver Military, who is wrestling out of his mind as he devastated the field at the Penn Regional, winning all three matches by first period fall including a 47 second championship victory over soph Brandon Estepp of Warsaw. What does he receive for snagging a regional runner-up? An unfortunate draw as junior and #2 SS Abel Verbeek of Lowell will toe the line opposite Estepp in that first round battle. Look for Verbeek to face off with senior and state #13 and SS #3 Brock Merkel of Harrison WL. Kind of a toss-up here so I'll take the senior Merkel as my pick to have his chance at Washington. Merkel hasn't wrestled most of the field here so he will be a wild card, but he showed he's in prime condition as he also pinned all three opponents in the first period. Lastly I wanted to highlight the opening round match between junior #9 Garcia of Penn and junior #8 Matt Neff of LaPorte...who I have riding into the semis where I have him falling to the red-hot frosh Welch. Neff has beaten Verbeek 7-2 and other fellow EC SS participant Chesterton's Gavin Layman (4-0) but split a pair with SS #10 Nick Taborski of Crown Peezy...winning once by pin but dropping a 9-5 decision. Unfortunately for Taborski he opens with the super frosh Welch. Give me Washington, Welch, Merkel, and Neff. 170 - If you ask me this has to be one of the most exciting weight classes that EC will offer up, with several different scenarios all likely to play out. Headlining the field will be the two Penn Regional championship contestants, with winner #4 state/#2 SS Joseph Walker of Mishawaka and #2/#1 Graham Calhoun of Plymouth...who suffered his first loss in the 4-3 decision. Those two did wrestle earlier in the season, with Calhoun winning that bout by an 8-7 decision. Walker has only lost one other time this season, and actually that was an impressive match nonetheless as he dropped a 2-1 decision to top ranked Nick South of Columbus East. South is one of the best wrestlers in the state in my opinion, regardless of class with a 2nd place finish at the Super 32 and an impressive 10-5 victory over Donnell Washington. Luckily Walker and Calhoun are on opposite sides of the bracket. My hometown Kankakee Valley's own sophomore Aiden Sneed has had a good season at 31-5, and has flirted with the bottom of the SS rankings for much of the season...but the key is that Sneed is wrestling his best matches of the season here lately as he won the CP regional with a pair of pins in the first two matches, including the semifinal win by fall (2:28) over fellow EC SS entry senior Luke Lenig of New Prairie and the impressive upset victory over #16/#4 soph Colin Kwiatkowski of Valparaiso by a 10-6 decision. Kwiatkowski will likely be in a tight blood round contest with #7 SS senior Josh Warmick of Portage, should Warmick handle felow senior SB Riley's #10 SS David Sheley. Warmick has had an up and down season with the 16-9 record, and likely battled injuries that reduced his match totals but he seems to be wrestling well as of late. His Hobart regional championship win over soph #8 SS Jason Streck of Merrillville probably wasn't an upset but the win by fall in 2:42 was certainly a surprise to this fan. I like Kwiatkowski to advance here and try to shock the state vs Walker...though I certainly am not predicting it. Looking back at Sneed's path, if he wins his favored 1st round match vs Twin Lakes senior Kaleb Cauble...he's in for a heckuva battle in the blood round. Jason Streck probably thought he would be favored as 2 seed in his opening match, but unfortunately for him the Penn regional had more than just the two hammers Walker and Calhoun...as #12/#3 soph Eli Pack of CMA was also in the field and fell to third place after a 9-3 semifinal loss to Walker. He would take out that frustration on Sheley in the 3rd place match, winning by fall in just 39 seconds. I'll take Sneed in a nail-biter, though mostly through hometown love as opposed to logic. The finals between Calhoun and Walker alone will be worth the price of admission here, and I'll take Calhoun to rebound. Give me Calhoun, Walker, Sneed, and Kwiatkowski. 182 - This will be a tale of broken hearts in this class, as we have some blood round matches that figure to light up the gymnasium. Part of the reason for the imbalanced field was a monumental Mishawaka Sectional upset as senior Alex Castro of Wawasee pulled off a 6-5 decision over previously unbeaten super frosh #4/#2 Andrew Donahue of CMA. This led to a semifinal match at the Penn regional with #2/#1 junior Jacob Laplace of Mishawaka, which would be a truly epic battle that Donahue would take with a 1-1 UTB victory. Senior #15/#5 Noah Brown did give Donahue quite a battle in the finals of that regional losing a 6-5 decision. Should both wrestlers win their favored matches, Brown will face off with Hobart Regional champ junior Khris Walton of Merrillville who won his title with a 4-3 decision over soph Cameron Smith of Hobart. Smith's blood round opponent would be the aforementioned Donahue, a tall order for the Brickie wrestler. One section of the bracket provides us a couple interesting matches, especially Attica's unranked Jack Hargan and his 33-2 record vs upset specialist Castro. Hargan was pretty impressive at the Logansport Regional, winning all three matches by fall with two in the first period and his championship pin in 3:04 over Logan's own, junior Joshua Manfred, who gets the unfortunate 1st round draw with LaPlace. Hargan's blood round opponent will likely be LaPorte senior #17/#6 Noah Perez, and with the unfamiliarity its hard to gauge this match. I have Hargan simply because I always root for the sub-500 student enrollment schools, and also because the young man is rolling. The final blood round match is a freaking doozy as Laplace will do battle with #5/#3 soph Evan Bates of Chesterton...and how unfortunate for the young Trojan wrestler to draw the top ranked Laplace after Bates pinned his way to the CP regional title match where he promptly dispatched of Perez by tech fall. My picks here are Laplace claiming the title, followed by Donahue, Brown, and Hargan. 195 - Looks like another weight class with the top two wrestlers likely meeting in the semis, as senior #2/#1 Ewan Donovan of Hebron and fellow senior #6/#2 Rockne Hurley of Penn. Hurley suffered just his second loss on the season in the Penn Regional final...dropping a 12-7 decision to upstart senior SS #10 James Snyder of Triton, who was perhaps a relative unknown before the tournament being from 1A Triton. However a Penn Regional title can change that in a hurry. Snyder opens with a winnable match as he will be heavily favored to knock out Munster senior Jonah Clark (5-5 record), but his blood round match will be a battle because fellow Crown Pizzle senior #18/#3 Ethan Potosky will present him with perhaps his most difficult opponent this year (no disrespect to Hurley). I'm going to stay on the Snyder train and ride him into the semis where his opponent is rather tough to predict. An opening round match between senior #14/#8 Damien Rodriguez of Wawasee and soph SS #5 Bobby Babcock of Hobart is a tough draw for both wrestlers, especially Babcock as Rodriguez is about as tough a 4 seed as you can get, but I'll take Babcock in light of his momentum and regional title. Likely meeting the winner of that match will be New Prairie senior SS #5 Grant Johnson...who I have taking that match and moving on to the semis to face Snyder. Donovan is obviously the odds on favorite here but look out for his blood round match that will feature either Merrillville senior #20/#4 Seyi Akinwumi or unranked senior Jacob Trefarn of CMA, who has just one loss on the season and claimed 3rd at the Penn Regional via a 9-4 decision over Rodriguez. I have Donovan, Snyder, Hurley, and Johnson moving on. 220 - Another weight class loaded with intriguing blood round matchups, and one where the top two wrestlers are on opposite sides of the bracket. I can't wait to see how Calumet senior and #2 state / #1 SS AJ Fowler performs as he looks like a man on a mission to rectify his loss to top ranked Jacob Bolte of Columbus East next week at the state finals. First things first though, and the draw did him no favors after his runner-up finish at the Hobart Regional, as he faces a likely blood round matchup with Penn Regional champ junior Johnathan Thomas (#17/#4) of SB Adams. I have him facing off with CP Regional champ junior Bryer Stoner of Lowell, who I have coming out of his four man section of the bracket in which all the wrestlers are unranked. The CP regional actually did not feature a ranked wrestler for 220, but Stoner did punctuate his journey with a 35 second pin for the championship over CP senior Frank Keller. If Stoner and Fowler were to meet in semis, it would be a rematch of a Fowler win by fall in 4:31. I have Fowler moving on. Hobart Regional champ senior Drew Bailey of Merrillville, who scored a tight 4-3 victory for the title over Fowler, should be heavily favored in his opening bout and figures to lock into a battle with senior Adam Berta of Penn for a spot in the semis. Bailey will prove to be a bit too much for Berta, and that would likely mean a semifinal vs #6/#2 senior Joey Kidwell (excellent football family too) of West Lafayette. Could go either way on this one obviously but I'm taking Kidwell in a tight one. A couple matches to consider...Ewan Donovan did win a 5-2 decision earlier this season over Kidwell, giving Kidwell his only loss, Bailey has two victories over Thomas this season, albeit very tight ones (4-3 & 8-7 SV). Fowler did pin Bailey in an earlier matchup this season, earning the fall in 5:31. I'm gonna go with Fowler, Kidwell, Bailey, and Stoner. 285 - Likely here on paper we will have a championship bout with junior #2/#1 Yehezquel Devault of Penn and undefeated senior #5/#2 Alex Cartwright of LaVille. Those two would have an epic championship bout in the Penn Regional final, with Cartwright coming out ahead 2-1. This is rather unfortunate news for Crown Point regional champ senior Nick Garcia (#13/3) of Lake Central, who would see Devault in the blood round should both wrestlers advance as expected...this would be a rematch which Devault won the first time 1-0. I have Devault squeaking by once again to face #18/#5 Will Crider of Harrison, who wouldn't face a ranked wrestler until he meets up with Devault. The Crider boys always bring it so expect him to give Devault everything he can handle. Cartwright will likely get the winner of a rematch between Merrillville senior #19/#4 Anthony Atria and Lowell senior and SS #8 Chandler Austgen. Atria won the first match 7-3...and i have him moving on to battle it out with Cartwright. I like Cartwright to rep the small schools and take it down. I have Cartwright, Devault, Crider, and Atria. Thank you for slogging through my write-up, I feel i am especially ready for Saturday now after all this research. Good luck to all participants.

Uncle Jimmy was right when he mentioned the remarkable absence of the "Region Rat" on SS weekend. This leaves a whole other void for the SS this weekend. Where's the Rat's annual trash talk on the Logansport regional, the traditional "Region Rat" tourism brochure on the great adult entertainment and fine ethnic restaurants to explore if your wrestler was eliminated early, his historical memoirs of great feats of former Region wrestlers . 1st were missing Fabio and now the Rat has gone down the Rathole. The community of Indianamat is missing out, and its serious. Im not sure how true it is, but one of my reliable "Region" sources told me that "Region Rat" retired to the Tampa St Pete area in Florida. They have a bad "Palm Rat" infestation down there, and he thought would be a good place to fit in. They said it took him a few months for locals to understand his dialect, but when they got it he's a real popular guy down there. He traded his Lincoln in for a Golf Cart. After years of breathing the famous "Region" refinery contaminated air, he's spent three month breathing clean Gulf Coast air and the color of his skin isn't blue anymore. And he might of put a pound or two after he has a 25% off senior citizen discount at the local Kalabash seafood buffet down the street from his condo. They say he softened a little bit but still has a little of the "Region Chip on his shoulder" but spends a lot of volunteering at the local orphanage. He tried to get into Florida wrestling, but was too disgusted with their lack of skill and silly class wrestling system, that he gave up on wrestling. He spends his afternoons gambling on Jai, Alai and playing pickle ball. His Condo has bad WI-FI so he cant always pick up Indianamat.

The Berne Witness will broadcast the Fort Wayne Semi-State in its entirety this Saturday. We will show all four mats on a split screen format. Watch via our website https://bernewitness.com/webcast/ Of through our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/thebernewitness/

Fort Wayne The Berne Witness http://bernewitness.com/webcast/ or https://www.facebook.com/thebernewitness/ East Chicago Region Sports Network https://www.facebook.com/regionsports/ https://www.regionsports.com/ New Castle Indiana Sports Radio Network Finals only https://indianasrn.org/ Evansville Are you slacking?

****This article is the hard work of a central Indiana coach who would prefer not to reveal his or her identity It might be one of the toughest overall Semi State’s I have ever seen with an average of nearly 6 ranked wrestlers in every weight class. In almost every quarter-bracket a State ranked or Semi State ranked opponent will be having their seasons ended prematurely. Further, the IHSAA Team Title very well may come down to the first two rounds of the New Castle Semi State with 7 potential matchups between Cathedral and Warren Central. The semistate also features the highest nationally ranked wrestler in Indiana in Silas Allred of Shenandoah. 106 State Ranked Wrestlers #1 Alex Cottey PM #4 Suhas Chundi Carmel #7 Carleton Perry WC #9 Elijah Anthony Frankfort #10 Logan Carrender LN #15 Kody Glithero Roncalli #18 Sam Crousore HSE Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #7 Evan Dickey Cathedral #8 Isaiah Otto South Dearborn Potential Matchups #9 Elijah Anthony vs #8ss Isaiah Otto First Round with #10 Logan Carrender looming in the ticket round. Anthony entered his freshman campaign undefeated going into sectionals losing to #4 Chundi twice headed into Semi state. Carrender is red hot after winning the Pendleton Regional. #7 Carleton Perry vs #7ss Evan Dickey Cathedral first round with #18 Sam Crousore looking to be the first 4 over 1 of the tournament. Perry pinned Dickey earlier in the year, but Cathedral is known for stepping up their game come tournament time. Will Dickey be 2019 Andrew Wilson/Elliot Rodgers?He is one of the smaller 106s I've seen in a long time, but his technique is picture perfect. #4 Suhas Chundi versus #15 Kody Glithero in the ticket round. Chundi has a 5-2 win earlier in the season but Roncalli is riding high after 6 champs at the brutal Perry Meridian Regional. At least 3 ranked guys going home early here. #1 Cottey vs winner of #9 Anthony/#10 Carrender Semis #4 Chundi vs #7 Perry semis 1st Round Picks Cottey over Flowers Condo over Pritchett Carrender over Bullock Anthony over Otto Crousore over Necessary Perry over Dickey Chundi over Busch Glithero over Williams Tickets Punched in Order Cottey, Chundi, Perry, Carrender Alpha Dog Alex Cottey 113 State Ranked Wrestlers #2 Zeke Seltzer Cathedral #3 David Pierson WC #14 Jake Simone HSE #15 Christian White New Pal #18 Antonio Jefferson LC Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #5 Andrew Haggerty PM #6 Anthony Hughes LN #8 Brac Hooper Carmel Potential Matchups #15 Christian White vs #8ss Brac Hooper followed by potentially our second 4 over 1 with #6ss Hughes. White has the experience and the name to get through this quarter bracket, but don’t expect Hooper or Hughes to lay down for him. #3 David Pierson vs #18 Antonio Jefferson. A rematch from the Marion County finals in the ticket round. It was a very tight match until the third period when Pierson got on top and secured the win. #3 Pierson vs #14 Simone semi-finals in a rematch of the 2018 ticket round. 1st Round Picks Seltzer over Ramsey Haggerty over Driver Hughes over Gordon White over Hooper Simone over Wilson Johnson over Galusha Pierson over Bautista Jefferson over Seal Tickets Punched in Order Seltzer, Pierson, Simone, White Alpha Dogs Zeke Seltzer and David Pierson 120 State Ranked Wrestlers #4 Breyden Lowery Roncalli #5 Carson Eldred Westfield #10 Chris Stewart WC Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #4 Harrison Hadley Lapel #5 Carson Johnson Mount Vernon #6 Traye Owens New Castle #7 Parker Mosley NM #8 Logan Galbraith NC Potential Matchups #4ss Hadley vs #6ss Owens first round. A battle of seniors including Hadley trying to return to state for the second year. The winner of this matchup gets to do battle with #10 Chris Stewart in the ticket round. Hadley did what he needed to advance at the Pendleton regional, but he'll need to bring his A game to get to the Ticket round this year. #8ss Galbraith, #7ss Moseley and Nick Morton will all bang it out to try and earn a spot at Bankers Life. These kids could wrestle 10 different times with a different winner each time. #4 Lowery vs #5 Eldred Semis. This one should be a battle between two highly decorated grapplers. 1st Round Picks Eldred over Donlan Dennison over Otto Lowery over Parodi Johnson over Condo Owens over Hadley Stewart over Gunn Galbraith over Euson Moseley over Morton Tickets Punched in Order Lowery, Stewart, Eldred, Galbraith Alpha Dog Brayden Lowery 126 State Ranked Wrestlers #6 Lukasz Walendzak Cathedral #7 Logan Wagner Zionsville #8 Cameron Toole Lebanon #9 Chase Wilkerson Mount Vernon #11 Jevian Ross Warren Central #18 Grant Stapleton Lawrenceburg Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #6 Dalton Huffman #7 Sam Slivka Potential Matchups #6 Walendzak vs #8 Toole first round. A top eight ranked kid will be knocked out in the first round of semi state. Winner has undefeated #18 Stapleton in the ticket round. I would normally go with the experience of Walendzak here but he has taken losses two weeks in a row to kids ranked worse than him. #7ss Slivka vs Jared Brown should be good. Brown had Mattingly dead in the water last year in the ticket round and got pinned while winning by double digits. Don’t expect him to go down easily after beating Walendzak last week. #9 Wilkerson vs #11 Ross in a rematch from North Montgomery Holiday Classic. Ross got the fall in their dual in December. Should be a good one. #2 Wagner vs #9Wilkerson/#11 Ross Semi Finals. Wagner has put together a great sophomore campaign, but I suspect this semi finals will be a great matchup. 1st Round Picks Stapleton over Franco Toole over Walendzak Slivka over Fuller Brown over Lloyd Wilkerson over Langeman Ross over Frazier Wagner over Huffman McKee over Lonneman Tickets Punched in Order Toole, Brown, Ross, Wagner Alpha Dog Logan Wagner 132 State Ranked Wrestlers #2 Alex Viduya Roncalli #5 Logan Bailey Cathedral #13 Seth Johnson NM Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #5 Aundre Beatty WC #8 Sebastian Bryant North Central Potential Matchups #5 Bailey vs #5ss Beatty. A rematch from early December. Bailey’s experience and win definitely weigh heavily here, however, Beatty is a dangerous wrestler that shouldn’t be overlooked. #13 Johnson vs #2 Viduya Semis with #5 Bailey in finals. If it is Viduya in the finals against Bailey it will be a rematch from a January dual where Viduya won 9-2. Don’t expect the margin to be that high again as Bailey will be prepared for the rematch. 1st Round Picks Brown over Naselroad Merkel over Defreese Bailey over Vredeveld Beatty over Lauy Viduya over Ramsey Wilkerson over Boggs Johnson over Collier Bryant over Walston Tickets Punched in Order Merkel, Bailey, Viduya, Johnson Alpha Dog Alec Viduya 138—Nasty weight class where two returning state qualifiers have each other first round. State Ranked Wrestlers #2 Tyce Freije Roncalli #5 Gabe Phillips Centerville #9 Gabe Smith PM #12 Jarred Rowlett WC #13 Kyle Holman Carmel #16 Andrew Wilson Cathedral #17 Chris Wilkerson Mount Vernon Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #6 Adam Negangard East Central #8 Reece Luhmann HSE Potential Matchups #9 Gabe Smith vs #13 Kyle Holman in the ticket round. These two did not see each other at team state but one top ranked kid will be ending their careers a week earlier than expected. #12 Jarred Rowlett vs #16 Andrew Wilson. Two returning IHSAA State Qualifiers a year ago battle it out in the first round. Rowlett came out on top in a decision back in December and looks to end his career on the floor of Bankers life. Wilson is looking for that magic he found a year ago to help his team win another team title. #5 Phillips vs #12 Rowlett/#16 Wilson Ticket Round. No rest for either returning qualifier with undefeated Phillips waiting in the wings. A SSQ a year ago before injury ended his season is looking to punch his first ticket over someone looking for their second ticket. 1st Round Picks Wilkerson over Goodwin Lauy over Walsh Freije over Johnson-Sparks Luhmann over Negangard Holman over Crouch Smith over Pettiford Phillips over Poynter Rowlett over Wilson Tickets Punched in Order Wilkerson, Freije, Smith, Rowlett Alpha Dog Tyce Freije 145 State Ranked Wrestlers #2 Bryer Hall South Dearborn #4 Aiden Warren PM #5 Antwaun Graves WC #9 Jeff Dunasky Guerin Catholic #20 Terrell Leavell LC Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #8 Joe Theriot Carmel Potential Matchups #5 Graves vs #9 Dunasky. This one should be good as Dunasky knocked of Frejie a few weeks ago at the conference tournament that was still held during the “snow storm” week where everyone else canceled. Graves is a returning medalist looking to get back on the podium. Graves is a four time SSQ at 145. #2 Hall vs #20 Leavell. Leavell is battle tested and has been here before and is looking for his first trip to the Bank. #3 Mosconi vs #4 Warren Semis in an overtime rematch #2 Hall vs #5 Graves Semis in a rematch from a 4-3 decision in January. 1st Round Picks Theriot over Alford Warren over Wilburn Mosconi over Newlin Wright over Wolf Graves over Miles Dunasky over Lindemood Hall over Smith Leavell over Bates Tickets Punched in Order Warren, Mosconi, Graves, Hall Alpha Dog Maybe Hall but really whoever has the best day. Graves beat Mosconi, Mosconi beat Warren, Warren beat Graves at Marion County and Graves pinned Warren at Regionals. 152—Potential state finals match in the ticket round State Ranked Wrestlers #2 Elliot Rodgers Cathedral #3 Cooper Noehre Greenfield #4 Brice Coleman WC #9 Sammy Fair PM #13 Tytus Ragle New Castle #14 Easton Williamson Lebanon Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #7 Andrew Roberts Lawrenceburg #8 Maxwell Hayes Mount Vernon Potential Matchups #2 Rodgers vs #4 Coleman. About as big of an argument for wrestlebacks as I’ve seen. This match could easily be under the lights at Bankers Life next week but is instead going to be wrestled in the ticket round. Someone who should be on the podium next week will be watching from the stands. #3 Noehre vs #13 Ragle vs #14 Williamson/#8ss Hayes. A very tough quarter bracket where two top 16 kids will be staying home after strong seasons. 1st Round Picks Rodgers over Williams Coleman over Sunding Davin over Goodner Fair over Roberts Otto over Atkins Dunn over Mangus Noehre over Ragle Hayes over Williamson Tickets Punched in Order (Coleman/Rodgers), Fair, Dunn, Noehre Alpha Dog Coleman/Rodgers 160 State Ranked Wrestlers #2 Jordan Slivka Cathedral #3 Brooks Davis PM #9 Ronan Hiner HSE #10 Aaron Taylor WC #12 Jake Lowe NM #14 Bradley Harrington North Central #18 Hayden Lohrey Shenandoah Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #7 Andrew Roth Lawrenceburg #8 Garrett Sharp Carmel Potential Matchups Rebein vs #14 Harrington vs Lowe. An interesting group where 4 of the total 12 losses come from #10 Aaron Taylor. Rebein is a hammer on top with his wing and could surprise both of the ranked wrestlers here. #2 Slivka vs #10 Taylor. Another Cathedral and Warren matchup. Taylor has had an up and down year winning the Marion County tournament but definitely has the attributes to pull the upset. Slivka is, of course, a monster... Winner gets #9 Hiner who has a win over Taylor at the John Hurrle. Two top 10 wrestlers seasons will end in this quarter bracket alone. #2 vs #3 in the semis with Slivka and Davis 1st Round Picks Lowe over Bushey Rebein over Harrington Lohrey over Morgan Miller over Moore Slivka over Taylor Hiner over Roth Davis over Williams Rohrig over Sharp Tickets Punched in Order Rebein, Miller, Slivka, Davis Alpha Dog Jordan Slivka 170 State Ranked Wrestlers #3 Cody Klettheimer Frankton #5 Elijah Mahan Roncalli #8 Tucker Coffman Union County #10 Logan Hart Carmel #11 Kyle Saez Westfield #13 Josh Lowe NM #17 Drake Kendrex Mount Vernon #20 Tyler Wagner Cathedral Potential Matchups #11 Saez vs #20 Wagner. Wagner has had a very strong season even if it was done quietly with his #20 ranking. He has several very good wins and will be looking to help his team win a IHSAA state title. #3 Mahan vs # 17 Kendrex. A lot of tough draws for Mount Vernon with Kendrex doing battle with returning medalist Mahan for a ticket to state. #8 Coffman vs #13 Lowe. The second of the medalists battling another ranked opponent for a spot at the bank with Coffman being the returning 4th place finisher. #3 Klettheimer vs #10 Hart. Hart dropping down from 182 a year ago versus the returning 7th place finisher in Kleittheimer. 1st Round Picks Saez over McClain Wagner over Noble Mahan over Reynolds Kendrex over Calderon Coffman over Rice Lowe over Battista Klettheimer over Massey Hart over Baker Tickets Punched in Order Saez, Mahan, Coffman, Klettheimer Alpha Dog Cody Klettheimer 182 State Ranked Wrestlers #8 Cameron Bacon Carmel #12 Jalen Morgan Elwood #14 JD Farrell Fishers #19 Devontay Moore North Central Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #4 Clayton Todd Pendleton Heights #5 PJ Sterrett Mount Vernon #8 Jake Combs Hagerstown Potential Matchups #4ss Todd vs #14 Farrell first round #8ss Combs vs #5ss Sterrett ticket round #8 Bacon vs #19 Moore in a rematch of the MIC finals first round #8 Bacon vs #12 Morgan Semis with Bacon down a weight class from a year ago and Morgan trying to make it a round further and be on the podium at the Bank. This should be a good one. 1st Round Picks Filipovich over Black Farrell over Todd Combs over Stanley Sterrett over VanDeventer Bacon over Moore Dycus Over Vaughn Morgan over Woodall Viel over Goodall Tickets Punched in Order Farrell, Sterrett, Bacon, Morgan Alpha Dog Jalen Morgan 195 State Ranked Wrestlers #1 Silas Allred Shenandoah #9 KJ Roudebush Tipton #12 Austin Lane PM #13 Tremor Bynum PH #15 Jack Heldt Carmel Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #7 Gavin Keesee Franklin Central #8 Nathan Bishop WC Potential Matchups #15 Heldt vs #9 Roudebush ticket round. One of these seniors will be staying home next weekend when the other could very easily be on the podium. Roudebush is some kind of athlete. Winner will see #12 Austin Lane in the semis. All eyes will be on the Cornhusker commit #1 Silas Allred, a prohibitive favorite. 1st Round Picks Heldt over Beard Roudebush over Shafer Lane over Maish Mills over Pierce Bynum over Krummen Keesee over Medlen Allred over Garcia Bishop over Shew Tickets Punched in Order Roudebush, Lane, Bynum, Allred Alpha Dog Silas Allred 220 State Ranked Wrestlers #3 Andrew Irick HSE #4 Kyle Cornwell Elwood #8 Drew Webster NM #15 Deshawn Young Franklin Central #16 Haakon Van Beynen Carmel #20 David Guhl Cathedral Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #6 Cade Campbell PH #7 Carlos Mitchell WC Potential Matchups #4 Cornwell vs #16 Van Beynen ticket round. The Carmel phenom will have his hands full with Cornwell looking to finish #1 after losing his ranking at the North Mont Holiday Classic. Cornwell is ranked nationally in some publications. #7ss Mitchell vs #20 Guhl. In Mitchell's first tournament after winning a 6A IHSAA Football Title, he took losses to both Guhl and Williams of Avon. He avenged the Williams loss and is looking to help knock another Cathedral contender out of the series. Winner has the privilege of wrestling #3 Irick who took a rubber match loss to #8 Webster. Irick comes from a long line of bad men from HSE, and is ranked nationally. #8 Webster vs #15 Young/Brown. Young is very athletic and has gone back and forth with Mitchell from Warren. He is also the Marion County Champion and is looking to punch a ticket to state. Brown is no slouch and just beat #20 Guhl last week and Mitchell at the MIC. Browning/Burton/#6ss Campbell is an interesting quarter bracket where anyone can come out with the golden ticket. 1st Round Picks Cornwell over Mcclure Van Beynen over Dick Mitchell over Guhl Irick over Pandoli Webster over Badger Young over Brown Browning over Arvin Campbell over Burton Tickets Punched in Order Cornwell, Irick, Webster, Campbell Alpha Dog Drew Webster 285 State Ranked Wrestlers #1 Jamichael Watts North Central #9 Dennis Hubbard WC #10 John Harris Roncalli #12 Antone Alexander Franklin Central #17 Crae Kunkelman HSE Semi-State Ranked Wrestlers #6 Jonathan Williams Carmel #7 Zack McQueen Connersville #8 Josh Berger Northeastern Potential matchups: #10 Harris vs #7ss McQueen #17 Kunkelman vs #12 Alexander. A tough draw with Kunkelman getting third each week at sectionals and regionals against a tough FC Alexander who finds a way to win. #9 Hubbard vs #6ss Williams. A MIC rematch of an earlier contest where Hubbard got an early fall. Look for the Greyhound to try and take this match back. Winner gets #1 Watts in the ticket round. Hubbard lost a 1-0 match to Watts at the Marion County. A top 10 kid will be watching state rather than wrestling. 1st Round Picks: Harris over McDaniel McQueen over Evans Keller over Jones Berger over Wertz Aherns over Stephens Kunkelman over Alexander Watts over Adams Hubbard over Williams Tickets Punched in Order Harris, Keller, Kunkelman, Watts Alpha Dog Jamichael Watts

By JD Greathouse Team Race at a Glance This is a four team race between #1 Mater Dei, #3 Columbus East, #4 Avon, and #12 Brownsburg. Brownsburg sent 14, Mater Dei sent 14, Columbus East sent 14, and Avon sent 13, respectively. Whoever can get the most through, and whoever wins the team title this weekend could be considered the favorite to hoist up the IHSAA team trophy on the floor of Banker’s Life. It looks like Mater Dei has too much firepower down low for any of the other teams to match, however, a few upsets and everything could change. If Mater Dei doesn’t win semi-state this weekend, my crystal ball tells me its Avon. Ranked Wrestlers Galore The Ford Center will have 87 state-ranked individuals competing on the floor this weekend. That averages out to 6+ ranked kids per weight class. Did someone say early morning fireworks? Undefeated Wrestlers 113 Cole Ross (Mater Dei) 120 Noah Gardner (Edgewood) 120 Brayden Littell (Center Grove) 120 Blake Boarman (Mater Dei) 145 Matthew Lee (Mater Dei) 170 Nick South (Columbus East) 182 Carson Brewer (Avon) 182 Levon Bellemy (Edgewood) 195 Will Nunn (Castle) 220 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East) 106 This weight class is relatively wide open with the exception of #3 Alec Freeman of Mater Dei being the heavy favorite to win out at the Ford Center. Two freshman in Logan Miller of Brownsburg and Blaze Garcia of Avon look to challenge the Mater Dei Wildcat. Miller lost a close one to Freeman earlier in the year, and Garcia/Freeman have yet to meet. The Front Runners #3/#1 Alec Freeman (Mater Dei) #8/#2 Logan Miller (Brownsburg) #3/#12 Blaze Garcia (Avon) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch #3/12 Blaze Garcia (Avon) vs. -#5 Ayden Amento (Evansville Central) OR -/#6 Cole Gentry (Tell City) Dark Horse(s) Being relatively unknown and winning regionals, could Milanes pull something out of his back pocket and punch his ticket to #TheBank? -/- Jainier Milanes (Jasper) #BankBound Top 4 Although anything can happen in the Ford Center, there shouldn’t be too many wrenches thrown into the 106 bracket this weekend. #3 Alec Freeman (Mater Dei) #8 Logan Miller (Brownsburg) #12 Blaze Garcia (Avon) Chris Newman (Mt. Vernon Posey) 113 There’s an immense amount of young talent at this weight highlighted by #5 Cole Ross of Mater Dei. Five other competitors are worthy of challenging Ross, but only four will punch their ticket to Banker’s Life on Saturday. There’s two ticket round matches especially intriguing, and after KT Nelson topped Hayden Watson last weekend, who knows what could happen this weekend. The Front Runners #5/#1 Cole Ross (Mater Dei) #6/#3 Ben Dalton (Monrovia) #8/#4 Hayden Watson (Center Grove) #9/#2 Gavin Alstott (Floyd Central) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Here are four state qualifier worthy competitors, and only two will advance. Ross and Castelluccio competed previously this year - Ross the 6-4 winner. Alstott and Watson have yet to compete against each other, but Watson has had more quality competition and better wins. Don’t get too comfortable as the roof could come down early when these guys take the mat. #5/#1 Cole Ross (Mater Dei) vs. #19/#5 Nicolas Castelluccio (Bloomington South) #9/#2 Gavin Alstott (Floyd Central) vs. #8/#4 Hayden Watson (Center Grove) Dark Horse(s) KT Nelson beat Hayden Watson last weekend in the Mooresville regional final, 6-2. With a very nice draw and Brownsburg wrestling especially well in the postseason it wouldn’t be surprising to see KT Nelson make the finals on Saturday. #17/#6 KT Nelson (Brownsburg) #BankBound Top 4 #5 Cole Ross (Mater Dei) #8 Hayden Watson (Center Grove) #17 KT Nelson (Brownsburg) #6 Ben Dalton (Monrovia) 120 What. A. Bracket. 8 of the Top 20 will be here this weekend and the fireworks will start before you can even get in your seat! Conley vs. Scott and Casebolt vs. Montgomery all in round one? Blasphemy. Unfortunately, both Blake Boarman and Brayden Littell were thrown on to the same side of the bracket, so we may see a state finals match in the semifinals at the Ford Center . The Front Runners #1/#2 Brayden Littell (Center Grove) #2/#1 Blake Boarman (Mater Dei) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch With two wrestlers who have proven themselves worthy of being on the podium next weekend, how could you not want to watch Casebolt vs. Montgomery right away? The winner could make the finals, and better yet, set themselves up for a run to the semifinals in Banker’s Life next weekend. The quarter bracket consisting of Gardner, Conley, and Scott is eye-opening as well as only one will emerge through the smoke and punch their ticket. Will two younger men dethrone Noah Gardner’s last chance at making it on the podium, or will Gardner prevail? #9/#6 Noah Gardner (Edgewood) vs. #11/#4 Tyler Conley (Avon) OR #20/#7 Sam Scott (Heritage Hills) #7/#5 Devin Casebolt (Castle) vs. #6/#3 Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg) Dark Horse(s) With so much firepower in one weight, is there truly one dark horse at this weight? Look for Sam Scott to try and break through the first time and qualify for the state tournament. #20/#7 Sam Scott (Heritage Hills) #BankBound Top 4 #2 Blake Boarman (Mater Dei) #6 Kysen Montgomery (Brownsburg) #1 Brayden Littell (Center Grove) #11 Tyler Conley (Avon) 126 With the Mooresville regional being loaded with talent, that set up some distasteful draws for this weekend. 6 of the Top 20 are in this bracket with this being Ray Rioux’s bracket to lose. Close behind are Kane Egli, Evan Lawhead, Cade Meier, and J Conway. Egli qualified two seasons ago at 113, and is the favorite to challenge Rioux in the finals. The Front Runners #4/#1 Ray Rioux (Avon) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch The quarter bracket with #17 Jeremy Clark, Landon Boe, and #14 Cade Meier is a meat-grinder. Meier and Clark have split on the year, and most likely will wrestle in the ticket round. #16 J Conway beat Meier last week and will have to get through #10 Evan Lawhead to make it to The Bank. #17/#6 Jeremy Clark (Columbus East) vs. #14/#4 Cade Meier (Bloomington South) #16/#5 J Conway (Floyd Central) vs. #10/#3 Evan Lawhead (Brownsburg) Dark Horse(s) Not a dark horse perse, but J Conway could make the finals this weekend and set himself up to make the podium at Bankers Life as a freshman in a very difficult 126 bracket. #16/#5 J Conway (Floyd Central) #BankBound Top 4 #4 Ray Rioux (Avon) #12 Kane Egli (Mater Dei) #16 J Conway (Floyd Central) #14 Cade Meier (Bloomington South) 132 Future Hoosier, Asa Garcia, has ran through in-state competition with his only loss coming in Ohio. Rumor has it coming from #TheCounty is that Asa keeps it rolling this weekend. The battle for second is a 5th place rematch from last year between Logan Boe and Drake Campbell. With a couple of terrible draws in each half of the bracket, this weight could fall apart on Saturday. The Front Runners #1/#1 Asa Garcia (Avon) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Not in the ticket round, but Clay Egli has been cursed with terribly tough first round / ticket round matches throughout the course of his high school career. The senior has yet to qualify for the state tournament. Although Boe is the heavy favorite, Logan Boe vs. Joey Gordon is also a good ticket round match to watch. #11/#3 Clay Egli (Mater Dei) vs. #18/#5 Tyler Fuqua (Franklin Community) #7/#2 Logan Boe (Danville) vs. #19/#6 Joey Gordon (Columbus East) Dark Horse(s) Joey Gordon has been wrestling tough, and if he can upset Logan Boe, he could make the finals. #19/#6 Joey Gordon (Columbus East) #BankBound Top 4 #1 Asa Garcia (Avon) #9 Drake Campbell (Brownsburg) #7 Logan Boe (Danville) #11 Clay Egli (Mater Dei) 138 The top half of this bracket is loaded with four state-ranked wrestlers, and two interesting ticket round matches. The bottom half is relatively wide open with there being only two state ranked wrestlers. An Indiana commit, Cayden Rooks is looking to run through the competition as he has done at 138 all year. The Front Runners #1/#1 Cayden Rooks (Columbus East) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch The Mooresville regional is subject to another tough ticket round match between #10 Blaine Mayer and #15 Jayden Reynolds. With #14 Justice Cash getting upset in tiebreakers by #19 Owen Sego, it set up yet another year of Cash getting the short end of the stick with #1 Cayden Rooks. With Cash capable of pulling things out of a hat, if anyone will derail Rooks chances of making it to The Bank, it’s Cash. #10/#5 Blaine Meyer (Mater Dei) vs. #15/#4 Jayden Reynolds (Avon) #1/#1 Cayden Rooks (Columbus East) vs. #14/#3 Justice Cash (Bloomington North) Dark Horse(s) With the bottom half of this bracket being wide open, and with a win over Justice Cash last week, I feel like we see more from #19 Owen Sego this weekend. If he doesn’t pull an upset over Kreitzer in the semifinals, it should be closer than we expect. #19/#6 Owen Sego (Indian Creek) #BankBound Top 4 #1 Cayden Rooks (Columbus East) #8 Drew Kreitzer (Brownsburg) #10 Blaine Mayer (Mater Dei) #19 Owen Sego (Indian Creek) 145 Undefeated on the year, Matt Lee is on a tear and has beat up competition in both Michigan and Indiana. He will be tested by #7 Jonathan Kervin in the semifinals. Down low is a deep half bracket, with three people able to emerge from the smoke in the first quarter bracket. A tussle between #12 Burdon and #15 Fulks also looks to be in store on Saturday morning. The Front Runners #1/#1 Matt Lee (Mater Dei) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch The quarter bracket with Law, Hartz, and Koontz is a meat-grinder, but after Koontz fell 5-4 to #7 Kervin last weekend, I am impressed with the Edgewood freshman and look for him to make it through. #12 Burdon vs. #15 Fulks will also be a treat for the fans, but unfortunately not the wrestlers, as both deserve to punch their ticket. -/#7 Kade Law (Columbus East) vs. -/#6 Brooks Hartz (Castle) OR #18/#8 Matthew Koontz (Edgewood) #12/#4 LJ Burdon (Plainfield) vs. #15/#2 Jordan Fulks (Boonville) Dark Horse(s) On paper Matthew Koontz isn’t a favorite, but as a very talented freshman, I think Koontz will make the finals on Saturday and turn some heads. The freshman had a great Fargo this summer, and after some fall-out at Roncalli is up two weight classes and wrestling at a comfortable weight where I think he will surprise both wrestlers and fans. #18/#8 Matthew Koontz (Edgewood) #BankBound Top 4 #1/#1 Matt Lee (Mater Dei) #18/#8 Matthew Koontz (Edgewood) #7/#3 Jonathan Kervin (Floyd Central) #12/#4 LJ Burdon (Plainfield) 152 Eli Dickens is up a few weights from last year, and after having a successful preseason he has continued to climb the ladder. As impressive as he has been, Jake Schoenegge and Nathan Conley look to challenge him in the finals, but he must not overlook South senior Elliston Ross. Ross is incredibly funky, can score a lot of points, and is difficult to score on. This bracket should be interesting, and with a couple tough ticket round matches, definitely a bracket to look forward to. The Front Runners #1/#1 Eli Dickens (Mater Dei) #5/#3 Jake Schoenegge (Columbus East) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Nathan Conley has had a solid year, but #18 Brad Springer of Southridge has as well and looks to upset the UIndy commit. Springer upset #12 Heckman last weekend in the Bloomington South regional semifinal. #5 Schoenegge and #12 Heckman is also a tough ticket round match. Conley and Schoenegge are both favorites, but with so much talent in the Evansville semi-state anything can happen. #7/#2 Nathan Conley (Avon) vs. #18/#6 Brad Springer (Southridge) #5/#3 Jake Schoenegge (Columbus East) vs. #12/#4 Austin Heckman (Edgewood) Dark Horse(s) After #18 Springer’s win over #12 Heckman, it would be interesting to see him keep it going. Similarly, the quarter bracket with #15 Ross, Scott, and Hall is as wide open of a quarter bracket as we have seen, and one of those two could potentially derail Ross’s plans of punching his ticket as a senior. #18/#6 Brad Springer (Southridge) -/- Devin Scott (Mooresville) -/- Isaac Hall (Jeffersonville) #BankBound Top 4 #1 Eli Dickens (Mater Dei) #5 Jake Schoenegge (Columbus East) #7 Nathan Conley (Avon) #15 Elliston Ross (Bloomington South) 160 Seven ranked wrestlers in the Top 20 highlight this bracket. Peyton Pruett is the favorite this weekend, but a rematch from the first weekend between him and Tristan Ruhlman is blooming in the semifinals. Pruett won 4-3 last time, and both have been on a roll since then. All four quarter brackets feature either difficult first round matches or terrible ticket round draws. A very fun bracket to watch, and even more interesting to see how it plays out. The Front Runners #4/#1 Peyton Pruett (Center Grove) #5/#2 Tristan Ruhlman (Bloomington South) #7/#5 Clay Singleton (Gibson Southern) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Every single match at this weight is a match to watch, and as previously stated, all four quarter brackets have great first round and ticket round matches to watch. Don’t mind me as I write down four matches here. Sollars had a close match with Ruhlman earlier in the year, #4 vs. #7 in the ticket round, #8 vs. #15 in the ticket round, and a first round match between #20 and #17. This bracket is bonkers! #5/#2 Tristan Ruhlman (Bloomington South) vs. -/#8 Gabe Sollars (Mater Dei) #4/#1 Peyton Pruett (Center Grove) vs. #7/#5 Clay Singleton (Gibson Southern) #8/#3 Robert Deters (Castle) vs. #15/#6 Tucker Schank (Southridge) #20/- Gavyn Doane (North Knox) vs. #17/#4 Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg) Dark Horse(s) The upstart freshman, Gabe Sollars, has had close matches all year, including Ruhlman whom he has in the ticket round. Sollars is capable of pulling a string of upsets this weekend, but would anyone be surprised? -/#8 Gabe Sollars (Mater Dei) #BankBound Top 4 #5 Tristan Ruhlman (Bloomington South) #8 Robert Deters (Castle) #4 Peyton Pruett (Center Grove) #17 Peyton Asbury (Brownsburg) 170 This bracket isn’t as exciting as 160, but once the semifinals roll around things will start getting interesting. Blubaugh, South, Jean-Baptist, and Parkinson are all expected to make the finals with relative ease. In a battle of college commits, UIndy commit Blubaugh and IU commit South are expected to throw down in what is probably the fifth time in the last calendar year. Parkinson is the favorite to make the finals out of the bottom half of the bracket. The Front Runners #1/#1 Nick South (Columbus East) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Nothing too intriguing, but a battle of ranked wrestlers goes down in the ticket round with Parkinson and McPike. #6/#2 Macartney Parkinson (Mater Dei) vs. #19/#6 Brendan McPike (Terre Haute South Vigo) Dark Horse(s) No one here too capable of pulling upsets in my opinion, but as always, anything can happen. #BankBound Top 4 #1 Nick South (Columbus East) #6 Macartney Parkinson (Mater Dei) #7 Derek Blubaugh (Bloomington South) #14 Thierry Jean-Baptist (Brownsburg) 182 This bracket has five state ranked individuals, and a predicted matchup between #1 Carson Brewer and upstart Mustang Levon Bellemy awaits in the finals. Bellemy and Brewer both come in undefeated on the year, and both are contenders to win a state title. A tough ticket round match between #10 Kemper and #9 Carson awaits on the bottom half of the bracket. The Front Runners #1/#2 Carson Brewer (Avon) #3/#1 Levon Bellemy (Edgewood) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch With a combined three losses between the two, #10 Kemper and #9 Carson is an unfortunate matchup in the ticket round. Carson is a senior and this is his last go at making it on the floor of Banker’s Life, and Kemper looks to derail those plans. #11 Rodgers will be tested in the first round against 2018 state qualifier Presson. The winner of that match will challenge Brewer to punch their ticket. #10/#4 McKinley Kemper (Evansville Central) vs. #9/#3 Trizton Carson (Danville) #1/#2 Carson Brewer (Avon) vs. #11/#5 Phoenix Rodgers (Heritage Hills) OR -/- Wade Presson (Bloomington South) Dark Horse(s) With not one state ranked individual in the top quarter bracket, senior Will Nix looks to slide his way on the Bankers Life floor next weekend. -/#6 Will Nix (Martinsville) #BankBound Top 4 #3 Levon Bellemy (Edgewood) #1 Carson Brewer (Avon) #9 Trizon Carson (Danville) Will Nix (Martinsville) 195 There are five ranked wrestlers in this bracket, but no ticket round matches expected to be especially intriguing. #4 Nunn and #5 Willham are expected to meet in the semifinals, with the winner to face either #16 Wampler or #17 Kenny / NR Carrier. This weight should be pretty chalky, but getting into the upperweights, anything can happen. The Front Runners #4/#1 Will Nunn (Castle) #5/#2 Nick Willhalm (Greenwood) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch In a battle of seniors, Carrier and Kenny duke it out in round one with the winner expected to punch their ticket, and challenge Wampler in the semifinals. Similarly, in a battle of state ranked individuals, Nunn and Hardy square off, although Nunn is considered the heavy favorite. -/#4 Dylan Carrier (Evansville Central) vs. #17/- Dakari Kenny (Pike) #4/#1 Will Nunn (Castle) vs. #19/#8 Destin Hardy (North Knox) Dark Horse(s) Stine has wrestled close matches all year, and will most likely wrestle Bloomington South transfer Nolan Wampler. Wampler has been relatively dominant, but as two seniors, I can see Stine potentially pulling an upset. -/#7 Griffin Stine (Martinsville) #BankBound Top 4 #4 Will Nunn (Castle) #16 Nolan Wampler (Bloomington South) #5 Nick Willham (Greenwood) #17 Dakari Kenny (Pike) 220 Six state ranked grapplers headline this weight class with #1 Jacob Bolte the favorite to run through the Ford Center on Saturday. His biggest test will come early in the ticket round against #7 Micah Dodson, who fell to #12 Lawson Aiken last weekend. Three tough ticket round matches highlight this weight, so when the big boys come around make sure you stay in your seat and don’t go running to the bathroom. The Front Runners #1/#1 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Fireworks are on deck in the ticket round as two people who should be on the podium in Bolte and Dodson wrestle in the ticket round, and then four other state worthy individuals duke it out in order to punch their ticket to #TheBank. #13/#5 Will Stewart (South Spencer) vs. #11/#3 Jayden Williams (Avon) #1/#1 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East) vs. #7/#2 Micah Dodson (Martinsville) #12/#4 Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg) vs. #19/#6 Macray Robinson (Gibson Southern) Dark Horse(s) Josh Howell won regionals last week and does not have another state or semi-state ranked opponent in the ticket round. He’s the favorite to advance, and could potentially keep it close with the Aiken / Robinson winner. -/#7 Josh Howell (Terre Haute South Vigo) #BankBound Top 4 #1 Jacob Bolte (Columbus East) #12 Lawson Aiken (Brownsburg) #11 Jayden Williams (Avon) Josh Howell (Terre Haute South Vigo) 285 Similar to 220, 6 ranked guys highlight this weight class, with a regional rematch between #3 Dorian Keys and #4 Muhammad Sidibe planned to go down in the finals. The bottom quarter bracket features three semi-state ranked grapplers, two of which are ranked in the state. The winner will test Keys in the semifinals. Adversely, Sidibe will be tested in the ticket round by #14 Haire. This is a great way to finish out the day as the big boys have great matches to watch all weekend. The Front Runners #3/#2 Dorian Keys (Brownsburg) #4/#1 Muhammad Sidibe (Ben Davis) Bank or Bust - Ticket Round Matches to Watch Two ticket round tussles feature state ranked wrestlers looking to punch their tickets. Gentry vs. Kramer is a #16 vs. #20, and Haire vs. Sidibe is #14 vs. #4. Another one to not overlook is Biddle vs. Breivogel on the top quarter bracket. Upsets are brewing southwest and all you have to do is make the trip to the Ford Center! #15/#8 Jack Biddle (Plainfield) vs. -/#7 Aaron Breivogel (Gibson Southern) #14/#4 Allen Haire (Terre Haute South Vigo) vs. #4/#1 Muhammad Sidibe (Ben Davis) #16/#3 Robbie Gentry (Mooresville) vs. #20/#6 Wyatt Kramer (Southridge) Dark Horse(s) Brevogel has been quiet this year, but the match between him and Biddle should send him to state. Breivogel lost 1-0 to Biddle previously this year. Should Brevogel derail Biddle’s plans to make it on the floor of Banker’s Life as a senior? -/#7 Aaron Breivogel (Gibson Southern) #BankBound Top 4 #3 Dorian Keys (Brownsburg) #4 Muhammad Sidibe (Ben Davis #20 Wyatt Kramer (Southridge) Aaron Breivogel (Gibson Southern) View full article

Quick correction.... Cole Ross did not beat JT Nelson earlier this year. His backup, Brody Baumann did, beating him 5-4 in the semifinals at the Grappler Gold Invite in Michigan.

Yea they never reached back out. Maybe not enough views. I think the depth of the semi state is down but the top is still pretty strong

Absolutely nothing wrong with Pickleball. If I could start a Pickleball team the Region would rock the Indiana Pickleball world. I love my pickleball! I spend more time going to pickleball tournaments in the off-season then I do going to little kids tournaments anymore.

picking 145 from semifinals - spend hours studying the records, watching matches on video OR just draw 'em out of a hat. Likely to have the same chance of getting it right!

but on the mat he's running the bar series taking arms home with him

He is one of the nicest kids in wrestling.....Off the Mat.

Could have a 1 vs 2,3,4 or 5 on Friday night. Let’s hope NC doesn’t draw EV at that weight.

How many sets of Brothers are represented at Semi State this year from all 4 ? Avon - Conley Brothers (Nathan & Tyler) Avon - Garcia Brothers (Asa & Blaze) Jimtown - Gimson Brothers (Matt & Conner) ... not sure who older by minutes. Mt. Vernon Fortville - Wilkerson Brothers (Chase & Chris) North Montgomery- Lowe Brothers (Jake & Josh) ... not sure who’s older by mins. South Dearborn - Otto Brothers (Isaiah , Eli , Zach) ... pretty awesome, got some proud parents there. Plainfield - Boe Brothers (Logan & Landon) Who else from around the State ? Good luck to all . The Notorious I’ll try to edit my post with list .

Great Job JD, my hashtag loving self couldn’t do it any better .

Great write up JD!!

I didn't "give up", but was unable to pursue it any longer for reasons I can guess you don't need to know or probably would care about. At least I know now why you decided to make your "suggestion". Looks like we find the flex is all yours.

Brian (285) and Brandon (182)

152 Coleman vs Rodgers ticket round 170 McClain and Wagner in same quarter bracket as well

What’s gonna make it even worse is the temp difference that’s gonna cause freezing. Here in the Ville, there’s gonna be a 41• temp drop and getting down to a bone chilling 19. So yes, be safe everyone.

Many of us would love to see wrestlebacks and yes they would make the draws less impactful (but would not eliminate the effects of a blind draw completely), but that topic is superfluous to the discussion within this thread. Wildcats2020 made the statement that the entirety of the South Dearborn wrestlers who qualified for SS got favorable draws & insinuated that the brackets were intentionally manipulated to achieve this. The statement of favorable draws is simply incorrect & the insinuation is ludicrous.

Yes Joe Ruble is their dad.

Ah! I guess I was just assuming.

Not to mention there will still be complaints about brackets.

Lots of great brother combinations... Hard work and knowledge being shared between siblings..

I don't think we have ever met physically or by email. Since our staff took over we tried to encourage our surrounding teams coaches and wrestlers to come roll with us. We have had very few come up over the last few years outside of the couple coaches and kids that I personally know. I have personally seen what you mean by "king of the molehill", but when we are willing to host and it's free, I don't see why we can't come together for the greater good of our area and find a common ground.

To say their whole team that qualified for SS have good draws is at best an uneducated opinion while at worst is simply a jilted/biased opinion. At 132, their wrestler got the toughest draw possible. He must beat the #2 ranked & former State Champ Alec Viduya to advance. At 120, their wrestler got the 2nd toughest draw. He must beat the #5 ranked & fromer State Placer Carson Eldred to advance. At 220, their wrestler got the 2nd toughest draw. He must beat the #16 ranked & then the #4 ranked & former State Placer Kyle Cornwell to advance. At 145, their wrestler got the 2nd easiest path. But as a Regional Champ, he earned his draw & still must beat the #20 ranked Terrell Leavell to advance. At 106, their wrestler seemingly got the best draw possible, but he must still beat the #9 & #10 ranked kids to advance. This weight is simply stacked at NC & there is no easy draw. Lastly at 152, their wrestler drew the easiest path. But again as a Regional Champ, he earned his draw. I feel it is 152 that has you jilted about the South Dearborn draws, since this wrestler beat your wrestler in SV in the semifinals at regionals. Then your wrestler got the toughest draw at 152 in the SS & both these kids are seniors. If the 152 Franklin County wrestler is your son I feel for you, but 'death draws' happen every year at every SS. Just in the bracket that the 152 Franklin County wrestler is in, the #4 ranked Brice Coleman must beat the #2 ranked & 2-time former State Placer Elliot Rodgers to advance (if he gets past your wrestler).

I did like the hybrid system they used at state last year where it was first available but the top half bracket was assigned to mats 1 and 2, and bottom half to 3 and 4. That makes it easier for parents, but also coaches. Assigning each quarter bracket to a mat makes coaching a little harder because you have to worry about a fast or slow mat causing your 126 and 138's to be up at the same time.

Hobart Cristian (SO) 120 & Ruben Padilla (FR) 106 Nathan (JR) 126 & Trevor Schammert (FR) 113 There is a lot of young talent for the Hobart staff to play with, not to mention they start Hobart off well making up the first four weights. All four will be competing in their first ECC semi-state, looking to punch their first ticket to the big show.

Updated with the last 29 undefeated guys in the tournament.

South Dearborn - Isaiah Otto, Eli Otto & Zach Otto

Mt. Vernon (Fortville)- Wilkerson brothers (Chase and Chris)

great show last night fellas!

Maybe just a little, how could you ever tell? Bettich fan? All three of my LC picks have legit shots based off of draws and ECSS rankings

Maybe this will help clarify how the brackets are done. At first glance they DO look biased sometimes. But if you look at the actual formula & how it’s applied, it really clears things up. So for my example, I just used the 120# wt class for the NC SS. The 4 feeder regionals (in alpha.order) are: A)North Mont B)Pend Heights C)Perry Meridian D)Richmond So you take the 4 placers of each regional and give each one a “code” name. The 1st place kid from North Mont is Carson Eldred, so we’ll give him A1. The 1st placer from Pend Heights will be B1. And you go on through them and end with A1-A4, B1-B4, etc. The formula says we’ll do Reg A vs Reg C, and Reg B vs Reg D for the 120# class. Plug all that into your standard 16 man single elim bracket where #1 seeds wrestle the #4 seed from their paired regional and you get the following: Each regional is represented in each Qtr bracket so you dont see anyone from your own regional until after the ticket round. The real bummer is that some regionals are just really strong, therefore all 4 placers could be total BA’s, while another is only strong in the top 1 or 2. But there’s really no way to control that...

Tristan Ruhlman from Bloomington South went 22-16 last year and lost first round of regionals. This year, he is 31-1 at 160 and has wins over #7 @ 152 Conley 3-1, previously ranked Sollars 6-2, an #7 Singleton 8-3, fall over # 20 Doane, and #16 Schank 9-3. Tristan's only loss is to #4 Pruett 3-4. Now, Tristan will have to beat a game Sollars again in the ticket round so I am not saying he is a lock but very impressed with his improvement. What gives? Seems like he got serious about wrestling and turned it up a notch..or several notches. Who else has improved drastically like this?

@JMILL = Faceless, to many ghost in the closet @JMILL = Tubeless, hates watching Logans Fortnite Skins , Madden 19 cheat codes videos. Basically not watching tonight because of he’s not into 21st century technology to subscribe. Bummer ! The Notorious

That is a school record for boonville for semi-state participants,as well as regional participants and duel wins in a season. Great year for that young team.

This one is cheating to an extent, because I assume he was very undersized last year and had to bump due to talented teammates... But Brady Lewis of Huntington North was 16-18 and didn’t win a match at sectionals at 120. Now he’s down at 106 and comes into semi-state a regional champion with a 35-4 record. Another out of Ft. Wayne is Kamden Goering. Went two-and-out at sectionals last year with an 18-15 record and is 30-4 this year with losses only at the Al Smith and the regional championship.

Please don’t call 2010 old school. Way to early for that one.

Congratulations to Silas Allred from Shenandoah for signing with Nebraska. He is projected to wrestle 197. View full signing

If we're going old-school Jeremiah Harvey 2010 - 6 losses, one and done at regional; 2011 - state champ

Can the godfather of this trip get an invite????

I don’t know Gavin but I have friends (who know nothing about wrestling) who apparently do know him. They are very impressed with him. They say he is a very hard working, ambitious, polite, and respectful young man. One of them said, “I heard he wrestles for Greenfield. Maybe you’ve heard of him.”

Sounds more to me like you’re probably unaware of the process. Matches are paired using a formula between the 4 Regionals and their placements. I realize at times it may seem like certain kids receive better draws than others.....and honestly, they have. But it’s not because there is someone overseeing matters that ensures certain kids get an easier path, while others get the hard road. That’s why working hard and trying to secure a #1 seed is so important. I noticed you had just joined the site a couple weeks ago. So my response to you is based on helping you better understand the process a bit. And giving you the benefit of the doubt, that you’re not trying to create strife with a rival school. Because I can attest to the fact that the individuals I personally know from SD......spill their guts year round to be the best version of themselves possible, and deserve all the success and good fortune that comes their way. Hope this gives you some clarity.

You should add another one for Semi-Finals on 2 or 4 mats.

Cliff Notes version: My son isn't undefeated, nor is this a topic about Avon so this is a dumb topic.

Just another added pressure on kids that means nothing. I just want 4 straight wins at State. Never had the pleasure to see my kids go unbeaten in Season (yet) . Came close but got beat by a better wrestler that year it happens. Got beat by National Ranked kid that he beat at Super 32, hmmm... the other kid must of did something I’m about to tell you guys . I’d rather see a loss now than get it at State Finals . Take a loss now to a good wrestler, learn from it . Keeps you hungry like a Wolf. If your unbeaten you gotta learn from those wins . If your not learning from those wins, your going to taught a painful lesson from someone who has. Hey... stole one from the great Coach Sanderson , twisted it a bit . #evolve The Notorious

regardless the thread was about undefeated kids not an adult cutting a great young man down... And let's say he is undefeated afterwards are you gonna apologize? oh that's right I wouldn't expect somebody that hates on a kid to actually have tact.

Charlie Newman -Garrett 16-0.................................................................... 3-0 Varsity