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Just wanted to take a second and say Thank you to all the supporters Brayden has had though the years. We new jumping up in weight this year would be a risk, but Brayden has never been one to back down from a challenge. No complaints or excuses 7th, 1st, 1st and 4th plus being one of the smallest in 126 he did a great job and as his father could not ask for anything more. We will be looking to the future and getting a great education thanks to this sport and who knows maybe an NAIA National title along the way. Congrats to everyone that won and those that did not keep working hard and you just might find yourself under the lights. To all the Seniors it's been one hell of a journey. Most of you we have wrestled with or against since elementary and though those battles made some great friends or dare i say family. Again Thank you Indiana for giving my son a sport with the best fans and competitors. The Curtis Family

I would just like to give credit to the young men and coaches for carrying yourselves like champions win or lose this weekend. The overwhelming majority showed great sportsmanship and respect for their competitors no matter the match outcome. There are a lot of people that want to point out the negative, but I think it's important that we take a minute and point out the positive, as well. Way to represent your school, your wrestling program, your coaches, and your family! These young men have put a lot of time, sweat, and tears (and certainly a lot of blood) into this and when you don't get the outcome you desire, it is tough to control your emotions. These life lessons are far more important than any win or loss. Well done to the competitors and well done to the coaching staffs.

What is with Indiana and them being against kids having a little fun? It’s a sandwich. It’s not him taking away from his opponent at all by eating it. It didn’t affect the outcome of the match in any way. Trent Hidlay literally ate a hoagie after Who’s #1 and it was celebrated as a great celebration by a great wrestler. The kids here can’t do anything spontaneous or out of the ordinary without being called classless. Chad Red got criticized for dancing after winning, same with Deondre. I can only imagine how much excitement runs through someone after winning a state championship or even being in the match. Brewer ate a sandwich during the face off most likely because he was hungry. It didn’t hurt anyone. They’re kids. Let them have fun. Not everyone has to have these stale facial expressions. We should want some spontaneity.

First I want to congratulate young Mr. Brewer on a state title & a great career. I have appreciated watching him wrestle. Second, I also want to say that I don't believe the head butt tarnished what he accomplished. Wrestling is a physical sport & these sorts of things are going to happen especially in such high stakes/highly intense matchups. Furthermore, I don't believe for a second there was any malicious intent. But, I am going to have disagree with the majority here in that I didn't care for the PB&J exhibit. He did this in Evansville as well. Now don't get me wrong, I don't think this was some horrible/atrocious act. I just don't see it as appropriate given the setting. The introduction of the two finalists is a moment to recognize both wrestlers that have gotten there. Pulling a stunt like that, while it might be all in good natured fun, is at best an attempt to say 'look at me' while at worst ,IMO, a little disrespectful to your opponent. It's his moment too & you're making light of it. Now while a big majority may not mind it at all, there could be some that would be offended by it. Like it is a statement that you have little to no respect for them & what they have done to get there. JMO

In speaking with my son Silas about the head but......he made a great point. Mind you, Silas knows Carson well and they’ve travelled together competing on the same squad numerous times. Silas’ perspective..... ”Dad.....Carson likes to establish head position. Even if he’s got wrist control or in the tie, he looks to position his head. If I’m trying to do the same thing.....and I head but a kid, the slow motion video will undoubtedly make it look intentional. It’s like in baseball, if a pitcher accidentally hits a batter. When they show it in slow motion, to the naked eye it could appear that he threw it right at the guy. When actually.....he just missed his spot.” I think Carson deserves a lot of credit for psychologically staying strong. Getting thrown Laplace on Fri after last years issue with Mahan.....put his mental toughness to the test immediately. And the young man passed with flying colors.

You have two state champions battling for a state title and you call a very questionable and very fast pin fall (IMO). Ruined what could’ve been an epic match. Fans lost that one.

My vote would be Asa. Why- state resume, good kid on/off the mat, gives back to the sport, how much he improved, made his teammates better, and most importantly he lives in the # county.

Chesterton falls under one of the top “Home Grown” programs as well. We had 2 Sophmore State Placers this year, 2 Sophmores that lost in the SS Ticket round (to eventual State Placers), 2 other soph’s and 1 Freshman SS qualifiers. We get to look forward to some very skilled “true” freshman that will join the team next year. All that have come up through the Duneland/Chesterton Wrestling Clubs. When our sophmore class this year was in 6th grade they finished runner-up at the ISWA Elementary Duals to Avon, knocking off Center Grove and Perry in the process. Needless to say, Chesterton should have a pretty good day at the Frosh/Soph Championships this weekend. Indiana Wrestling fans need to understand that next years Freshman class is filled with kids who were held back in Elementary or MS (sometimes more than once). In most cases these are the Top Ranked kids I have seen in ranking lists. I understand the motivation to “gray shirt/red shirt” your elite wrestler, but there is something a little more special when a wrestler knows if he’s really a Freshman when he comes to HS (whether or not it comes with success), and EVEN MORE SPECIAL when they are kids who have developed within your elementary programs from the start.

There were several great championship matches aired on FSN Indiana...but the 220 weight class was so satisfying for this region rat. I'm sure Aiken is a good kid but honestly that little injury timeout maneuver was a bit bush league, but clearly within the confines of the rules. He clearly wasn't suffering from any ailment aside from lactic acid build-up. I thought it was poetic justice that Fowler returned from that timeout a new man and on the strength of a sweet freight train blast double he threw Aiken to his back and won the whole darn thing for Coach Wadkins and Black Oak nation! Respect for BBurg and their heavy contingent on here, those boys come to wrestle. Thought the region represented well with Moran, Mendez, and Fowler. Special props to Brennan Cernus for knocking off Cottey as well.

the average kid eats 1500 PB&J's before graduation. Google it.

The ‘Staches grow strong in the Oaks. Great match for AJ in the semis and finals. What is better is that he is a great kid from a great family. If you guys ever get a chance to meet a fowler they will be one of the nicest and most respectful kids in the state.

A great time at the Hall of Fame induction ceremony today (kudos to HoF direct Scott Schwarz and the IHSWCA executive staff).) Great to hear the stories about the inductees and what they have done to build our great sport. I will be forever indebted to all those who helped me along the way. Special thanks to Coach Rex Peckinpaugh for his touching induction speech for me. Rex shared a poem he wrote about the rivalry and enduring friendships between coaches and I wanted to share it with all of you.Thanks, Rex, I love you, brother. I look across the mat And I see a friend I see a man who has toiled like I And never gives up until the end I see a man who is a leader One that I certainly have admired I see a guy who I know keeps going Even at times when he is oh so tired I see a man who I want to beat But one I love just the same A man I have struggled against In this crazy coaching game I see a friend I have cried with One I have laughed with as well A man who I know if I needed him Would always answer the bell I see a friend over there In that corner across the way I see a brother I have fought with But one I will love till my dying day. --Rex Peckinpaugh 2/2019

The best way to keep it out of the ref's hands is to stay off your back. I'm quite sure there would not have been a fall called if he didn't get put on his back.

By STEVE KRAH stvkrh905@gmail.com Jesse Mendez had a “blast” in punctuating his freshmen wrestling season at Crown Point High School with a 2019 IHSAA title. The 126-pounder started off his finals match with a “blast double” takedown and went on to a 6-0 win against Avon junior Raymond Rioux to cap a 42-0 season. Mendez reigned in a stacked weight division. He pinned Western freshman Hayden Shepherd in 1:02 Friday and Mt. Vernon (Fortville) senior Chase Wilkerson in 3:58 in the quarterfinals before earning a 13-4 major decision against Jimtown senior Hunter Watts in the semifinals. “He’s a tough wrestler and a tough opponent to get by,” said Mendez of Watts, who was a champion at 120 in 2018, runner-up at 113 in 2017 and sixth at 106 in 2016. Rioux, who had placed third at 120 in 2018 and sixth at 106 in 2017, beat Yorktown senior Brayden Curtis 3-1 in the semifinals. Curtis was a champion at 113 in 2018 and at 106 in 2017 after finishing seventh at 106 in 2016. And yet Mendez was dominant. How did that happen? “I work hard in the (practice) room,” said Mendez. “My coaches and I are always trying to get to my attacks more often. I just trust in what they’ve been teaching me and it’s been working.” Bulldogs coach Branden Lorek has been impressed with the ability and work ethic of Mendez. “He’s got all the attributes — he’s fast, strong, physical, smart,” says Lorek. “He listens very well. He’s very coachable and a student of the sport. “He’s the first guy in the room and the last guy to leave. For a freshman, he’s not afraid to speak up and pick guys up. He’s a welcome addition.” While there plenty of eyes on him at Bankers Life Fieldhouse and on television, Mendez was not intimidated. “I’ve been wrestling in big tournaments my whole life,” said Mendez, 15. “I’ve been in tight situations in front of big crowds. “I think I thrive off of it.” Mendez is confident in his abilities. “If I wrestle my match I can beat anybody,” said Mendez. “If I get my attacks going, there’s nobody who can stop me. “I think I can really open kids up a lot. I’m really good at moving my feet and my hands.” As his head coach puts it, Mendez wants to “be the hero.” “He wants to go out and get bonus points and do whatever he can for the team,” said Lorek. “If we bump him up a weight class, he has no problem doing that. If we need him to wrestle for a major, he’ll get the job done.” Around 7 or 8, Mendez put aside his other sports and focused on the mat. He hooked up with the Region Wrestling Academy. “Those coaches are great,” said Mendez, who grew up in the Lake Central district before moving to Crown Point in middle school. Hector and Monica Mendez have three children — Payton, Jesse and Lyla. “My family’s really important to me,” said Jesse. “They sacrifice a lot for me.” There won’t be much time spent basking in his state title for Mendez. After a brief break, he’s going to start working again to get ready for meets like the FloNationals, Iowa Folkstyle Nationals, World Team Trials, Super 32, Fargo and Who’s No. 1?. In other words, the wrestling world will be hearing more from Jesse Mendez. View full article

I use to go and fight for a close seat but the older I got the higher I sat. Not so bad if you got in the front row of the upper decks though. This year, after my grandson taught me how to use the world wide interweb (worldwide like ABC sports) I sat at home, watched every match that I wanted to see on my 60 inch, hit rewind and watched it again. Didn't have to pay to park 3 times or wait in a hour long line at Subway a few blocks south of the Blood Bank to get a crappy sandwich. Stayed at home for 15 whole dollars, big screen tv and all the Miller Lite I could handle. The only thing that I missed was the Golden Ace on E. Washington St. The last bar in Indianapolis that you would ever want to go into and start a fight in. Best 15 bucks I have ever spent other than back in the 70's.

There has been alot of speculation about coach Tonte's height versus mine. Some even suggested Jim was shorter than me. Anyway, today after the Hall of Fame Banquet I got a picture of Coach Tonte and me. I think you will notice he is pretty tall. He has been my friend for quite awhile and will always be a giant in my eyes.

Congratulations to Silas Allred for winning the prestigious Brennan Cosgrove trophy! After almost 24 hours of debate the Brennan Cosgrove Trophy committee voted to give Silas this historical award. It was a very difficult decision between Silas and Jesse Mendez!

its apparent he was tired and I never insinuated he a strategic reason for injury time...If you dont think Slivkas Top game helped him win that match then idk what to tell you... when a guy has been getting takedowns non stop on the feet, any time you can turn the match into a mat battle like slivka did it serves many purposes..it helps wear a guy down, keeps them off their feet where he has the advantage and it was a great top game that helped slivka win.. yes he missed that throw and it cost him but don't think for a minute Slivkas top game didn't help bring home the title.. you can't teach heart and Slivka def has heart plus he's been battling a rib injury at least since he beat mahan... Congrats to jordan well done young man.

I have heard some pretty high praise of the future 220 comparing him to a former Indiana legend. I never doubt the burg. Coach Snyder and staff know how to maximize talent.

I'd hazard a guess a few programs will contend over the upcoming years [alphabetically] Brownsburg, Cathedral [central Indiana recruitment area], Center Grove, Crown Point, +/- Chesterton and Penn (if folks stay in Porter County & Granger/Mishawaka, respectively). One unique trivia answer about Brownsburg and Center Grove will be the fact that those kids coming in mostly consist of youth that have grown up in their respective communities -training with their community clubs/middle school teams & local academies. This topic is about incoming freshmen (and my son will be part of the Bburg Class of 2023)... but, the incoming sophomore depth for the Dogs is very promising, too! Two current freshmen placed this past weekend and they have classmates that push them everyday...

I didn't intend for my post to start a bashing fest of Carson Brewer. I don't know Carson or his family, but I have never seen anything from him in the past that would lead me to believe that he meant any disrespect. But my previous post sparking some unintended comments is a perfect example that sometimes it doesn't matter what our intentions are, there are going to be some that interpret them negatively. I suppose that part of why I didn't appreciate the PB&J display is because I think there is too much boastfulness & not enough humility from athletes these days.

can't believe #thecounty doesn't own an "email shredder" they can let their spokesman use. I motion we use some indianamat funds to purchase one...technically it is the notorious that drives the traffic to this site so its only fitting that we help him out.

I really think you are missing the big picture here. What makes this event the BEST HIGH SCHOOL EVENT in the state is everything about it! Think about how many wrestlers each year try to get to state? Over 6,000+ from all over. Then they go through sectionals, regionals and semi-State hoping to be one of the 224 wrestlers to compete for what they probably have been dreaming about all their lives!!!! Then, once they get to state, they hope to survive the that aweful FRIDAY NIGHT DRAW. If they win that match, they are guaranteed a spot on the podium!!! Now we are down to 112 wrestlers Saturday morning. And to make things more exciting, we all hope for those wrestlers that are not highly ranked to make a run at it! Not everyone is going to be a nationally ranked wrestler, which makes the drama even better!!! How boring it would be if every wrestler was nationally ranked. So now we have these 112 wrestlers battling their butts off to get the top prize!!! Nothing is more exciting to watch every year than the finals, under the light, no matter who it is. There’s nothing like it!

Alex Cottey and Aiden Warren from Perry Meridian spent most of the year on the Flo Big Board for Sophmores. Both have wins over several nationally ranked guys over the years.

Well, I do believe that Indiana HS wrestling is most certainly on the rise & has been for a decade or more. First, if you expect that every single year the numbers are going to equal the very best years then you are setting yourself up for disappointment. Second, I believe you can look through the brackets & find several wrestlers that deserve national recognition or at least would fair very well against the nationally ranked kids. 106 - Cernus 113 - Seltzer 120 - Boarman, Bettich 126 - Mendez, Rioux, Curtis, Watts 132 - Viduya 138 - Rooks 145 - Mosconi 152 - Rodgers, Noehre, Dickens 160 - Slivka 170 - Mahan 182 - Donahue Now some of those I just listed aren't getting recognition because of age and some others because they aren't active enough on the national scene, but they are all very capable of competing well at that level.

I saw video, and he looked pinned. I now the guys in the upper sections have good eyes, but you cant complain. I agree it was kind of quick, not a full two seconds. But, the timing of pins is like a strike zone, Its very common to have refs call it that quick. Nobody complains about It all season, so why complain now. Im sure Viduya has benefited from quick pins in his career. Garcia got him on his back, its done.

Overall a great weekend of wrestling but the biggest rule change I would like to see happen is the college out of bounds rule tab state. I feel like there are too many judgment takedowns and would love to see that implemented there.

Yeah, I think we were scammed somehow...just hope my info don't show up on the dark web. Live and learn....Maybe Y2 and MattyB can do some IP address search.

They should be a contender for the team title next year... with almost all underclassmen.

The area is not going to be built up overnight but there is plenty of good being done and some programs on the rise. Getting kids and coaches to commit to the off season is the key like the other posters have said. I don't see the issue with re working the sectional-semi state every few years. I am not from the ft wayne area but from an outside perspective it looks like ft. wayne snyder which was once a power in the state is back on the rise, starting to see those kids at off season events which is great. Ill propose a short term solution to even things out.... Why not send a team like Brownsburg and a few others that are competitive north to Ft. Wayne? It would be a slight inconvenience for the sectional and regional but its a closer trip to semi state than their drive to Evansville. IHSAA already makes Tell City drive 1hr 15 minutes to Jeff for sectionals and regionals and they make Floyd Central and New Albany Drive almost 2 hours to Bloomington for regionals. All of the Marion,Johnson,Hendricks etc have a 2-3 hour drive to semi state as well. We should not use travel time as a reason this is not possible. This will give the Ft. Wayne area the opportunity to wrestle better competition and then have a reason to schedule more teams in the central part of the state, thus getting better. The Mooresville regional had 7 state finalist and 19 place winners this past weekend and the area is only getting better schools like CG are loaded at the MS level, Franklin Community returns all 14 starters, Plainfield is on the rise and Brownsburg and Avon are clearly not going anywhere. Why not distribute the wealth of talented wrestlers and re-evaluate and realign every few years. I am not hating on the Ft. Wayne semi state here but we should not have a regional out scoring a semi state at the state tournament.

The obvious con of having instant replay would be the cost and logistical problems of doing this. To do this you this you would have to have an official videographer at the site, and this would include a official replay screen along with some type of uniform sanctioned software to replay the video. Also, you would have to have a trained replay official at the site. Note the cost of this as just added two more people to the expense of hosting a meet along with hardware costs. Note there would be additional training for referees, coaches and ADs. You're looking at significant costs to running an event. Note there is a shortage of referees and I think they're underpaid as it is. So add another element requiring more referees and more support people. Its not sustainable, especially when you apply a rule, it has to be uniform. Just imagine if you had to apply this to every HS event at every HS. You could never get that done. I suppose you could make it optional, where a few more affluent schools might be able to pull it off. But I don't think that would be good to have an optional rule of when to apply this.

Yeah but did he weigh in wearing a leopard skin thong? Just a rumor that I had heard that year. Also, didn't see anyone like you and Chico Adams bouncing around (dancing) in front of Tonte this year. That was a fun year.

Talking with Robert Faulkens there will be some changes to the sectionals coming. In particular we have the Elkhart sectional that will need a team added as Elkhart Central and Memorial will combine in the Fall of 2020.

Again, I don’t know the ref or how he calls pins. But to be blunt, if any ref calls a pin in high school without waiting for two full continuous seconds, then he is, quite frankly, breaking the rules he is being paid to enforce. Consistently wrong is still wrong.

I had to share this. We have a young guy in our club who is deaf. I remind our guys often that RJ probably is the toughest guy in our room. Last year was his first practice ever. First time in a wrestling room. He was in first grade and cannot hear or speak. I could only imagine how difficult that had to be for him as we watched him go through his first couple of practices. One year later, RJ is always the first guy in the room at practice. He is usually the last guy to leave. You can see that wrestling is something that RJ and his dad truly enjoy. Yesterday dad was sending us pictures of him and RJ watching the finals on TV. This morning he sent the collage of RJ in front of the TV with guys that have been in our room this past year. At some of our camps, we let dad know which guys have great resumes and should do quite well in the upcoming HS Season. RJ and his dad were excited to get pictures with the, and all the guys were great with RJ, even though it's not the easiest to communicate with him. After I saw the picture it made me think of Spiderman's phrase. With great power comes great responsibilities. Congrats to all of this year's state champs. I do want to thank the guys that were in our room and took just a few minutes to interact with RJ. To be honest, I had forgot all about those champs that were around in the past year.......but RJ and his father didn't! They will remember forever!

Guys it’s fine. Again.. he really don’t care. He’s here at Indy nationals coaching the underclassmen and soaking up being a state champ. With that said... please don’t do it to other kids. It may crush them. But as far as Carson goes he’s been through enough that one mistake or boos weren’t going to ruin a great season.

I’ll never understand boos to a kid. A KID! Sure boo the coaches or staff. But not a kid. It was an unintentional headbutt. There is no need to boo any kid in high school.

He wrestled not to loose - should have stayed wit how he got dare .

Apples and oranges with argument above,the other schools take kids from something called a “school district.” When “our middle schools” encompass the greater Indianapolis area, there’s a difference, just saying... i grew up in Wabash County and wrestled at a small 1A school that fed into the Huntington North sectional and Ft Wayne regional never could get past Tony Roush... A lot of great wrestling in the late 80s and early 90s from that corner of the state! Really applaud what Jake O’Neill is building in Wabash. But, really glad I’ve lived in the Burg for the last 20 years and been a small part of the local club getting to see Drake, Drew, Logan, Griffin and Thierry and others become the wrestlers they are. Just a small community west of 465 in #thecounty

I always find it interesting that people with no knowledge or association with Cathedral or Roncalli think we have all these kids on our team that didn’t grow up in our middle schools and local programs. 90% of the Cathedral team wrestled Northside CYO. I’d say the percentage is even higher for Roncalli with Southside CYO. It’s what gives us strength in football, girls volleyball, etc. The Rebels and Irish have a ton of hammers coming in for the next couple years from our Catholic grade school teams. Other teams like the ones you mention above should be proud of their commitment to the sport and the excellent clubs they have built. But, I wouldn’t call it unique.

So is my waistline - I’m good with it and it was Sugarfire BBQ. Enough said

Jordan Slivka is a gamer what a match

Nice stache by Fowler.

Yeah, I took notice of that statement as well. It got me wondering, is 126 his natural weight or did he cut weight to get there or would 120 be a more natural weight for him? I suppose it didn't matter much because if he would have wrestled 132 he would have had Garcia, Viduya & others to contend with, while if he went 120 there would have been Littell, Boarman, Bittich & others. No matter where you go there (up or down) you got some stiff competition. If you look at those 3 weight classes, was one clearer more stacked than the others? I suppose of the 3, 120 only had one former state champ while the other two both had 2 former state champs. But the the former champ at 120 didn't even make the semi's so...

Pokorney would still be ranked. I think you will see Mendez, Cernus, and maybe Donahue in the next rankings with maybe 1-2 of these current guys falling out as well. Returning guys who will be in next years rankings: Cernus, Seltzer, Littell, Mendez, Lee, Donahue, Allred. Who else? Side note: Cernus and Mendez were two of my favorite guys to watch. WOW they were fun! Mendez is the best freshman since Angel.

I'm the 152 from crown point(Noah Hollendonner) or (dinger) and looking to do tons of work this off season. Let me know if you have any open spots

Cheaney Schoeff

Different day, same Caleb Spires.... https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1AnCxlLRki5JzEB52tXk1MsgJbUI8m3DRe65AbScMATM/edit?usp=sharing Scoring breakdown 10 points for a correct top 4 pick -2 points for each placement wrong So if you pick a guy 1st and he gets 1st you get 10 points, if he gets 3rd you get 6 points.

It amazes me the harder he works the luckier he gets...