Leaderboard

Thank you to everyone who has reached out regarding Preston. Results of a CT scan and other tests have come back. Nothing is broken and he will make a full recovery. As far as what happened, the Mater Dei wrestler had been winning the entire match. An illegal slam was called. It was not intentional. Whether it was an illegal slam or not, I don’t really care. We were never taking a dive. Brownsburg doesn’t roll like that. It goes against everything we believe in. If I thought it was intentional, It would be a different story. There is no doubt in our mind that it was just a result of two dudes trying to punch their ticket to state. It was pretty chaotic as all of this was happening as I’m sure you can all imagine. Given that it was a neck/head injury, I wanted to give medical people access to Preston. Once they had time to check Preston out, I took that opportunity to talk to Preston. There was never any talk or consideration of taking a dive. Preston would never do that. He was in a lot of pain and upset. He has had a lot of adversity this season. He tore his ACL at IHPO and has been working through that pain and frustration all season. I just explained to Preston what had happened and that I was going to forfeit the match. I told him we were losing…and it would not be fair to take the trip to state away from the Mater Dei kid. Preston agreed and said he would never do that. There was no reversal of the call or anything. I just went up to officials and said we are forfeiting the match. Whoever said Preston was walking around saw someone else. He was taken out on a stretcher and to the emergency room. Snyder

I know I am not the only one who enjoys this weekend the most in the state series. For some, I know they expect to be here and at next week's slamdango for the precious metals. Yet, I think a lot of wrestlers making it here for perhaps the first or the last times have to be gratified to see their hard work paying off. Every lap, sprint, shark tank, four-hour drive, close loss and quick pin....the growing wrestler has endured so, so much on this uphill journey. Some will reach a career highlight in the second round, while some will not. Others, again, will expect to be here and will move on. Yet, some expectations will be unmet. Oh, how well we know this is an individual sport! By this time, the wrestler has pushed their body and mind to their known limits in hopes of attaining success. Many may not realize that during this pursuit, greatness has already been achieved. Acts of perseverance, willingness, and respect for the sport and those who continue to carve legacies add up. The discipline it takes to properly nourish the mind in the classroom and the body at the dinner table does build the toughness needed to get to this stage as well. Clearly, the spirit of victory can be felt by flesh and blood and the pain of loss can likewise be as deeply known. As exhilarating and stark the extremes may be for the wrestler, the coaches, parents and teammates have played a game or two of Chutes and Ladders themselves. They will continue to venerate your name and deeds no matter the outcome. May you continue to profit both in wrestling and in every facet of life from your priceless sacrifices.

I think it’s important now that the season is nearing its zenith to address one of the most important issues that I think goes under talked around this time, which is the hard working kids who lose at semi state. Obviously, we should celebrate those who make it to state. That is the goal of almost every high school wrestler, to be among the best in the state and compete in the best venue in all of Indiana. But inevitably, most wrestlers Sunday will not end up advancing to the state tournament. And I think it’s important that we address how to support the kids that lose, especially the seniors who will possibly wrestle their very last matches on Saturday. Last year as a senior, I went into my season with high expectations. For three years straight, I went to everything. My high school coaches could tell you I was person who missed the least practices. I showed up to everything; morning practice, optional practice, summer open mats, I even went to RWA three days a week and trained at my coaches own gym in order to build up my strength and conditioning. I felt like I was one of the hardest working, toughest people in the state. In middle school at my first off-season tournament I suffered a concussion. My freshman year I broke my left elbow and had to get screws out in, which I still have to this day. Junior year I dislocated my rib wrestling freestyle, and over the summer I suffered severe second degree burns which caused most of the epidermis on my back to slough off. But still, I worked through it all because I felt like if I didn’t I wasn’t being the best wrestler I could. Going into regionals of senior year I broke the scaphoid bone in my wrist, and couldn’t press down or grip my right hand for the rest of season. I felt like all of this only contributed to me being a tougher wrestler on the mat. And even with all of that, I got completely out wrestled at semi state. My broken wrist meant nothing, I did not live up to my potential and didn’t wrestle my best, and that’s why I lost. For at least a month after semi state I was completely in the dumps. It’s like I had a rain cloud overhead, I felt like my career meant nothing. It was over, and I didn’t accomplish what I wanted to. No matter what people said to me, it really didn’t ease the fact that I felt completely empty. I also felt angry. I felt so angry that I had teammates who put in way less practice time than me, who didn’t show up to half the things I did, and yet still advanced farther than I did. I wasn’t angry at them, though, I was angry at myself. I was angry because I felt like that there was something that I must have missed, some piece of the puzzle that despite all my hours I just couldn’t get. And that made me really hate myself for a few weeks. Our sport is so much more draining mentally than it is physically, and for those seniors who lose at semi state, it can really knock your happiness down a few notches for a quite a while. So coaches and parents, if you have a wrestler whose career comes to an end this Saturday, it’s important to not look at their whole career under a microscope and appreciate the whole journey. You got to participate in the toughest sport in the world, you were able to make it to semi state, which while not a particularly impressive accomplishment, still means that likely hundreds of hours of hard work went into that qualification. It’s okay to feel upset, but don’t let it hang over your life. You worked hard, and you did something that most wrestlers in the state didn’t. And to those who have more years, never stop grinding. Embrace it, and make sure to have fun with it. When the sport is fun, you do better. You can make it to state, but you can’t take your foot off the gas. I love wrestling, so so much. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done, and something I plan on continuing even though I’m not on a college team. I’m so grateful to the sport and my coaches for making me the man I am today, and for teaching me such invaluable life lessons. And I think loving the sport is really what’s so important. If you were able to make an athlete fall in love with the sport, with the process, then you succeeded as a coach. If you support your kids and help them foster that love, then you succeeded as a wrestling parent. The lessons athletes learn from wrestling are some of the best life lessons you can learn, and when you are able to fall in love with the sport, these values are only engrained deeper. So to those seniors out there, wrestle your hearts out. Don’t be afraid to lose, don’t be afraid to score points. Leave it all on the mat and put your name in the history books. And to those seniors who worked so hard and end up coming up short, it will suck. But you’ll live. You’ll be okay. And I think that, even if you lose at semi state, if you managed to fall in love with the sport, then it was all worth it in the end. We are all apart of something amazing, and wrestling is absolutely the greatest sport ever. Fall in love with it, and wrestle your hearts out.

My son is the JV kid from Owen Valley you mentioned. His name is Kacey Orman. It is amazing to see him being recognized for his hard work and determination. He has never let his disability get in the way of whatever he wants to do. He always finds a way!

Friday night at Maconaquah was filled with some great action and a lot of young ladies putting themselves on the line, but I wanted to share with all of you a photo I took that really hit me. Heritage High School hasn't (according to IndianaMat results) won a dual meet in the last four years and they are 0-47 in that time. But every time I see coaches Lockett and Martin, I am impressed at the way they run their program. They are full of energy and passion for their kids. I have seen it at home dual meets, at the ACAC duals and I saw it on Friday night. Heritage had one girl wrestling. One girl. Yet the entire team (almost, I think) and both coaches were in attendance and coaching their hearts out and laughing with their kids. This made a huge impression on me and I will be rooting for the Patriots the rest of the year. The whole team spent six hours in a gym to watch Amber Hoy wrestle four matches. Kudos to the Heritage team and to both coaches for the role they are playing in their program and congrats to Amber Hoy on her placement Friday night.

Here is a story that I felt was worth sharing with the community that involved Bryce, I don't generally like sharing stuff involving my kids, but felt he deserved credit for this. My middle son (8 years old) had lost in the state semi-finals, and was not handling it very well. We were in the cafeteria wrestling area, and he was having a "freak-out" (he needs to work on this) in the area behind the mats. I was trying to talk to him to calm down, but he was not registering what dad/coach was saying. While this was going on a high school kid was passing through and asked me if he could talk to him. The high schooler sat down with my son, and told him about how he had never placed at ISWA until this weekend, and he had won it today. He discussed how wrestling isn't just about wins and losses, but about progress. This discussion caused my son to calm down, stop crying, and go on to wrestle the rest of his matches and place third. As he left I asked the high school kid his name, he said Bryce Denton. I told him I had heard of him lol. Anyhow I was really impressed with the maturity and kindness that Bryce showed this weekend. I had never met him. As a dad I was worrying what people thought of me/my son with the way he was acting, and Bryce was awesome in helping to calm him down and put things in perspective. Also in my opinion it took a lot of bravery to ask a dad that you had never met to talk with his son in a situation like that. Just wanted to share this and publicly say thanks to Bryce. I was blown away with how impressive he was in this situation.

All, I want to share a story about the kind of people we have in this sport. Last Saturday Greenfield had a young lady injured in a match at New Palestine High School. It was a head and neck injury that required her to be transported to the hospital via ambulance. She and her parents had never been through something like this before and were justifiably shaken. On Tuesday of this week I was called down to the athletic office. We had received a package. It was a box of flowers addressed to the young lady who was injured. They were sent from the Columbia City Wrestling Program. I know it's a little thing and some people may not understand, but it touched me and my program. People think wrestling is about working hard, sweating, bleeding, beating on people, etc..., but it's not. It's above LOVING each other. I wan't to thank Columbia City for giving my program an example of how people are supposed to love each other. Thank you!

Now that it's tournament time, there are a lot of wrestlers that will not end their seasons the way they want. It is imperative, that we, as coaches, hold them accountable for their post match behavior, even when it's a disappointing match for them. I see so many kids throw child-like temper tantrums and are disrespectful to the other wrestler, the referee, the opposing coach, and sometimes their own coach. We owe it to them to teach them that things in life will not always go their way and that maybe they just didn't work hard enough to accomplish the goal they set out to accomplish. You know, tell them the truth. When it is just one individual, I understand, it is probably just the one wrestler, however, when it's the majority of the team, it has to be what is tolerated as a program. Making good wrestlers is very important to all of us, making great people through the lessons of our great sport, should be the ultimate goal. Good luck to everyone advancing in the tournament and let's all do our part for the sake of our young people!

Tell me you are married to a high school coach without telling me you are married to a high school coach

I'm not sure what the actual attendance was, but there had to be 2500 fans or more at the Bellmont - Adams Central Dual last night. They delayed the start of the JV matches by half an hour because of the long line of fans waiting to get in. It was a great atmosphere and the fans weren't disappointed. The teams split the matches 7-7 and Bellmont won on bonus points 38-32. Thanks to Nat Bryan for taking this picture of the crowd.

This is Justice Cash and after losing 4 times at semi-state I am coming on here to share the story that I never was able to share after winning a state title... The dog tag in the picture has been in my shoe for every wrestling match since Amante Young's death... He was a brother to me and there was nothing I wanted to do more than win a state title for him and his memory. He died tragically in a car crash a few months after winning a state title in Michigan. For those who knew Amante you would know he was one of the sweetest, joyful, and kind hearted people you've ever met. He was always smiling and brought so much joy to others, he always had my back, and he always wanted to make himself better. His home life was never amazing but he still was always trying to make money to give gifts to his whole family during holidays and other occasions even knowing he wouldn't be getting any from his parents at times. He always wanted to help people and he never acted like he was bound to be unsuccessful because of his home life, he found ways to make himself better and others around him better. I could go on and on about how amazing Amante was as a person and a wrestler and about how much he meant to me and so many others, but here is the end and the end of my high school career. I would be so grateful if anyone who reads this would mention his name in my place after winning a state title this year because I have failed to make it there for him myself... Thank you...

It’s been a pleasure as a fan to watch you. I want to thank you for what you’ve contributed to Indiana wrestling and want to remind you that you are still a champion day in and day out regardless of how this season may have ended for you. You’ve got some of the greatest coaches in your corner who I know do a great job in not only making great wrestlers, but helping mold fine young men for society to have. So, I know without a doubt you’ll be one of those people we see down the line doing great things in life. I wish you the best and absolute good fortune in your next steps.

I’ll just add this to show his character. When we got in the back tunnel, we hugged. Told him I loved him and was sorry it ended that way. His response: “Coach, I’m really sorry. I know the team needed my points today and next weekend”. Was tough for me to hold it together to be honest.

This is a great and loaded question that has no simple answer. I’m my opinion, this really needs to be talked about more and better explained to our athletes and families. My family had the opportunity to go through the recruiting process with my oldest son. We learned a TON during his last couple years of high school. While my son did all the work on the mat, it took the whole family and others to help him reach his goal of being a college wrestler with a full ride. I would like to share some thoughts and observations that may help others in this journey. With this said… this post may get a little long, but hopefully it can help… because many times nobody will take the time to explain or even has the knowledge of the process. 1. First and foremost (absolutely most importantly) is grades. If a kid decides to go the NCAA division 1 or 2 route, they go by title 9. This dictates that NCAA division 1 and 2 programs must limit the amount of athletic scholarships per wrestling team to 9.9 full scholarships. In college there are 10 weight classes. Most college programs have 30 to 45 kids on the teams. Most of those 30 to 45 kids at D1 and D2 schools are state champs or placed VERY high. So… let’s do the math…. 9.9 for 40 kids… that means on average a D1 or D2 kid is only getting a 1/4 ride. Very few (and I mean VERY few) D1 and D2 kids get full athletic scholarships. With that said, a wrestler MUST make academics a priority! Schools will help a kid with academic money but the wrestler must make the minimum threshold for those funds. They will find athletes academic money that a typical student, with the same gpa, wouldn’t get. They typically need a 3.5 GPA or better and / or good SAT or ACT scores to qualify for most academic money. This means that a wrestler MUST take his whole high school career seriously. Do not think that a kid is going to make a C average his first two years of high school then magically turn it around his last two years! By then it’s two late. From day one… do the work and make good grades. Without good grades… most likely they are paying and paying a lot. Testing… start taking ACT and SAT early and often. I would recommend at the end of their sophomore year. First they must determine which one is easier for them. My son liked the SAT because it’s ran by the national college board. Once you take the SAT test, they will provide you with resources (including the Khan Academy) that will help you with future test. While you can’t actually study for what’s on the SAT or ACT, programs like Khan Academy will help you learn how to process the questions and help you score better. Also.. schools will allow them to super score your test results. Meaning this…. If you take the SAT five times and score really high on Math one time and really high on English another time, they will allow you to combine the two highest scores to make your applied total. So again.. take those test multiple times if the school requires SAT or ACT for acceptance or academic scholarships. That is D1or D2. As far as I know…. D3 has zero athletic scholarships, but typically offer scholarships and grants to help with cost. D3 guys typically make good grades to get that help. Which brings us to NAIA. These schools are not bound by title 9 (as far as I know). My son did not go the NAIA route so i have less knowledge on this. In general, these schools are allowed to give more athletic money. We have some great NAIA schools and teams here Indiana. These teams have had a lot of success and should be considered by any kid looking to wrestle at the next level. Many high schools have an NCAA rep. It is typically a councilor. These reps can provide you with some helpful information and help you with stuff like getting your NCAA card (needed to take visits) and getting transcripts to potential schools. If you don’t have a designated NCAA rep, make sure you find out the best person at your child’s school to help you with the process. At our former school we found out that our weighted grade scale did not meet NCAA guidelines and could not be considered. With that said, my sons weighted GPA could not be considered when applying for some money. Not having his weighted GPA considered messed with some of his offers. With this said… a few years later, they still haven’t adjusted their grade scale and NCAA can’t use their weighted gpa (must be Covid). I’m still trying to help get it changed there. With this said… make sure your schools grade scale is approved by the NCAA so that your wrestler gets every dollar possible! Again.. your NCAA rep or councilor can help you with that. 2. Put your wrestler out there! Pick the schools that they are interested in and let them know you are interested. Reach out to the coaches and let them know that they want to come to their programs and what you have to offer them. Most team websites have a recruiting page. Fill that info out. That puts your wrestler on their radar and helps them get noticed. Colleges coaches are busy. Help them help you. 3. Pick the right team. A kid may be a state champ or multiple time state champ. Know this.. if he goes to the Big10… every kid is a state champ or multiple time state champ. Each weight class has 3 to 5 kids. Know that it’s gonna to be a up hill climb just to start one season. Know who is in the line up at the school you pick and who’s coming in. I’m not saying not to challenge yourself.. just know that most likely your not coming in a taking the spot from a returning AA. Know that you may sit some places for a while. Can you handle that? 4. Pick the right school. If you want the traditional college experience… don’t pick a service academy! What I’m saying is… take your visits get to know the school, the town, the coaches, and the team. Ask members of the team if they like it there. During my sons visits some kids told him that they loved it and many told him they hated it. Financials should be a priority, but if they are going to be miserable for 2 to 6 years… then it’s not worth it. D1 allows 6 official collage visits. They are typically very fun for the whole family. If you can, take them all. 5. To answer your main question… wrestling. Go wrestle good kids and beat them! No matter where. If you beat a good kid… people will know. And… try to have fun as a family doing it. That’s the easy part that we all can understand. The other stuff is what we don’t talk about and is not explained to us enough.

So, one of my favorite parts of wrestling season is sampling the different hot dogs the schools present during the year. For disclosure, my son Chris Bohn and wrestles for Munster, the hot dog testing tour will follow the Munster schedule. I also taste test the dogs plain. Today I was at Goshen High School. The hot dog was $3. It was pretty plump, and was definitely not cheap. The bun has the perfect amount of "freshness", meaning it wasn't hard, but it wasn't soaked. I will definitely be picking up a couple of more tomorrow. The Goshen hot dogs get 6 slices of pizza out of 8. The next stop on the tour is Valparaiso high school on December 2. Thank you for reading.

You know it’s almost tourney time by the stages of posts on the forum. The stages before the state tournament stage 1: training he is on a mission this year, changed his training Stage 2: rankings disputes hates where they are ranked or not ranked but closes every message with “not that rankings matter” Stage 3: getting chippy is upset at every post about their favorite wrestler or team and they will use it as extra motivation. (The stage we are in) stage 4: the dark horses these guys are going to make a run and knock off many ranked wrestlers Stage 5: the actual state tournament This is where we actually wrestle the state tournament stage 6: the I told you so the message of I told that was going to happen but you didn’t want to listen but those payout 1 in 50 rememer it’s a long season and the message board is a lot of fun. We have an amazing community don’t take everything so serious. Everyone wants to see upsets and great matches please keep your angry messages light and fun I don’t want @Y2CJ41 to ban anyone have a safe and happy New Years OTR219

I can make sure none of your posts are ever seen if you would like. One person has already been given a little vacation and I am not afraid to give him friends. We need to remember these are teenage kids and they will unfortunately do dumb things and things they will eventually regret. They don't need anonymous people on the internet trashing them, at least it won't happen on this website. If there are disciplinary actions that need to be taken that will be handled by coaches, schools, and the IHSAA, not here on IndianaMat.

I have coached a long time and I feel I am starting to see more and more wrestlers call their own injury time. Many times it is because they are gassed and need a break. Something needs to change with this. One of the goals of the sport is to break your opponent. I find anymore as soon as you break your opponent their knee or shoulder magically hurts. Something needs to change. Coaches need to also step up and not let their athlete pull this stuff. It’s hurts the sport. I know college lets the other wrestler have choice after this happens.

Rochester is far and away the best team in 1A this year and would make some serious noise in 2A. As far as seeding went, West Central went into this tournament in a no-win situation. I was honestly just hoping for a top four seed after edging out a banged up Rochester team at the Joe Burvan Duals. If we would’ve been seeded below Rochester, I guarantee there wouldn’t be one West Central supporter complaining about that. WC belonged in the small gym all day long with the product we put on the mat today. I do not post on Indianamat, I just look like thousands of others do. However, being from one of the smallest schools in the state, competing with the great programs we did today (and in 2014, 2015 and 2023), it’s always been humbling and great for us. Congratulations to all teams that competed today. Nathan Williams West Central Assistant Coach

On the second day of Christmas, IHSAA gave to me, no wrestle backs Indiana is one of the only states that doesn’t use double elimination format with full wrestlebacks in its state tournament. We have a total of 5 single elimination rounds in our state tournament series. We are a state, possibly the only state, that eliminates half of its state qualifiers in a single match. Here’s a comparison to other states: The Outlier State Population Wrestle Backs? Placement Indiana 6.8 million first round single elimination Remaining 8 wrestle for placement to 8th The Norm (8 state comparison) State Population Wrestle Backs? Placement Iowa 3.2 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 8th Pennsylvania 12.9 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 8th Illinois 12.5 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 6th Michigan 10 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 8th Ohio 11.7 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 8th Missouri 6.1 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 6th Nebraska 2 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 6th Tennessee 7 million full wrestle backs (no single elimination) Placement to 6th Part of wrestling is wrestlebacks. Wrestlebacks allow a wrestler to deal with the adversity and bounce back from losing a match. Colleges scouts want to see how wrestlers handle failure. Also, if they are scouting at state, they want to see their prospects wrestle more than one match. ISWA tournaments use wrestlebacks. NCAA tournaments use wrestlebacks. Other states use wrestlebacks. Not having wrestlebacks is changing a fundamental part of the sport. It’s like not allowing the forward pass in football (go back to 1905), not allowing 3 point shot in basketball (go back to 1966), not allowing a designated hitter in baseball (go back to 1972). When you have among the lowest success rates in the country, it makes using wrestlebacks even more important. Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association has been asking for wrestlebacks (especially at semi-state). This request is consistently denied by IHSAA assistant commissioner Robert Faulkens. Is that the right decision? If you agree Indiana should have wrestlebacks, click “Like”.

I can't believe all these parents who grew up in the tougher times have produced such wimpy kids.

We often lose track of of these wrestlers after high school, but it’s comforting to me knowing while I sleep that Zach and his brothers, Jacob and Adam, are protecting me and our country. Thought this was pretty cool and wanted to share.

Congratulations to Joey Buttler from Whiteland for signing with Indiana. Projected to wrestle 133, 141. View full signing

Congratulations to Bryce Lowery from Roncalli for signing with Indiana. Projected to wrestle 157. View full signing

Enjoy everybody, I'll be either at Bluegrass Nationals w/ Little 3B or staring at ice out my window. See everybody next week at Evansville, the night before party will be at Bally's, bring your own weapon and don't wear a Yankees hat (RIP Pingleton) ! Evansville Semi-State Regional Feeders - by the numbers How many Semi-State ranked Wrestlers are left per weight? 106 - 16/16 113 - 14/16 120 - 15/16 126 - 14/16 132 - 15/16 138 - 16/16 145 - 16/16 152 - 13/16 160 - 16/16 170 - 15/16 182 - 14/16 195 - 16/16 220 - 15/16 285 - 15/16 Total - 210/224 = 94% Mooresville - State ranked wrestlers: 48 Semi State ranked wrestlers: 66 Castle - State ranked wrestlers: 27 Semi State ranked wrestlers: 52 Bloomington South - State ranked wrestlers: 25 Semi State Ranked wrestlers: 54 Jeffersonville - State ranked wrestlers: 16 Semi State ranked wrestlers: 35 Mooresville: Head to Head 1st Rd matchups of ranked wrestlers - (SR/SSR) 106 - #1/#1 Jake Hockaday, Brownsburg vs. #14/#9 Gavin Ash, Monrovia (Curtain Jerker!!) 120 - #8/#2 Braden Haines vs #9/#5 Trevor Hott, Martinsville (Charles Barkley Turrible Draw and Curtain Jerker!!) 120 - #8/#7 Seth Syra, Avon vs #22/#11 Luke Bechert, Franklin 132 - #2/#1 Brady Ison, Brownsburg vs NR/#14 Lane Faulkenburg, Monrovia 138 - NR/#15 Maleec Stansbury, Pike vs #22/#8 Silas Stitts, Center Grove (Curtain Jerker!!!) 145 - #13/#4 Braedon Spears (3B TRAINED), Plainfield vs NR/#16 Brayden Johnson, Whiteland 170 - #18/#7 Lucas LeClerc, Plainfield vs. #19/#10 Vince Tinoco (CURTAIN JERKER!!) 182 - NR/#11 Lucas Murphy, North Putnam vs #1/#1 Drake Buchanan, Center Grove 195 - NR/#9 Jakobe Leavell, Pike vs NR/#16 Pete Sells Decatur Central 220 - #24/#6 Royce Deckard III, Center Grove vs NR/#12 Jackson Sarjent, Brownsburg 285 - #1/#1 Leighton Jones, Brownsburg vs NR/#15 Javian Jones, Decatur Central Best under radar Match - 120: Dominic Mcfeely, Cascade vs. Keith Parker, Ben Davis. Coach Q has to go against one of his old students……. Best wrestler You’ve never heard of - Sam Allen, Whiteland. A Semi-State Quarterfinalist at Hwt as a frosh. He sat out last year at Franklin and then lost a ½ season of eligibility when he moved to Whiteland. Allen might be on the podium in 2 weeks at GainBridge. Mooresville Storyline - Getting to meet up with the ELITE crew of @TeamGarcia, @Mattyband @JMILL….. Not really…. The 2 year feud of Ison and Schoeff will keep on moving towards Evansville. Last weekend ended in a controversial DQ. Can Schoeff cook up the recipe to knock off Ison this weekend?? Castle Head to Head 1st Rd matchups of ranked wrestlers - (SR/SSR) 106 - NR/#13 Brady Byrd, Washington vs NR/#15 Joe Anderson, Evansville North (Curtain Jerker) 106 - NR/#14 Makenzie Smith vs NR/#12 Caleb Reed, Evansville Reitz (Curtain Jerker) 160 - NR/#11 James Vaughn, South Spencer vs. NR/#13 Cale Johnson (Evansville North) 220 - NR/#15 Mason Hines, Tecumseh vs #2/#1 Nathan Cricthfield, Evansville Mater Dei 285 - NR/#10 Jacob Kyle, Evansville North vs NR/#16 Jed Ambs, South Spencer Best under the radar match - See the 106 matches above. Don’t be late!! Best wrestler You’ve never heard of - Hey sometimes we miss kids, it appears that I’ve missed Mt. Vernon 182lber Derek Hollinger. He brings in a record of 34-2 and won a tough Evansville Central sectional last weekend to put him in the driver’s seat this weekend. Castle Storyline - The concession stand and Beer timeouts in the parking lot be damned! It’s all about 1-9-5!!! Sollars/Purdy 3!!! Can Willman play any type of spoiler?? Another controversial match last weekend. What will happen this time?!?!?! Bloomington South Head to Head 1st Rd matchups of ranked wrestlers - (SR/SSR) 126 - NR/#15 Logan Moore vs. #24/#11 Kelby Glenn, Tell City 132 - NR/#9 Xavier Horton, Southridge vs NR/#13 Coy Bender, Terre Haute South 145 - #17/#6 Nicholas Castellucio, Bloomington South vs #23/#5 Tyler Lee, Northview (Curtain Jerker) 145 - NR/#13 Jakcson Neibert, Indian Creek vs NR/#14 Carson Niehaus, Southridge (Curtain Jerker) 152 - NR/#5 Logan Cain, Owen Valley vs. NR/#6 Ian Geisler, Jasper 170 - NR/#16 Rylan Hendricks, West Vigo vs #2/#2 Codei Khawaja, Floyd Central 220 - #18/#7 Garron Jenkins, Floyd Central vs NR/#11 Dalton Simmons, Northview Best under the radar match - 106: Rollin Douglas Floyd Central vs Luke Neibert Indian Creek Best Wrestler You’ve never heard of - 152lber Jaden Grant of New Albany, the Senior Bulldog has quietly put together a brilliant senior season. He had a great sectional knocking off sectional favorite Geisler from Jasper and state ranked DuPont from Tell City. If he makes the finals at regionals he will have the tall task of Delaney Ruhlman of Bloomington South. Bloomington South Storyline - There are two storylines here - Last weekend Bloomington South was quietly knocked off of the Sectional Champ podium and by Terre Haute South (congrats Coach Cook!) and actually finished 3rd behind uprising Owen Valley. Add in Floyd Central and Tell City this week and there’s a 5 team banger for the Regional Championship, literally almost every match will have some type of impact on the team race. It should be a great day of wrestling! The other story line is 126 - I’ve received emails and messages all year about Branson Weaver (He’s being slept on), Paul King (I’ve never witnessed a kid so motivated), Harrison May (That May kid is slick and really good), and Kelby Glenn (Sleeper). So Saturday, Lettttttssss Gettttttt Readdddyyyyy Tooo Rumbllllleeeeee…… Jeffersonville Head to Head 1st Rd matchups of ranked wrestlers - (SR/SSR) 182 - NR/#16 Noah Phelps, North Harrison vs #14/#7 Jaden Durnil, Columbus East 195 - #12/#5 Evan Clayton, Jeffersonville vs NR/#15 Bryce Abner, Columbus North Best under the radar match - 132 - Noah Cain Jeffersonville vs. Jason Shuey Columbus North, potential 4 over 1, Shuey is a returning regional runner up. Best Wrestler You’ve never heard of - Lody Cheatham, Borden. Cheatham is a Cambellsville signee and is just a second year wrestler at a second year program. He’s comprised a record of 54-6 in 2 years and hopes to becomes Borden’s first ever State Qualifier. In a sneaky weight class loaded with veteran wrestlers, he should be the favorite

On behalf of Silas, myself and the rest of our family....we want to bring awareness to how accommodating the IHSAA was for us this weekend. All of us (including myself) at times get so caught up in what we feel they do wrong as it pertains to wrestling, we can easily become blinded to the multitude of right they do. Mr. Faulkens seen to it we had All-Access passes, and we’re allowed in our regular seats at our convenience. That type of gesture deserves a lot of credit. Because in what is always an extremely exhausting weekend.....factoring my health, my wife having to carry my breathing machine and our youngest daughter, without their philanthropic gesture, this weekend would not have been possible for me. I also want to commend Jacob Laplace and the Mishawaka Coaching staff. They had a tremendous gameplan of counter wrestling by the edge of mat to slow Silas’ relentless pace. We have been friends and thought a lot of Jacob and family going all the way back to 6th grade. He and Silas were always summer teammates with the Outlaws and forged a bond that continues to this day. Wrestling Family can be an equal bond as blood at times, because there’s such an understanding of the sacrifice involved for wrestlers, coaches and parents. We have a lot of genuine love for many of the Caveman faithful. Specifically the Sandefur’s, Fogarty’s, Walker’s and of course the Laplace family. I’m extremely proud of Jacob’s effort. He wrestled Silas as well as ANYONE has the last 2 yrs. But more importantly....I’m proud of Jacob as a young man of faith. Indiana Tech stole a diamond in the ruff recruit! But Coach Pompei will undoubtedly help grow his solid foundation to achieve tremendous things at the next level. -The Allred’s

Congratulations to Luke Penola for winning the mental attitude award at the state finals. Luke didn’t reach his goal of winning a state title but he walked out of the arena with his head held high. He is one of the best leaders, wrestlers, and people we’ve ever been around. We are forever grateful to of coached you and to have you in our Zionsville wrestling family.

Congratulations to Jake Hockaday Congratulations to from Brownsburg for signing with Oklahoma. Projected to wrestle 141. View full signing

On Facebook Kevin made it official that this state finals will be his last on the mic. Crazy to think an announcer has made such an impact on this sport, but he has literally become the voice of the sport. Thanks Kevin for being the voice of Indiana wrestling for 40+ years!

Watching this Iowa vs Wisc dual and Rathjen takes injury time as he’s getting taken down. Official gives the injury time, Rathjen continues after a short break and doesn’t give the 3 pt td. Reminds me of one of my biggest issues watching wrestling this weekend. Coaches allowing their kids to take a time out when the going gets tough. Weak. One of the countless things that separates wrestling from the stupid sports like basketball, no timeouts when it’s getting real, you have to deal with it. Dissapointing the programs that are ok with taking a breather for that mental break when adversity has set in.

My Brain be buzzing from typing.... so took a break and came up w/ this gem Is it Saturday yet?!?!?! We got winners We got losers Dippers and boozers We got WildCats We got Bulldogs We got angry fathers And the moms all dressed up in their glitter Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD We got Trojans We got Olympians Broken-hearted wrestlers and seniors And we got state placers We got fighters Early-pinners and over-timers And the old timers in letter jackets talk about their battle scars Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD I love THE FORD It's my kind of place Just walkin' through the front door Puts a big smile on my face It’s actually pretty far Come as you are Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD

I see a lot of posts complaining and asking why Indiana doesnt' have wrestle backs. And since this is the time of the year we need them the most, I thought id construct the list of reasons/theories/hypotheses or plain conspiracies as why the great wrestlers of Indiana dont have the essential tool granted to every other state in their state series. Here's my list In David Letterman style!!!!!! 10.We cant be like Illinois theory: In Indiana's continuous competition with Illinois and the resulting inferiority complex, Indiana had to do something different and in the name of conservative stubborness, we found a great avenue to differentiate from the Land of Lincoln, "We wont have wrestlebacks like those woke liberal dudes to the west". 9. The Hunger Games theory: In the the modern action novel where each district's humble heroes travel to the capitol and are placed in an arena to fight each other to die or move on for the ultimate reward solely for the purpose of the audience's bloody lust for entertainment. Just like the Hunger games, we in Indiana travel to the capitol and are entertained by the Friday night circus called the ticket round where we love to see our humble wrestlers reach immediate state placing glory. But also, we love the sudden agony of defeat and seeing ranked wrestler's dreams and hope of destroyed abruptly. Wrestlers, "May the odds ever be in your favor". 8. Save the IHSAA beautiful mats: The IHSAA has great mats. Buy eliminating wrestle backs, were cutting out 29% of wrestling from the tournament thus saving our mats for future years. 7. Let's hang out at Tilted Kilt more theory: Not that I've ever been there, but by eliminating wrestle backs this opens up more time for the great wrestling fans of the Hoosier state to patronize the abundant downtown dining places like the Tilted Kilt (come on, you guys tipped big). We love places like "Dicks last resort, St Elmo's (love the Shrimp cocktail) or Fog De Chao for those with big appetite. Even though I was disappointed when the kid i was cheering for lost and didn't have a wrestle back match, I did have extra time and the consolation to sincerely enjoy some tasty pasta at Buca. The East Chicago equivalents are Portillo's or El Gran Taco. But Ive heard Region Rat recommend PoleKatz for their excellent bar food and service. In Evansville, the wrestling community and guys like TripleB utilizes the extra time to spend at "Taco Bell, Panda Express and Pizza King". 6. Indiana Loves Quality over Quantity hypothesis: We just want to see good matches and not be distracted by a plethora of matches created by "wrestlebacks". If it has the word consolation in it, then you're going to have to console us from watching it. The winner's bracket is just so much more watchable and cool. Why stymie the tournament with consolation matches. Is anybody watching the Ravens vs the Lions this weekend? Come on everybody likes to see perennial winners and champions like Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and i guess that other team from California. But they ain't watching the consolation bowl. 5. The biased IHSAA board makeup theory: The IHSAA board, which has the overarching power to decide wrestling competition rules, is made up of former basketball, baseball and football coaches. We have very little wrestling representation on the board. Remember Indiana is a basketball state and those guys get power. When asked to include wrestle backs, they say we don't have baseball backs, basketball backs, tennis backs or football backs, why should wrestlers get wrestle backs? Its only a matter of fairness they say. We did have some hope when the swimming coach on the board did show some interest in the idea, and curiously asked are wrestling backs like the backstroke? 4. Sinister Y2CJ41 conspiracy theory: While Joe Caprino was thinking of ways to improve Indianamat participation and patronization, he conspired this idea in his lair at Victory Bay (yes it exists). With his capacity to pull strings in Indiana wrestling, and his overreaching influence on the gatekeepers of the wrestling community he, came up with the idea to create controversy and blowup discussion on the Indianamat forum by secretly eliminating wrestle backs in the state tournament. You notice "wrestle backs" is a common controversial topic????? You ever wonder why we don't have class wrestling????? Just saying i heard something on Qanon. I swear. 3. I didnt have wrestle backs when i wrestled: How many grizzled veterans of the Indiana state tournament post they love the format, and that we have the best tournament in the country. Even though many were scarred by their bad draws and robbed of placing or their lots were thrown wheel of luck. Its really just a psychological perception to block progress because they didn't have the same advantage. Old stuck in its ways says: "Why should these young cocky, "soft" spoiled wrestlers have an advantage we didn't. It's just not fair". Thus were continually stuck in this circular state of no progress. These are the same dudes that walked to school 6 miles in the snow and loved it. , 2. We just arent trying or working hard enough theory!! Under the current format, we will get bad draws and the better wrestlers wont advance. But this could be overcome if everybody worked more or tried harder. If every Indiana wrestler tried harder, we would never have a bad draw regardless of no wrestlebacks. This is also the same reason we haven't found Sasquatch yet. 1. The Ricky Bobby Impact: "If you aren't first, you're last". That's the message we're getting. Anyway, it's all about finding the one champion. That's what counts. If you lose to the champion, then it doesn't really matter when you lost to him. You're not important because you're not the champion. See #6 on consolation. Yes, those silly non- first place medals are just over glorified system of participation trophies. Why should we spend more time on silly consolation wrestle backs that's only irrelevant purpose is to separate the losers.

So Jack Heldt (Wabash/Carmel) captured the D III national heavyweight title and Shawn Streck (Central Oklahoma/Merrillville) won the D II heavyweight title and now Mason Parris is the D I national champ. This is an unbelievable achievement. Indiana should be proud of these three young men.

Just want to congratulate everyone on their awards, and thank Joe, Mike, and everyone else on team IndianaMat for the amazing coverage you provide for our sport. Thank You Coach Lorek

From the Bulldog Premier Facebook Page. sounds Like Anthony is doing better today. Prayers for a speedy recovery

Congrats to Crown Point. Also, congrats to Indiana wrestling. I’m proud that years ago we came together and made this event happen. What a day of wrestling. Huge shot out to Zeke Seltzer for bumping up to take on Mendez. That alone made the entire event worthwhile. Lastly, it sucks but we did take our strap down and that’s a team point. It was the correct call. Snyder

chickenshit post of the year. delete your profile.

So, I sit here at 4:40 am CST and I'm dead tired, but I can't sleep. I've already made the drive back to NWI, so that drive from hell is behind me. The hot dogs. Pretty damn good. The concession stand I used to buy my dogs made them to order, so, they were fresh. They grilled them on something, they had a nice char, nice buns even without yoga pants, a good overall product. Just one small gripe. They were expensive. $7 a pop for these bad boys. Oh well. 7 slices of pizza outta 8. Kinda a side note, I mentioned this in a reply, but I was told Hanover Central are looking into changing their hot dogs because of my review. One day my friends, we will have the hot dogs we deserve at all wrestling meets across the great state of Indiana! And, as always, thank you for reading.

This was an incredible weekend of wrestling, and the Brownsburg Bulldogs and coaching staff earned it. Congrats Coach Snyder and team. Love competing and coaching against you guys, and the purple dogs deserve all the praise and celebration. Brownsburg and Center Grove showed up and competed hard. Congrats to both of those great teams and coaching staffs. Coach Lorek Crown Point High School Wr.

Congratulations to Kyrel Leavell Congratulations to from Warren Central for signing with The Citadel. Projected to wrestle 141, 149. View full signing

At Hobart, we have a sports mural in our field house. Previously, Hobart had 21 sports represented in this mural. With the addition of girls wrestling, and boys volleyball there had to be additions to the mural. Girls wrestling on our sports mural forever. Even better that the art is based off Hobart's first ever girls wrestling state placer, Keirys Click.

Shout out to my friend Dustin Bentz, aka TripleB!! Dude had a real scare last year, lost about 100 lbs and then decided to step up to the plate and compete at Folk State this year. Still got it! Matter of fact, props to all the dudes in this pic and all the masters division wrestlers still willing to go out and throw down! . Dustin, Sam’s has the 5 gal pale of flex-all on sale… haha.

When I found out I was having a son, I (half) jokingly said now I need to make sure he has a name that will sound great at state with Kevin announcing it. Kevin said that he'd likely not be announcing by the time he's in high school, so he made this.

3 FF's so out of 11 wrestlers 7 sectional champions with 10 going to Regionals 3 Regional Champions with 8 going to Semi State 2,2,3,3 Semi state finishes with 4 going to state If it wasn't for a terrible draw, you could add Coy Hammack to the state finals list. Ranked 4th going into the 1A tournament and came out of it Class 1A Champions. 21-4 record with losses to Heritage Hills, Col East, and Mater Dei. They finished 4th in Semi State. Lets not forget they got 4th out of the most brutal and toughest semi state in Indiana! I know other schools get recognition but my goodness, Tell City is a powerhouse this year! All four of their state finals wrestlers are the lower ranking and may not win but Im impressed by TC.

are they gonna finish the match ?

What a great match! Props to Cathedral and Zeke for bumping and giving indiana wrestling fans a great match!

Just came across this picture of Montgomery from Brownsburg talking to Heath from Leo after their match. I know a lot of these guys who wrestle each other are practicing together all the time and it’s amazing to see how much they respect each other. Does anyone else have any pictures or examples of instances like this?

Rickie Clark and Robert Samuels put on the best consolation match spectacle in Indiana wrestling history.

If I remember right, he bumped up a weight to try to win one for his team. Because... that’s what true champs do. He put his career undefeated record on the line for his team. Came up just short. That’s why the kid is even more awesome!

The time has finally arrived. It is officially wrasslin’ season, and I know you’re all begging me to just get on with the actual rankings. But first I’d like to cover what goes into the initial set of rankings, given there’s not yet season data to go off of. In no particular order: 1 - Last year’s Fort Wayne tournament. Those 14 brackets are virtually engraved in my brain by now, and the final point of last season for most of the wrestlers in these rankings plays arguably the biggest role. 2 - IHPO results. It will generally be the preseason tournament with the largest gathering of Indiana guys, especially within the Fort Wayne region. 3 - Trackwrestling profiles. Yeah, it’s obvious, but for good reason. It’s incredibly helpful. Did a RQ/SSQ first round exit compete in 20+ offseason tournaments and gradually show improvement through the offseason? Has there been a massive jump in weight or are they still staying around their weight class from last year? 4 - Rich parents. Every person has their price. Help me find mine and your child can find their way to #8 of their weight class. (Haha just kidding, unless…) With all that being said, my weights are still going to be ridiculously off. Luckily I’ve been receiving a lot of messages over the last week to help me move some guys around, but there is still much information I’m not privy to. And I’m sure there will be at least one deserving guy that I somehow missed altogether. So if you see a mistake, feel free to correct me. I also want to acknowledge that you will see differences between mine and the state rankings. This is surprisingly normal. Mike and I do not share the same brain(aside from that one weekend I asked to borrow his in 2021), and will see some things differently, especially early on in the season. One more thing to note; there has been a shake-up in the teams in the semi-state, and because the Fort Wayne semi-state apparently isn’t allowed to have nice things, last year’s team champions Rochester have been moved to East Chicago. While a tough loss for us, we get back a solid Wawasee team returning three state & three semi-state qualifiers in exchange. Okay. Let’s do this. 106: 1 - Jensen Boyd - Delta (9th) -Boyd will start off his high school career absurdly decorated for a freshman. With a 2022 middle school state championship, 2023 ISWA triple crown, IHPO runner-up, and Fargo 3rd place honors in Greco-Roman this summer, amongst many other national accolades, Boyd immediately becomes the front runner at this weight. Throw in excellent practice partners in Delta’s lower weights, and Boyd should continue to improve as his season goes on. He’s a legitimate state champion threat, if not the favorite, at 106. 2 - Julianna O’Campo - New Haven (11th) - SQ @ 106 (44-3) -Here is a list of all female Al Smith placers in Indiana history: Julianna O’Campo Here is a list of all female Al Smith *winners* in Indiana history: Julianna O’Campo Here is a list of all female 2x state qualifiers in Indiana history: Julianna O’Campo If you haven’t caught on yet, she’s pretty dang good. Through two seasons, she has already made a name for herself as another Indiana wrestling lady trailblazer, and in her third campaign I would imagine she’ll make a strong run for more history as a state placer. 3 - Javier Henry - Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (10th) - SSQ @ 106 (28-13) -Assuming Henry is back down at 106 for his sophomore season, he would be one of very few returning semi-state qualifiers in the field. That experience and likely extra weight could help catapult him further after being eliminated in the first round last season. 4 - Daigan Barbosa - Cowan (11th) - RQ @ 106 (27-6) -While his season ended at regionals last season, Barbosa was in a brutal 106 regional bracket featuring a state 3rd placer, two ticket rounders, and a 2x SSQ. Looking like he’ll stay at 106 this season, he could be primed for a great junior season in a Cowan program that has been steadily coming up the last few years. 5 - Nathan Spears - Muncie Central (11th) - Sect. Q @ 106 (31-10) -Also a victim of the grueling Delta 106 lb. bracket for, Spears was sadly the first one out of the top 5. Another year of experience and filling out, and he is likely to take the step to break through from sectional and beyond. 6 - Charlie Fleshman - Central Noble (10th) - RQ @ 106 (22-11) -Fleshman is returning to 106 this season after a season-ending regional loss. He put in some work over the offseason and could take a big step up as a second-year lightweight. 113: 1 - Ayden Bollinger - Delta (11th) - 3rd place @ 106 (42-1) -Bollinger has made it to the final dance in both of his previous seasons, but last year he took a huge step from just qualifier to semi-state champion and state 3rd placer. His only loss of the season came in the state semifinals to the soon-to-be-champ Revin Dickman, and with Dickman likely at 113 as well, Ayden will be looking to avenge the loss come February. With terrific coaching and drill partners, he may be able to take the necessary steps to give Delta a realistic chance at the first two champions on Saturday night. 2 - Levi Johns - Bluffton (11th) - SQ @ 113 (39-4) -Very hot on Bollinger’s trail is another 2x state qualifier through two seasons. Johns placed 8th at 106 lbs his freshman season but fell short on Friday night last season in an attempt to get another medal. No doubt Johns should bounce back this season and be a favorite to step on the podium once again. He could very well come out of this weight on top at the Wayne. While Bollinger was undersized at the time, Johns defeated him 8-0 at regionals while they were freshman. There’s no reason to believe he couldn’t do it again. 3 - Kaleb Salazar - Wawasee (12th) - SQ @ 106 (36-6) -Welcome to da Fort, Wawasee. First up in the rankings is Kaleb Salazar, who has made a next step progression each year thus far. He’s gone from a first round semi state exit as a freshman, to a ticket round appearance the next year, and finally cracked through last year for his sweet Indy trip. Patterns suggest Salazar will be in hot pursuit of a placement this season, though he’ll now have to run with the big dogs in Fort Wayne in order to get back. 4 - Rex Moore - Manchester (10th) - SQ @ 106 (23-6) -Moore ended off a good year #1 with a state qualification, following a regular season with multiple high quality wins from guys within his bracket. Up one weight, Moore will continue to work toward his first semi-state championship and/or grabbing a state medal. 5 - Abrum Swathwood - Garrett (9th) -A good example of how much IHPO can help your initial ranking, Swathwood had a wonderful tournament. He took down two ticket rounders on the day, including a quick pin over Woods of Portage one round after Woods knocked off Levi Johns. Add in an 8th place medal from middle school state last season, Swathwood looks to be one of the quickest impact freshman in the semi-state for this upcoming season. 6 - Karrington Cooper - New Haven (12th) - TR @ 113 (39-7) -Two seasons ago, Cooper was a regional qualifier at 120. One year and 7 fewer pounds later, Cooper came into the postseason as a long, lanky 113lber and looked very impressive on the way. His season drew to an intense close in the ticket round with a 2 point loss, and Karrington will be tough for any Fort Wayne 113lbers who he comes across. 7 - Kealen Fuller - East Noble (11th) - TR @ 106 (25-7) -Fuller spent a good portion of the season in the the top 4 of the ranking, but suffered a slight upset to Aden Hartman in the regional championship last year. While he still competed in the ticket round for a second consecutive season, Fuller’s chances at pushing through would have been better had he taken care of business at regional, which is something he’ll attempt to right the ship on. 8 - Alex Delacruz - Angola (10th) - SSQ @ 106 (33-10) -A semi-state qualifier at 106 as a freshman, Delacruz heads up one weight class. After getting some offseason work in, Alex should be able to replicate, if not improve, on last year’s escapades. 120: 1 - Jalen May - Kokomo (12th) - 7th @ 113 (45-2) -May captured both his second semi-state championship and state medal this last season, making it through to Gainsbridge without any marks in the L column. Jalen hasn’t been bested by any of his semi-state opponents in the last two seasons as he looks to be the clear favorite for his third semi-state championship. For the final go-round in high school, he’ll look for that third state medal to be his first gold one. 2 - Braylon McIntire - North Miami (10th) - TR @ 113 (39-2) -McIntire had a fantastic freshman campaign that ended on a rather sour note. After starting the season 38-0, he lost to eventual champ May in the regional finals, and drew into runner-up Johns for the ticket round. McIntire had a conference and sectional victory over Brayden Raber, who managed to punch his ticket. North Miami looks to be on the rise, and McIntire should be improved from his freshman year looking for his first date with Indy’s podium. 3 - Kamaron Straw - Angola (11th) - SSQ @ 113 (35-3) -Straw took a tough loss in the first round of semi state last season following a ticket round appearance the previous season. His bracket was brutal last year, and things are looking the same this season, but he squared off against a plethora of great wrestlers last season and should be prepared for a tough road to his first state appearance. 4 - Blake Byerley - East Noble (12th) - Sect. Q @ 113 (20-2) -Byerley was probably the toughest kid in this whole semi-state to rank. There’s no other way to put it other than Blake had a super tough day at sectionals for his standards, coming into the day undefeated on the season but leaving without a regional qualification. Prior to sectionals, Byerley had victories over a lot of tough wrestlers in this field, including two wins over state qualifiers and at least three more over ticket rounders. After qualifying for semi-state his first two seasons, Blake should likely use last year’s early exit as extra motivation to make it even further for his final run. 5 - Cameron Senter - Wawasee (10th) - SQ @ 113 (31-11) -Senter came on strong as his freshman season went on, qualifying for the state finals out of the East Chicago semi-state. Cameron didn’t have the greatest results last season vs. Fort Wayne guys, but now he’ll need to be getting through them if he wants to make another trip back to Gainsbridge. 6 - Hunter Douglas - Norwell (10th) - SSQ @ 106 (30-4) -Douglas had the curtain close on a great freshman campaign with a first round semi-state loss to Rex Moore. He heads up two weights and will be in the mix to punch his first ticket in an incredibly deep weight class to navigate. 7 - Cole Hinkel - Goshen (12th) - SSQ @ 113 (39-6) -Hinkel made vast improvements last year by qualifying for semi-state for the first time in his high school career. Hinkel had wins over a plethora of others in his bracket and while tough, Cole will look to make his first stage finals appearance for his last dance. 8 - Bowen Keith - Cowan (12th) - SSQ @ 120 (24-9) -Keith pulled out some magic in 2022, navigating through his semi-state quarter bracket as a regional 4th. While he couldn’t replicate the success last season, his heroics two seasons ago should remind us all that Bowen is dangerous, no matter his regional placement. 126: 1 - Tanner Tishner - Western (12th) - 5th @ 120 (33-2) -Tishner will come into his senior season searching for something nobody else in these rankings has a shot at; his fourth straight semi-state championship. A two-time state placer with an 8th place medal as well in 2021, Tishner is the clear front-runner at what may be the deepest weight out of Ft. Wayne. While not the highest returning placer at the weight, Tanner handily beat the soon-to-be state 4th placer for his semi-state title and will be in hot pursuit of his first Gainsbridge semi-finals appearance this season. 2 - Neal Mosier - Delta (12th) - 4th @120 (40-3) -Mosier has qualified for the state finals each of his last two seasons, and came away with a 6th and 4th place medal for his efforts. Mosier has made steady improvements each year of his career and would like to cross off both a semi-state & state championship off of his to-do list as a senior. Neal is a key cog in the brutal Delta machine for this season, and it stands to reason that iron is going to keep sharpening iron in that practice room. There is also a possibility Mosier returns to 120 this season, where he would be equally as big a threat. 3 - Brayden Raber - Maconaquah (12th) - SQ @ 113 (36-10) -Raber made his first semi-state showing as a sophomore and was bested in the ticket round. He made it back last season, and this time was not held up by the ticket round. Brayden peaked at the perfect time last year, but will now being more of a target as he comes into his senior year a returning state qualifier. 4 - Lane Snyder - Eastside (10th) - TR @ 113 (27-8) -The ticket round victim of Raber’s solid day last season, Snyder captured his first regional championship last season following a sectional 4th place as a freshman. If Lane makes a similar jump heading into this year, his ceiling is definitely higher than a ticket round exit. 5 - Taye Curtis - Jay County (12th) - SSQ @ 120 (32-5) -Curtis has qualified for semi-state every season to this point, though last year he had to pull out of competing at the tournament following a 2nd place finish at regionals, so we’ll never know if he could also have a state qualification under his belt. Taye’s name has been floating around the rankings for what seems like an eternity to me. For his final season, Curtis will look to find that extra gear to get him over the semi-state hump. 6 - Calix Truex - Northwood (11th) - SSQ @ 120 (23-6) -Much like Curtis before him, Truex has qualified for semi-state every time possible yet could not compete this last season after an injury default in his 3rd place regional match-up. As a freshman, Truex made it all the way to the ticket round before having his season end and will attempt to break through to the state finals for the first time. 7 - Matthew Senn - Fairfield (11th) - TR @ 120 (32-10) -Senn is another in this bracket who has yet to have his season end at regionals or earlier. He made a step-up in between the seasons though, going from a first round exit to a ticket rounder last year. The only way to improve in his junior season would be his first (paid for) ticket down to Indy. 8 - Raef Keith - Cowan (12th) - SSQ @ 113 (24-6) -Another tough lighter weight out of Cowan, Raef Keith qualified for not only regionals but also semi-state for the first time in his junior campaign. Up two weight classes, Keith will try to extend his season yet again and go out in the final weekend this time around. 132: 1 - Carter Fielden - Garrett (10th) - 6th @ 120 (34-10) -Fielden continually showed improvement as his freshman postseason went on. After taking some bumps on the regular season, Fielden went on a tear at semi-state. After a dominating ticket round pin over a senior, Fielden would go on to avenge a regional loss in the third place bout, flipping a 13-5 loss the week prior into a 2-0 win for himself. Things didn’t slow down for Carter there, winning two matches in Indy for a 6th place finish in his first season. This year, Fielden will no longer be under anybody’s radar, instead he will be an early favorite to come out with his first semi-state championship. 2 - Cody Rowles - Jay County (12th) - SQ @ 126 (37-4) -Rowles is a 2x state qualifier with a sophomore ticket round season in between. While he has yet to come away from any of his seasons with a state medal, he has consistently been a mainstay toward the top of my rankings over the last three seasons. With the great coaching and practice partners around him at Jay County, Rowles should finish off his senior season as his strongest. No matter which weight he ends up going, Cody will be a strong threat to come away with his first state finals placement. 3 - Drew Waldon - DeKalb (11th) - SQ @ 113 (34-3) -Waldon followed up his freshman ticket round season with a state qualification as a sophomore. He’s put on some weight this season, but should adjust to a higher weight just fine. Waldon kicked it into high gear as soon as the postseason hit, avenging his only regular season loss (8-0) with a 13-5 win at sectionals, and followed things up with a regional championship. If Waldon’s progression continues like this, just qualifying for state again may not be satisfying enough for the Barons. 4 - Tye Linser - Western (12th) - SSQ @ 132 (31-5) -Linser was a regional champion last season and received the pleasure of drawing a regional 4th placer who ended up being a state qualifier. Tye has been at semi-state to end each of his seasons so far, but he’s been highly competitive with the top guys at his weights. Returning to 132, he has a fantastic shot at finally getting the 800 lb. gorilla off his back and punching his ticket to the state finals. 5 - Sam Mosier - Delta (9th) -Fresh off a runner-up finish at middle school state last, Mosier 2.0 comes in as one of the top freshmen across the semi-state. Delta’s lineup, especially in the lighter weights portion, should keep Mosier battle tested and constantly improving. If Neal ends up dropping to 120, Sam would then slot in at 126 and perhaps be an even bigger threat to kick off his high school career. 6 - Cole Stuffel - Yorktown (12th) - SSQ @ 126 (30-9) -Stuffel started the postseason off hot as can be. He started things off by giving Jackson Bradley his first loss(by fall, no less) in pursuit of a sectional championship. He suffered a very minor semi-state upset in round 1 but spent the entire season in the rankings and certainly hadn’t been dropped from the radar. He’s one of a few Yorktown seniors vying for their first trip to the Artist Formerly Known as Banker’s Life. 7 - Alex Ousley- Maconaquah (12th) - SSQ @ 126 (27-9) -Ousley qualified for semi-state for the first time last season. He lost a 9-8 squeaker in the first round, and will be primed to improve upon that for his senior season. 8 - Bradin Daniels - Union City (11th) - SSQ @ 126 (28-9) -Daniels also qualified for semi-state for the first time one season ago. Placing 4th in a brutal regional bracket, Daniels ended up with semi-state champ Schlaback in round 1. He’ll be back this season hoping for a more favorable draw. 138: 1 - Tony Wood - Jay County (12th) - 7th @ 138 (43-2) -Wood is a 3x state qualifier who captured both his first semi-state championship and placement last season. While 7th in state is nothing at all to scoff at, I can imagine Tony was disappointed not to place higher after coming into the state finals undefeated. Wood is coming off an impressive 9-win, 4th place performance at IHPO in recent months, and he will be highly battle-tested entering the season. While a tough task, and another state placer at the weight to compete with, it’s not unbelievable to say Tony could threaten for the top spot on the podium for his final season. 2 - Jackson Bradley - Cowan (10th) - 8th @ 126 (31-5) -Bradley made it through his initial regular season campaign without any losses entering the postseason. After a sectional hiccup, Bradley righted the ship with a tough regional championship, taking out 2x state qualifier Rowles in the semifinals before avenging his sectional loss to Cole Stuffel. Jackson kept his hand hot by punching his ticket and then winning a super tight Friday night match-up for his first state medal. Bradley is on the right trajectory to be a 4x placer, and will look to keep things rolling in pursuit of his first semi-state championship as well. 3 - Linkin Carter - Eastside (10th) - SQ @ 120 (35-10) -Another sophomore coming off a state qualification in year #1, Carter has packed on some weight. and could even be a big 138 after competing at 147 for IHPO. While he didn’t place last season, Linkin gathered wins over 6th place Carter Fielden for both sectional and regional championships, proving that he is capable of getting on the podium himself if he’s on his top game. Linkin Carter is another young name Ft. Wayne semi state fans will be seeing a lot in the future. 4 - Justin Boone - Yorktown (12th) - TR @ 132 (31-6) -Boone came onto the scene strong last season and didn’t slow down. After a regional exit as a sophomore, Justin came back a much stronger wrestler the following year and made it up to the ticket round. Boone’s trackwrestling profile is filled with tournaments since the postseason. He’s clearly been putting in some extra work and will likely have some of the guys ahead of him sweating at some point this season. 5 - Cam Dews - Elkhart (12th) - TR @ 132 (19-6) -Dews came into the postseason relatively under my radar and made a fool of me. He knocked off a very game Dallas Davidson in the first round of regionals and defeated Fremont senior Kamer for 3rd place, one weekend before Kamer navigated his way to punching his ticket. Cam made it to the ticket round himself, but sadly ran into the semi-state champion while the other three from his regional punched their tickets. Now viewed as more of a frontrunner than a darkhorse, Dews will try to end his senior season at Gainsbridge. 6 - Dallas Davidson - Angola (10th) - RQ @ 132 (38-4) -As stated above, Davidson was knocked out in the first round of regionals, but not before having an impressive freshman season, including a win over Brody Hagewood who made it to state. As the fifth best wrestler in a regional with four ticket rounders, Davidson’s season likely ended earlier than it would have under different circumstances. He’ll look to bounce back as a sophomore and challenge for a trip to state. 7 - Dalton Tuttle - Delta (12th) - SSQ @ 132 (28-11) -Tuttle returns for a senior season after being eliminated in round 1 of semi-state in his last showing. Delta’s coaching, schedule, and partners will keep busy and prepared for the postseason. 8 - Graysen Beasley - Northridge (12th) - SSQ @ 126 (32-8) -Beasley nearly pulled off a huge round 1 upset of Cody Rowles in his first trip to the semi-state. Despite coming up short, the close result shows that Beasley will be a threat at the weight this year. 144: 1 - Easton Doster - New Haven (11th) - 5th @ 132 (25-1) -Doster enters his junior season as the 144 favorite coming off a year including a semi-state championship and state placement. Easton suffered his sole loss of the season in the state quarterfinals before bouncing back for two straight and claiming 5th place. Doster is attempting to go 3/3 on state qualifications this season, as well as climb up some extra spots on the podium this go-round. 2 - Kolten Rhonemus - Delta (12th) - SQ @ 145 (36-7) -Rhonemus qualified for semi-state as a sophomore and then took it one step further as a junior by making it to the final dance. Not to beat this drum too much, but with the way Delta has been on the rise and with excellent practice partners all around him, Rhonemus could be fixing to make another leap this season and take some hardware home with him. Kolten was a tough out for anybody he wrestled last season, and this year should be no different. 3 - Brody Hagewood - Prairie Heights (11th) - SQ @ 132 (35-7) -Hagewood also clocked in his first state finals appearance last season following a ticket round exit as a freshman. Hagewood wrestled a very tough schedule last year given his regional weight class, but he peaked at the right time and knocked off a former state qualifier in the to punch his ticket. Brother Brock, also a state qualifier last season, and Brody will help push each other to make the necessary adjustments to get on the podium. 4 - Ethan Fike - Eastside (10th) - TR @ 126 (33-13) -Fike was another great example of a freshman gradually improving through the season last year. Despite the 13 losses, he faced off with plenty of decorated wrestlers and kept the scoring margin razor-thin in many losses. After giving 4x state qualifier Hayden Brady everything he could handle at sectionals & regionals, Ethan’s season ended in the ticket round. Fike bumps up a few weights but was incredibly tough to score on last season, and with a year of experience under his belt he’ll be gunning for his first of hopefully multiple Indianapolis trips. 5 - Taiden Chambers - West Noble (12th) - TR @ 138 (32-7) -Chambers went under my radar for most of last season but finished off his year strong with a trip to the ticket round, preventing Briar Munsey from making it back for a second year. Taiden may no longer be under the radar, and will attempt to go out with a bang for his first finals appearance on his last try. 6 - Wyatt Hoppes - Yorktown? (10th) - RQ @ 132 (30-6) -Disclaimer: Apologies to Hoppes and Eastern (Greentown) if he is still attending school there, but his track profile switched to Yorktown in the offseason so I’m just trying to put 2 and 2 together. Regardless of where he is wrestling, Wyatt captured a sectional championship in his freshman season, though he did not wrestle at regionals for one reason or another and may be slightly forgotten about due to it. Hoppes looked great as a freshman and should build on it as a sophomore. 7 - Blake Luginbill - Bellmont (12th) - SSQ @ 144 (19-16) -After a ticket round appearance at 126 lbs. as a sophomore, Luginbill jumped up to 145 last season. While he didn’t make the ticket round again, Blake still navigated his way to semi-state while bumping three weight classes. Another year more acclimated at 144, and Luginbill will look for his best season to date. 8 - Tyson Kendall - Oak Hill (12th) - SSQ @ 138 (32-6) -Kendall has made it to semi-state every season he’s been in high school, but has yet to make it to the big show, or even the ticket round. Tyson has been challenged by great wrestlers for three years now and will enter his senior year prepared. 150: 1 - Cameron Clark - Jay County (12th) - SQ @ 145 (36-3) -Clark comes into his senior campaign with 3 trips to Gainsbridge to his name already, including a semi-state championship and a 7th place medal during his sophomore season. Clark took a slight step back last year, but has been a threat to everybody in his Wayne weights since entering high school. He’ll be the early favorite to grab his second semi-state championship and hopefully go even further the following week. 2 - Luke Teusch - Huntington North (12th) - SQ @ 145 (43-3) -After two unsuccessful semi-state trips, Teusch carried a 41-0 record into Fort Wayne as a junior and broke through to the state finals for the first time. He did not place, but has a great shot to do so as a senior, in addition to capturing his first semi-state championship. 3 - Brock Hagewood - Prairie Heights (11th) - SQ @ 138 (33-5) -Hagewood’s freshman outing ended in the first round of semi-state, but he bounced back strongly last season with an overtime thriller victory in the ticket round. Brock additionally has two Al Smith placements to his name so far, an impressive feat for anybody yet to enter their third season. 4 - Aidan Elkins - New Haven (12th) - TR @ 145 (32-8) -Elkins made a massive leap last season, going from an 11-18 sophomore record to 32-8 and a legitimate ticket rounder. If he can replicate another jump like that, Aidan will be a certified threat to not only his semi-state, but to Indiana 150 lbers as a whole. Smack-dab between Doster and a very game Ian Amstutz in the New Haven lineup, Elkins will get plenty of good looks just in practice to help keep him sharp for the season. 5 - Teegan Clouse - West Noble (11th) - TR @ 145 (38-10) -Helping Chambers give West Noble ticket rounders back-to-back, Clouse improved from his first round exit the year prior. Teegan will enter his junior season with assumedly high expectations for himself, and could capture his first of two qualifications to state. 6 - Jayden Jett - Cowan (12th) - RQ @ 132 (28-4) -A ticket rounder in 2022, Jett was knocked out of a tough regional bracket by a returning state qualifier. Jayden has packed on some extra points for his last hurrah, and will be a tough out for anybody trying to prevent him from returning to the ticket round. 7 - Isaiah Meyer - South Adams (10th) - RQ @ 138 (23-4) -Meyer qualified for regionals to end an impressive freshman season, as he did not actually compete at the regional tournament. Meyer very well could have been in the ticket round had his season not ended prematurely, and will hopefully end his sophomore year on a higher note. 8 - Ethan Rodriguez - Wawasee (11th) - SSQ @ 138 (29-10) -Part of the Wawasee infiltration upon our pure semi-state, Rodriguez is one three returning semi state qualifiers who didn’t make it further. Ethan had some good wins over kids from our semi-state last year and should make the transition just fine. 157: 1 - Michell Betz - Western (12th) - 3rd @ 152 (40-2) -Betz ended last season as unquestionably one of the top P4P guys in the semi-state, and this year should be no different. After getting bounced at regionals as a freshman, Mitchell went to work in the offseason and never looked back. After two straight seasons of semi-state championships and state medals, those may not cut it anymore. Betz will have his sights set on his last IHSAA match taking place under a spotlight. 2 - Gavin Davis - Bellmont (11th) - SQ @ 152 (41-7) -Davis was incredibly battle-tested this season with all 7 of his losses being to very quality opponents. Davis qualified for the state finals and was a hair away from placing as well, losing on Friday night by only a point while the wrestler he beat in the semi-finals a week prior won his Friday match. It’s highly likely Davis will make it back as a junior and come away with a new friend in the podium. 3 - Kevon Russell - Fort Wayne Snider (12th) - TR @ 152 (12-4) -Russell didn’t have a high match count last year, but made the matches he did wrestle count, improving on his previous SSQ season by making the ticket round, arguably as the best non-qualifier in his bracket. With only one more season to go, Russell will be one of the top dogs at this weight seeking his first state trip. 4 - Colton Bollenbacher - South Adams (12th) - RQ @ 152 (23-13) -2022 semi-state qualifier Bollenbacher jumped from 132 to 152 last season, and despite a solid season his year ended at regionals. Now with a year more acclimated to the weight jump, Bollenbacher will try to get back to semi-state or better. 5 - Luke Gleave - Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (12th) - RQ @ 160 (26-13) -A regional qualifier coming down just a few pounds, Gleave could be looking at his best season to date. With all the seniors at 152 last year, it leaves plenty of kids to make a bigger name for themselves this season, and Gleave could be a big beneficiary. 6 - Ty Korporal - Eastbrook (12th) - RQ @ 152 (40-6) -Korporal had a rare regional exit with 40 wins on the season. He will look to bounce back strongly from the early exit, and thankfully has a schedule loaded with matches to help get more experience throughout the year. 7 - Cam Freedline - Elkhart (12th) - RQ @ 160 (21-12) -Freedline also saw his season end at regionals last year, but returns battle-tested and ready to make the next jump. 8 - Ian Amstutz - New Haven (12th) - RQ @ 152 (24-19) -Amstutz lost the first round of regionals by one point. After an offseason of work and with two studs below him in the lineup to train with, Amstutz could be primed for a breakout year. 165: 1 - Duke Myers - Bellmont (12th) - 7th @ 170 (43-5) -Myers feels like one of those names I’ve been tanking for the last seven years, making an immediate impact as a freshman and never falling off. The Grand Duke of Bellmont has ended each season at state with two medals in his trophy case. Myers won his first semi-state championship last season, and will be hungry for more as a senior. The Battling Brave will be one of the stronger 165 lbers and could be threatening for a state championship come February. 2 - Chase Leech - Garrett (12th) - TR @ 160 (37-2) -After qualifying at 152 as a freshman and sophomore, Leech just missed out on a Gainsbridge trip for the first time last season, dropping an overtime heartbreaker in the ticket round. Chase’s only other loss on the season came in the finals of the Al Smith, which is about as understandable of a regular season loss you’ll ever see in Indiana. Leech will have to navigate an incredibly tough 165 weight to add a third state qualification to his resume, but he will be one of the favorites to do so and perhaps bring home his first bit of hardware. 3 - Levi Abbott - Cowan (12th) - SQ @ 160 (33-5) -Another returning state qualifier at this stacked weight, Abbott will come in no longer a dark horse like last year. He’s improved from regionals, to semi-state, and finally state last season. Natural progression says that Abbott should be in contention to finish off his career on the final Saturday of the year rather than on Friday night. 4 - Deaglan Pleak - Western (12th) - TR @ 160 (27-7) -Pleak has made it to the ticket round in each of his last two seasons but fell short. Last season, he had already defeated his blood round victor earlier in the season, showing he is more than capable of hanging around the top guys in his weight. Pleak will be hoping the old saying “third time’s a charm” rings true for him in his final year. 5 - Reazon Davenport - Daleville (12th) - SSQ @ 160 (23-7) -Every season for Davenport to this point has ended with wrestling at semi-state. Unfortunately he has yet to get over the round 1 hump, but this is a new season, and as a senior, it stands to Reazon that just making the ticket round would not be an acceptable ending for Davenport’s career. 6 - Kaeb Stebbins - Delta (11th) - SSQ @ 152 (31-6) -Stebbins made a big jump in weight last season from his 126 lb freshman days, but it certainly didn’t negatively affect his performance, improving from a regional exit to a semi-state qualifier. If Kaeb takes another leap reminiscent of the previous year, he could have a ticket to Gainsbridge with his name written all over it. 7 - Will Warnock - Oak Hill (12th) - SSQ @ 160 (31-7) -Warnock managed to make it to semi-state for the first time last season, thanks in large part to an impressive first round regional match-up with Manchester senior Jordan Ayres, who spent a majority of last season in my top 8. He Will get one more shot to extend his season one extra week. 8 - Dominic Dunn - DeKalb (11th) - SSQ @ 170 (21-17) -Through two high school seasons, Dunn has already captured 2 sectional championships and broke through to semi-state last season. Dominic seemed to kick it into an extra gear starting at sectionals last year and will continue this season as he seeks asylum in the confines of the Fieldhouse. 175: 1 - Braxton Russell - Delta (12th) - 8th @ 170 (35-8) -Russell managed his second consecutive appearance at the state finals last season, though took home a medal unlike the year prior. Russell has noticeably improved each year of his high school career, and he’ll be looking to climb much higher on the podium for his final season, including standing atop his semi state podium for the first time. 2 - Ethan Farnell - Maconaquah (11th) - TR @ 170 (36-7) -Farnell made the jump from freshman regional exit to sophomore ticket rounder, in the process holding the bracket’s champion to a 2-point decision. With another year bulking up, Farnell will be dangerous at 175. He’s long, somewhat funky, and has a lot of strength to match the length. He could he closing in on his first trip to the state finals. 3 - Ethan Smith - Fort Wayne Snider (12th) - TR @ 160 (27-6) -Smith followed the same format I’ve covered on many other descriptions so far; currently coming off his first ticket round appearance following a 2022 regional exit. Nevertheless, Ethan made a big jump last year and was a constant challenge for even the top guys of the weight class. Look for him to finish his career in Indianapolis. 4 - Ethan Freedline - Elkhart (12th) - TR @ 170 (29-8) -Freedline had a bit of a mixed bag of a season last year, taking a few head scratching losses while also capturing wins over very tough guys. He came into his second semi-state showing with a regional championship, but was ultimately defeated in the ticket round by a soon-to-be state placer. Our third consecutive Ethan from a different regional has just as great a shot as the two ahead of him. 5 - Will Jeffries - Carroll (11th) - SSQ @ 182 (25-8) -Jeffries returns for his junior season following two semi-state exits prior to this season. He started out at 170, moved to 182 last year, and Will now finds himself in the happy middle with our new high school weight class changes(that totally don’t look at all redundant when compared to the heavier college weights). Jeffries will hope attempt #3 is the breakthrough. 6 - Hartley Hoover - North Miami (10th) - TR @ 145 (34-7) -Hoover managed to track down some Whey Protein powder in the offseason, moving all the way up from 145 lbs as a freshman, where he ultimately fell short in the ticket round. While a 30 pound weight jump can be difficult to adjust to, I think Hoover’s technique is solid enough to make the transition. 7 - Peyton Wagoner - Yorktown (12th) - SSQ @ 170 (31-9) -Joining Stuffel & Boone as Yorktown seniors gunning for their first state qualification, Wagoner’s first semi-state run ended in the first round last season. The field won’t be much easier this year with most 170 lb qualifiers returning, but a state finals appearance for Peyton would not at all be surprising. 8 - Matt Levitz - Prairie Heights (12th) - SSQ @ 160 (16-10) -Levitz, the fourth most uncommon last name around the Prairie Heights parts, made it to semi-state for the first time in three years as a starter, despite running into a very tough Ethan Smith in the first round. Levitz will try to shake last season’s ending off though and become the first Levitz in Prairie Heights history(just guessing, haven’t fact-checked) to make the state finals. 190: 1 - Laish Detwiler - Goshen (12th) - 8th @ 182 (43-7) -After sniffing the ticket round in 2022, Detwiler came back even stronger for his junior campaign, ending his season with an 8th place medal. The road was not easy, as he placed 4th at semi-state and had to take down EV champion Brewer on Friday. All 7 of his losses last season came to other state placers, including a 3-1 series with Kaden Lone. The top 3 from 182 last year are all gone, leaving Laish as the initial top dog of the weight, though he could be getting some company from previously-195-lbers. 2 - Trevor Currie - Adams Central (12th) - TR @ 195 (39-5) -Currie has been bothering heavier weight upperclassmen since he was a freshman, qualifying for semi-state the past three seasons. After two years of falling in the ticket round, Currie has come so close but has yet to capture a spot on the podium, in Indianapolis or Fort Wayne. Trevor has been making life difficult for his opponents all throughout high school, and it’s likely this is the year everything pays off for him. 3 - Donovan Blair - Wawasee (12th) - SQ @ 195 (29-14) -Blair has an excellent run at semi-state, working all the way up to a second place finish. He enters a loaded bracket at 190 and will be put to the semi-state grind quickly. 4 - Mickey Daring - Fort Wayne Bishop Luers (12th) - TR @ 195 (36-4) -Daring was on a roll last season, capturing a regional championship en route to his second straight semi-state appearance. Unfortunately he fell short in the ticket round in a positively stacked 195 bracket. While still some tough returners, the field has thinned out quite a bit from last year, leaving Daring as one of the favorites to make his Gainsbridge trip on a team bus. 5 - Austin Ringeisen - Maconaquah (11th) - TR @ 182 (40-3) -Ringeisen won his regional bracket last season, and was awarded with a quarter-bracket including two 2x SSQs and a near-future state medalist. Ouch, talk about a rough run. Austin was competing at semi state for the second time and made it a match further than in 2022. One more go at it, and he’ll try to make the most by ending things at state. 6 - Bryce Wenk - Jay County (12th) - SSQ @ 182 (30-7) -After spending time at 195 earlier in the season, Wenk dropped to 182 prior to the postseason time. He failed to make the ticket round for a second year due a nail-biting OT match with state placer Detwiler in round 1. Punching his ticket will still be difficult for Wenk, however there are many fewer land mines to worry about this season. 7 - Elias Cressell - Wabash (12th) - SSQ @ 220 (24-9) -Cressell competed at 220 last year and made it to semi-state. Now competing thirty pounds lighter than last year, it will be interesting to see how much of a difference it will be for Cressell 8 - Eli Coolman - Leo (12th) - SSQ @ 195 (29-10) -Coolman is a returning semi-state qualifier looking to change that sentence to “Eli Coolman is a state qualifier.” 215: 1 - Julante Hinton - Fort Wayne Northrop (12th) - 8th @ 220 (39-4) -Hinton has qualified for state all three of his previous high school seasons, though last year was the big jump in which he grabbed his first semi-state championship and state medal in consecutive weeks. Hinton has a scary balance of strength and athleticism that can give anyone in the state a fright. His biggest competition from last season has moved both up and weight, and to a different semi-state, so Hinton will look to be the frontrunner to start the year off. 2 - Keagan Martin - Bellmont (12th) - SQ @ 220 (46-3) -Martin made his second trip to the Wayne count last year, qualifying for state for the first time. While Hinton is the favorite to repeat winning the weight, Keagan won’t be making it easy on him. Martin has shown tremendous progression over the last two years and will make every 215-lber in the state work their fullest to try and get a win off of him. 3 - Chad Washburn - Kokomo (12th) - SQ @ 195 (46-6) -Washburn qualified for the state finals as a freshman, failed to return in his sophomore season, but bounced back last year to make it back to the main event for a second time. No doubt Chad will be gunning for that 3rd qualification, and along with rhat he’s still seeking his first semi-state championship and state placement. 4 - Travis Henke - Northridge (11th) - TR @ 220 (38-1) -Henke suffered one of the biggest pains I could imagine for an Indiana wrestler: enters ticket round 38-0, leaves 38-1. Just a brutal ending to an otherwise perfect season to the point. Henke will likely use this as fuel and make his third trip to Ft. Wayne the one where he breaks through. 5 - Jaxon Copas - Central Noble (12th) - SSQ @ 195 (32-4) -Copas had a wonderful season end in the first round at semi-state, due to the ridiculously loaded 195 bracket. He wrestled 220 as a sophomore and will likely be going back up there to finish his career, preferably leaving with a medal around his neck. 6 - Breckan Maran - Fairfield (11th) - TR @ 220 (29-8) -Maran qualified for semi-state for the first time as a sophomore and picked up a nice win over a tough Homestead’s Caleb Evans before falling in the ticket round. He wrestled Henke very tough at regionals as well, and will be another threat to join the Walk of Champions. 7 - Keegan Bluhm - Adams Central (12th) - TR @ 220 (38-6) -Another returning ticket rounder, this weight seems full of them, Bluhm will be right back in the fold as somebody with as good a chance as anybody else in the weight. 8 - Gabe Harty - Muncie Central (11th) - SSQ @ 195 (39-6) -Harty finished off his sophomore season at semi-state, taking a round 1 loss in the aforementioned hellish 195 bracket. Now up at 220, an upperclassmen, and a lot of last year’s competition out of the picture, Harty is surely going into his best season yet. 285: 1 - James Hartleroad - DeKalb (10th) - TR @ 285 (31-11) -Hartleroad came into semi-state last year as a freshman and pulled an “upset” in the first round over Juan Cruz before falling in the ticket round. Well, fast forward a few months and it turns out it wasn’t an upset at all, as Hartleroad leaves Fargo with a Greco-Roman championship. He’s seemingly been improving over the last year, and has to be considered the favorite coming in after his Fargo performance. 2 - Zac Wurm - Adams Central (12th) - SQ @ 285 (39-7) -The only returning qualifier at the weight, Wurm looked great at semi state last season, gathering a 2nd placement in (I believe) his first trip to the Coliseum. As a returning senior state qualifier, Wurm will likely still be able to give Hartleroad everything he can ask for. There’s definitely a case that Wurm could be ranked #1 here to start the year. 3 - Juan Cruz - Bluffton (12th) - SSQ @ 285 (36-3) -As previously mentioned, Cruz had a very great season that ended in round 1 by the DeKalb freshman, to the surprise of most. He spent the entire season to that point looking like an easy top 4 in the semi-state, and despite last year’s hiccup it’s very possible to accomplish that this season. 4 - Parker Hennessey - Heritage (12th) - TR @ 285 (28-8) -Hennessey’s season ended one match away from being a state qualifier. Parker had been on the radar all season without ever taking a bad enough loss to take him off. This year, Hennessey will attempt to win that extra match to extend his season a week. 5 - Trevi Hillman-Conley - Peru (11th) - TR @ 285 (33-8) -Another returning ticket rounder of two years running, Conley will look to end his third season one step further. 6 - Ethan Dodson - Fort Wayne Snider (12th) - Injury -Dodson had been a top guy the whole season, but unfortunately suffered an injury before sectionals. He should not just be forgotten about due to not being in the postseason last year, he will likely be in the ticket round at minimum. 7 - Isaac Moss - Delta (12th) - SSQ @ 285 (25-15) -Moss made his first trip to semi-state last year, though he did not come away with any victories. With an extra year under his belt, expect to see Isaac taking it a step or two further this season. 8 - Collin Grayless - Homestead (12th) - SSQ @ 285 (16-16) -Returning semi-state qualifier from Homestead, who wrestled a tough schedule for the 16-16 is misleading. Grayless will be itching to improve on the season and go further for his final season. There you have it, I would love to give you all a proper outro, but I need to stop typing and and ignore my word documents for at least a few days of recovery. I will probably format things better later. Thank you, everybody, for your patience and information.