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2013-14there were 22 kids on the Garrett squad 2019-20 we started with 51 and are 49 or 50 now 16-17,17-18,19-20 we made it. Felt we were snubbed one...maybe two years. We knew we were close though. Funny thing is that we were a “bubble” vote in team this year yet we got 2nd. We’ve been seeded 5th twice and placed 2nd both of those years. Unseeded to 7th another year. We knew we could win it this year or compete before we were voted in. In 18 we knew we had a shot as well and came close in a runner up finish. This has definitely attracted kids! Believe it or not...our success has improved our feeder system and we have good wrestlers coming up. ......I’d bet that the same exists for other programs who are excited for the opportunity to win team state.

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.

If we do 4 classes with 1A and 2A having 12 teams and then 3A and 4A having 8 teams each it would probably satisfy everyone. 1A and 2A could run their own schedule(with a bye round included) and probably get done about the same exact time as 3A and 4A. Boom compromise done! Just call me the great negotiator.

On Friday January 24th, Elder High School from Cincinnati Ohio will travel to East Central High School to dual the Trojans under the lights in the Performing Arts Center. This dual is FREE ADMISSION FOR ALL. It will take place on stage in a one of kind dual match. Elder has a strong team and East Central has set a school record this year for dual wins. They are 33-0 in dual's. Although things can change, here is the potential match ups for the dual: 106# Elder: Drew Magness (so.) ranked #11 in Ohio EC: Dylan Lengerich (Fr.) Record of 30-3 113# Elder: Willie Doepker (sr. Captain) ranked #6 in Ohio, 2018 Ohio State Placer EC: Blake Wolf (Fr.) Record 33-0. Currently ranked 12th in Indiana. Junior High State Champ, Folkstyle State Champ, Freestyle State Champ, Greco State Champ 120# Elder: Jack Roth (Jr.) – State Alternate in ‘19 EC: Tyler Schneider (Sr.) Record 24-4 126# Elder: Jack Collins (Sr. – Captain) – 2 x Ohio State Qualifier, Ranked #10 in Ohio EC: Rider Searcy (Fr.) Record 33-0. Freestyle State Champ 132# Elder: Kody Kaimann (Jr.) EC: Dillon Heinrich (Jr.) Record 26-7 138# Elder: Andrew Thamann (Fr.) EC: Charlie Euson (So.) Record 23-8. Semi State Qualifier 145# Elder: Patrick Barrett (Sr.) – District Qualifier in ‘19 EC: Ben Wolf (Jr.) Record 31-2. Semi State Qualifier 152# Elder: Seth Lambers (Sr. – Captain) – State Qualifier in ’19, Ranked #9 in Ohio EC: Bryer Hall (Jr.) Record 26-0. Currently ranked 3rd in Indiana Placed 4th at IHSAA State Finals at 126lb 160# Elder: Bartley Thomas (So.) EC: Kasey Carr (Sr.) Record 27-6. 170# Elder: Joe Weber (Sr.) EC: Brady Rullman (Sr.) Record 21-12 182# Elder: Montana Klayman (Sr.) EC: Kole Viel (Jr.) Record 31-2. Semi State Qualifier 195# Elder: Beau Bryson (So.) EC: Kyle Krummen (Sr.) Record 28-0. Currently ranked 5th in Indiana. State Qualifier 220: Elder: Jack Tucker (Jr.) EC: Austin Cox (Jr.) Record 15-10 285: Elder: Rowan Tolbert (Sr.) – District Qualifier in ’19, Ranked #11 in Ohio EC: Logan Adams (Jr.) Record 23-10. Semi State Qualifier

My opinion on what weights has the best chance to make State: 106 - Dylan Lengerich: Probably an extremely difficult ticket round match 113 - Blake Wolf: I like his chances to advance but if he draws into North Montgomery or Perry Meridian he will most likely need to beat a state ranked wrestler. 120 - Tyler Schneider: For starters he must avoid Zeke Seltzer, Carson Eldred, Christian White, Carlton Perry, AJ Gunn, Antonio Jefferson, Jacob Simone and Kody Glithero.... 126 - Rider Searcy: Impressive results on trackwrestling and undefeated on the year; I give him a realistic shot of making State if (1) he can win his Regional and (2) avoid either Lowery, Pierson in the ticket round. 145: Ben Wolf: Solid wrestler, could be ranked at the NCSS but the 8 above him are all good. 145 is a rough road at NCSS so winning regional is huge to avoid the pressure of defeating 2 ranked wrestlers to make State. 152: Bryer Hall: He should qualify for State but potential ticket round matchup, with a hammer, if he draws into Perry Regional. 182: Kole Viel: Win regional and avoid North Montgomery or Perry Meridian 2nd/3rd place finisher in ticket round. 195: Kyle Krummen: Most likely 2nd place finisher at Regional, he will still advance except if he matches up with JD Farrell in the ticket round and then it goes to 50/50. I put the o/u number at 3.5.

I was ok at math back in the day. You can can calculate stats or percentages to support pretty much whatever you want. All I know is that 12 teams per division pretty much included everyone who had a shot regardless of which division they were classified in. Splitting 3A up really just adds an opportunity for the lower enrollment 3A teams to have a legitimate shot to win a title. Which is fantastic. Now why would you take away that opportunity from programs that are smaller yet? One of the initial goals when this was started was to increase excitement and try to grow small school wrestling. Back to percentages- on any given year we have 12-15% of our HS boy population out for wrestling. I feel that is a high percentage considering not all boys walking the hall are athletes, and you subtract out the basketball players and swimmers. Team State is something we highlight and use as a tool to recruit kids. I am sure by the excitement and fan support of the other 1A schools, that they also consider it an honor to compete in this event. I would like to see it stay at 12 teams per division.

They appear to have a quality team, obviously they will need a good showing in the State Tournament -- looking at their sectional & regional they should have a good # of wrestlers showing up at NCSS. I watched them at the Harrison Dual and came away impressed with their energy & ability; they may surprise a few kids in the opening and/or ticket round.

I wrestled against EC when they had Holstegge, Fleckenstein, and the Merks, and I'd probably take this years team over them from top to bottom.

Yes the 2 young lads wrestling are Wolf’s nephews and his older brother is the coach! Several people have mentioned this could be EC best team and to think they only have 4 seniors and are missing one of their studs all year to injury.

They are released. IHSGW 2020 State Finals

I hope you are right & he has looked extremely good this year, but the real season is just getting started. Nick will see 5 top 10 wrestlers in the next 7 duals: Red Nebraska 1-24-2020 Max Murin Iowa 1-31-2020 Tristan Moran Wis 2-7-2020 Mitch McKee Minn 2-9-2020 Luke Pletcher OSU 2-15-2020 Those are all in the next 5 weekends. That is one tough schedule, but I'm guessing Nick is feeling like a kid in a candy store.

By STEVE KRAHstvkrh905@gmail.com A.J. Poindexter has experienced moments of motivation during his wrestling career. His first season at Harrison High School in West Lafayette ended with Poindexter — then a 138-pound sophomore – placing sixth at the 2018 Lafayette Jeff Sectional. After that, he really dedicated himself to the sport and qualified for the 2019 State Finals in the 138 bracket as a junior. A 1-0 loss to Mt. Vernon (Fortville) junior Chris Wilkerson (who wound up seventh) in the Friday night match ended his second prep campaign and fueled his desire to excel in his senior year and beyond. “I can’t let the big stage change the way I wrestle,” says Poindexter, referring to the lesson he learned last February at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. “I took a lot of shots. But I didn’t get to my finishes quickly.“ “When you get on the bottom in the third period, you’ve got to get away. There’s no excuse for (not escaping).” A major point of emphasis in Poindexter’s training since then has been in the bottom position when the opponent puts in his legs. Poindexter was born in California, moved to Virginia around age 1 and then Connecticut. His father, Anthony Poindexter, was in the National Football League with the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns and then became a coach, serving at the University of Virginia and University of Connecticut prior to becoming co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Purdue University. Anthony and Kimberly Poindexter have three children — Morocca, Anthony Jr. and Chloe. Morocca (20) is a 400/800 runner on the women’s track and field team at UConn. A.J., who turns 18 on Jan. 14, says eighth grader Chloe (13) placed seventh in the junior state cross country meet last fall and was second in the 800 and fourth in the 400 as a seventh grader in the junior high state track meet last spring. A.J. went out for wrestling as an eighth grader in Connecticut at the insistence of his coach for lacrosse, a sport he began playing in kindergarten. He grappled as a short 120-pounder as a freshmen then moved to Indiana when his father was hired at Purdue. By growing and hitting the weight room, Poindexter has added length and strength to his frame and is now a shade over 5-foot-9 — taller than many in his weight division, which is now 145. “I’m deceptively strong,” says Poindexter, who is a senior. The younger Poindexter played football as a Harrison sophomore then opted to focus on wrestling. “It’s kind of my thing,” says Poindexter of wrestling. “You can’t blame your teammates or the ref. It’s all on you.“ “If you want to be good, you have to put int he work.” Third-year Harrison head coach Johnny Henry says that what makes Poindexter special is his dedication and his athleticism. “Practice room through competition, he’s put in hard work,” says Henry of Poindexter. “He is fully-committed. He has speed. He is just very quick on his feet.“ “His technique has improved so much over the last two years.” Poindexter says Harrison coaches have told him to use his quickness and athleticism to his advantage. “Wrestle like an athlete instead of robotic,” says Poindexter of the advice. While he considers his double-leg takedown to be his “bread and butter” move, Poindexter has been working to make his offense more diverse.“ “I watch tons of wrestling on YouTube and TV,” says Poindexter. “I’m trying to pick moves. Wrestling freestyle and Greco-Roman in the spring has added more upper body (moves) in my arsenal.” To get different looks against different body types, Poindexter works out with various teammates in the Harrison practice room. Some of his steady drill partners are Tristen Hood (152), Matthew Baylay (138) and Sam Hein (120). Poindexter has honed his skills by attending camps, clinics and tournaments and attending workouts led by Henry at Harrison as well as Chad Red of the Red Cobra Wrestling Academy in Indianapolis. “He really cares about his guys,” says Poindexter of Red. Poindexter is also thankful to the knowledge and encouragement provided by former Harrison assistant (and ex-Purdue University head coach) Scott Hinkel. “How bad do you want to be good at this?,” says Poindexter, echoing the question Hinkel asked him. Poindexter has committed to continue his wrestling and academic careers at George Mason University, an NCAA Division I program in Fairfax County, Va. By going 5-2 at the Virginia Beach Junior Nationals, Poindexter caught the attention of Patriots coaches. He was invited for a campus visit and later committed. George Mason assistant Camden Eppert wrestled for Hinkel at Purdue. “It’s the place for me in terms of culture and coaches,” says Poindexter. “I want to try to be a D-I All-American.” Poindexter enjoyed taking Journalism at Harrison last year and his current favorite class is Intro to Communications, where he has learned video editing and recently posted a commercial parody of the Nike “Dream Crazy” ad using Raiders wrestlers. It can be viewed on his Twitter page at @AJ_Poindexter. With the help of Poindexter (28-0), Harrison is 21-2 in dual meets and won the 32-team Spartan Classic at Connersville. Prior to the IHSAA tournament series (Lafayette Jeff Sectional Feb. 1, Logansport Regional Feb. 8, East Chicago Semistate Feb. 15 and State Finals Feb. 21-22), the Raiders’ Varsity “A” team has a dual meet at Tipton Jan. 15, a home dual against Rensselaer Central Jan. 23 and North Central Conference meet at Richmond Jan. 25. Henry promotes closeness with his Raiders and Poindexter embraces that model. “A.J.’s very enthusiastic,” says Henry. “He can pump up the team. Practice is very team-oriented. We stick together as a family. It helps us stay mentally tough and focused as a team.“ “We build each other up when one person’s down. There’s times when the season feels long.” To break up the monotony, the team sometimes plays games — like ultimate frisbee with a football. “It gives our minds a break,” says Henry. “It’s a workout but they have fun with it. It’s team bonding for them.” Henry was a Harrison for four seasons before becoming head coach. Before that, the former University of Indianapolis wrestler spent one year as an assistant at his alma mater — Benton Central. He is a full-time trainer at Miracles Fitness in West Lafayette. The Raiders have about 50 athletes in the program and 13 coaches — Henry plus assistants Bill Bailey, John Campagna, Kevin Elliott, Donnie Fahler, Aaron Hawkins, Michael Kern, Dustin Kult, Chris Maxwell, Jonathan Mongold, Walt Prochno, Aaron Quakenbush and Dennis Synesael. View full article

I love that they let teams enter multiple girls in a weight class. I just wonder why the North and South don't keep teams scores the same way. The North allows all girls on a team in the same weight class to accumulate team points, where the South made teams designate the scoring wrestler and then the others were blockers. I believe the South did it correctly which gave more teams a chance to be in the hunt to win the regional.

Yeah, so kinda like Johnny Wrestler from Podunk High who doesn't really have a shot at an individual state title now..yet class wrestling supporters are clamoring and advocating for class so he can get his title shot in 1A/2A!!! So let me try to understand, as I'm getting confused...take away Podunk High's bids and deny them the chance for "growing the sport" due to their participation in team state (notice I didn't say winning) and that's fine cuz they don't have a realistic shot at winning...but then the same poster is gonna say how we need to class so Podunk High can have a state qualifier/placer/champ and thus promote wrestling in/for his school and grow the sport??! This is not a shot at you, Scholar, just the hypocritical justification on here about taking away bid numbers from the smaller classes to go to larger schools for team state (notice I didn't say percentage..I agree that is about the same) yet then advocating for individual classes to provide more opportunity and growth. To me, limiting team state chances are worse because you have a "team" of 8-20 kids going to the event then back to school talking to their buddies about it as compared to one Johnny Wrestler going back and saying he participated/placed/won at an individual classed state tourney. Where's the Grow the Sport class supporters rancor? Beside boomer and WoodJC...and I"m not even a class supporter but I do feel the classed Team State is fantastic and I do support that. #Confused

100% of the teams at Team State wouldn't be wrestling at Team State if the IHSWCA didn't do an awesome job at putting on this tourney.

Really. Your talking about percentages and being fair. What s the percentage of 1a wrestlers to winning a title at state compared to 3a. Team state was the one thing we had a shot of going to and maybe placing or winning but now that is again moving in favor of 3a schools as well. I just don't get it I guess.

Not so much the case in 1A. We were a vote in one year and won the title. I believe Prairie Heights was voted in once or twice. Bluffton was left out as a vote in this year and would have been a contender. The crazy thing with 1A is that 1-2 kids can make a significant impact for that teams competitiveness. Team depth is the over whelming factor that makes 1A different than 2-4A. By dropping the number of teams in 1A, you are potentially going to continue (or increase) to leave out teams that could contend. Tony Currie

This just seems to be going in the wrong direction. Isn't the goal to get the IHSAA to recognize the success of the classed team state tournament and make it a sanctioned IHSAA Team State event again but with classes? All of us who are a part of the sport recognize how great this event is and how awesome it is to find success there, but school administrators and community members who don't closely follow wrestling continue to put the * beside it since it is not IHSAA. Example, our school's athletic recognition hall has a rule that in order to have a team picture up, you must be IHSAA Regional Champs or better. We now have two IHSWCA team state runner-up finishes (first losers) but you would have no idea because they don't have the IHSAA stamp of approval so, there's no photo, banner, or plaque displayed to recognize those teams. I know this is a specific situation that probably falls more on our school having a poor policy but how great would it be to have this tournament be desirable for adoption by the IHSAA. Following up to that idea.... Why are we reducing the number of teams? I get it that the numbers work with 8 teams in 4 classes which means we have to go from our current amount of 36 to 32, but that seems like taking away any teams will begin to take away fans. Maybe the thinking is that losing 4 bottom level teams who don't bring many fans won't hurt the attendance very much? I would think that attendance numbers are significantly important to IHSAA for adopting the event ($$$) ? But then again maybe the idea is that by creating the "extra" bigger class that that might accomplish increased attendance? (someone more "in the know" might be able to provide some more input on that perspective with recent attendance numbers?). Aside from attendance though, it seems like every year there is competitive teams missing the cut from our scoring system and then don't get the vote. Then they put together a really good following season but don't have the chance to compete at team state. Maybe they wouldn't win, but going, having a good performance, and placing high continues to build that community support and recognition. Cutting down to 8 teams with possibly only 1 vote in spot could cause some deserving strong teams to miss out and puts a whole lot of accountability into the scoring system being used, which does a good job of predicting strong teams the following year but there is exceptions every year that should be wrestling in the coliseum at the beginning of January and aren't (ex: Bluffton this year). I thought that maybe the move for the tournament would have been to include more teams if anything (maybe not possible for a single day tournament)? The scoring system seems to do a pretty good job at predicting top teams in the bigger classes but the smaller classes seem to be where competitive teams are left out more often. Cutting down to eight teams for 1a and 2a seems like a sure fire way to miss deserving teams when we are already missing top teams with 12 teams being there. The IHSAA is already all about full inclusion for the state tournament series, they aren't going to be impressed by a tournament missing successful teams.

That should not happen. You have to decide who your scoring girl up front is period. If she gets beat then your done. I will make sure that's corrected immediately if its not right. You can only choose one wrestler at the regionals to score the whole tourney.

113: Devin Brobeck-Eller (MISH) will not be wrestling... She broke her collar bone the match after she qualified for state.