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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...

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

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!

This is a very tricky question (thread) to reply to. In my humble opinion I don't know that there is a correct answer to the originally stated question. There are so many factors that go into competing at all collegiate levels. Does it count if a wrestler started DI and then transferred or stepped away from the sport after a year or two? One could respectfully debate the fact that some wrestlers take non-traditional paths into their college experiences now days. Additionally, many wrestlers arrive at their college choice only to find that it wasn't what they expected; or the coach who recruited them has now taken a different job; or academics trip them up; or an injury derails their college wrestling experience. There are numerous factors that play out as an 18 year-old embarks on a college wrestling journey. There can be many pitfalls along the way... as is there can be many rewards to be had if a little grit is demonstrated. With athlete retention in mind I believe more wrestlers (and their parents) could do a better job of 1)researching a variety of schools before making a final selection; 2)working on their time management skills in MS and HS to better ensure "life success" in college; and 3)realizing that wrestling at any collegiate level is very grueling. As they say... "it's a job." You have to love the sport, be willing to navigate set-backs, and have the ability to keep your eye on the ball. In getting back to the original topic, DI wrestling isn't for everyone. It is absolutely best-practice for an athlete (and his/her parents) to be realistic in what level of collegiate wrestling they want to take part in. A productive and fulfilling wrestling experience can be had at all collegiate levels depending on what the student-athlete is after. As a reminder... it is college... so some level of academic achievement should be placed into the equation. A wrestler at a DIII college studying pre-med is obviously a different situation than a wrestler navigating the rigors of a Big Ten program and schedule. Two different scenarios... two different goals in mind... both are to be applauded. I tip my hat to any young man or young lady that finishes 4+ years of collegiate wrestling at any level and walks away with memories, achievements, and a college degree.

I know I'll get pelted with empties from any poster that starts with "SW" and I respect Mr. Goebel (sic) immensely, but maybe it's time to put a third guy on the show? And might I recommend @ontherise219 for that position? Now hear me out.... How many times last night did he mention "I'm not familiar with that wrestler..." or "IndianaMat ranks him...". Well, the actual ranker does some media stuff for the actual sight that does the rankings oft quoted, and since he does the rankings pretty well it appears, he does seem to know a bit about most/all the wrestlers and not just the ones at the E'ville SS. Again, nothing personal, and as far as the actual call of the finals matches goes I think Mr. Goebel is great and knows his stuff and adds insight, but for a parings show I'd just like to hear a bit more insight/matchups etc and think OTR could provide that. Of course the hour and fifteen minute time frame might be tough but he wouldn't have @Y2CJ41 to throw him off topic. Like I said, unpopular opinion.. but outside of the ESS dudes there just didn't seem to be much insight or info put out there except "that should be a good quarter bracket". There...I said it. I'll delete my acct now.

So my brother was a pretty good wrestler. 4x State placer, 3x state champ. I watched him wrestle at state his freshman year place 7th. Got to see every match of his that year. The next year I decided to sign a dotted line and joined the military. During his first state championship he beat a pretty good kid, named Eric Galka, I was in basic training and missed the match. During his second championship run, he beat another good kid, Anthony Quiroz, I was in Iraq at the time and didn’t see it in person. So during his senior year I made it a point to go see every match of his, near or far. He was going for his third state title, and 4x time state placer. Become the first Portage wrestler to ever do both feats. Still in the military I had something going on Saturday morning at state, got to see his Friday night match, but missed the quarters match. Sean didn’t have one point scored against him, he didn’t let anyone up, no escapes, nothing. Pure domination. Coach Wilkins who was the head coach at the time got me a coaches pass so I could go down with Sean, watch him warm up before the finals match, and be right there when he came off the match. He told me that one was for me. I finally got to see my brother win a state while I was standing by the warm up mat they have set up. By far one of my favorite memories I’ve ever had at state.

I'm pretty sure I've posted this idea on here before, but here it is again... Let's start with some IHSAA philosophies, since they are the ones ultimately making the decision. Bobby Cox and company don't like "wrestlebacks" so this is something different. They are used to the one-and-done postseasons of football and basketball and have asked the wrestling coaches how many times someone should be allowed to lose and still move on. Our answer should be 2 - double elimination. The IHSAA views all 4 weeks as one big tournament. So, make the whole thing as close to double elimination as possible, like every other wrestling tournament in the world. That means we should guarantee that someone has lost twice in the tournament series or lost once to someone who has already lost twice (i.e., 4 over 1). Right now, there are 2 times when this does not happen. One is the pigtail round of Sectionals, which should be fixed by not pairing unseeded wrestlers against the top seeds. The only other spot that happens is the ticket round of Semi State, where an undefeated postseason wrestler can lose to someone with 1 postseason loss. That's what this solution will fix. The IHSAA also doesn't believe in upsets. They believe whoever wins must be the better wrestler. We cannot use any upsets as examples, because in their minds upsets do not happen. But if we can show them the fundamental flaw in their system that can be easily fixed with minimal effort, it has a much better chance of passing. And finally, the IHSAA likes to make more money and loves it's own ideas. This fix appeals to both of those philosophies, as well. And now for the idea... Qualify the top 5 out of each Semi State. Several years ago, the IHSAA had one year when they added matches to 5th place, but it was only for team score purposes. We bring back the IHSAA's own idea, so the ticket round losers pair up at the same time as the semifinals, and those winners wrestle for 5th at the same time as the 1st and 3rd place matches (like they do on Saturday of State). If your SemiState ran the semis on 2 mats, then this would take no extra time. If your SemiState ran the semis on 4 mats, then this would add about 45 minutes to the tournament. This year, New Castle was done around 6pm with 10 minute breaks between rounds and a 30+ minute lunch break. State will then have 20 per weight class, which will be more fans/money for the IHSAA without watering down the state tournament. Pair up the 4's versus 5's for an opening round on Friday night before the usual first round. Banker's Life can easily hold 6 mats to actually make Friday night go quicker. Details about the 20-man state bracket can be worked out later, but there would definitely be some exciting 4v5 and 5v1 matches on Friday night. Again, these would not be "wrestlebacks" - they are 5th place matches. They are not meant to give kids who lost (or got upset or had a bad match) an extra chance. This just fixes a systemic flaw in the "double elimination" of the tournament series overall. If the Coaches' Association proposes it like this, it would have a better chance of being approved by the IHSAA. A couple of additional benefits to this would be having a true alternate (6th place finisher) and more accurate team scores.

Slivka is one of the best big match wrestlers in Indiana history. He had wins over multiple top ranked high schoolers last year. And has beaten more of those guys this year. He just gets the job done. Slivka is a hammer on top and underrated on his feet. I’m unaware of any national ranked kids that Dickens has beat. Slivka has beaten a handful. With that said, that’s the reason that Slivka gets my nod. I’m using logic and facts. EMD fans are pumped for their guy. As they should be. Again, silly debate but a fun one. Obviously the Dickens win is fresh and 90 percent of EMD fans will give Dickens the nod. It is what it is. With all of that said, most posters on here have never won a title and will never have family member win a title. They will never know the joy or help put the work in to win a title. So.. when you get on here and say a KID will smoke another KID, it is kinda insulting to a family that actually put in the work, took the kid to privates, took the kid to academy, took the kid all over the USA, the money that was spent, the sleep that was missed, the days of work missed, the tudors that were payed for, getting up at 5:00am to help the kid work out and meal prep, the “vacation” time that was spent in the middle of Iowa. So before you go off running your mouth behind your anonymous screen name, be considerate of what people went through and know that they are prideful. Make your logical picks or homer picks, but you need to be respectful of other people’s sacrifices. Calm down cowboys. Just my two cents.

**ASSUMING** that they score the tournament the same as last year (no advancement or bonus points for Friday night) the team race should be very close although I have it as a 3-horse race between Mater Dei, Cathedral and Crown Point. I think between those 3 it's anyone's tourney - bonus points, key matchups and some unexpected scorers could tilt the victory one way or another. Here is how the scoring works (again, using last year's formula). Wrestlers score for Advancement points and Placement points. Those are predetermined: Additionally, wrestlers can add team points versus Activity scoring: Obviously it makes a HUGE difference whether the wrestler can make it to the finals versus the 3rd/4th place match, and so on. Here are my predictions: 1. Evansville Mater Dei - 9 wrestlers with several chances to make the finals. Some huge landmines though that could really effect the outcome! 2. Indianapolis Cathedral - Some good early matchups means that they have a good chance to have a large number of wrestlers making it deep 3. Crown Point - With Mendez leading the way, the Bulldogs have some hammers that could make a deep run. They have some huge matchups with Mater Dei Evansville Mater Dei Nine wrestlers starting out Friday night for EMD. Close matchups for Egli, Baumann, Sollars and Parkinson - if they get all 9 through, look out! 113 Cole Ross likely to face Logan Frazier in his 2nd match. If we wins that, a tough one against the Schoeff/Anthony winner. I have Ross making the finals 120 Alec Freeman has a brutal route - Head to Head with Crown Point's Riley Bettich in the 2nd round, then has to beat Cathedral's Seltzer if he wants to reach the finals 126 Ashton Hayhurst - Has undefeated Dylan Stroud in the opening round. Can he get by him? If so, then battle-tested David Pierson in the 2nd round and Rioux in the 3rd. That's a lot to ask of a sophomore 132 Kane Egli - He's got a tough road, but guys like this senior can decide the team title. He faces Slivka from Roncalli in the 1st match. If he gets to Saturday he will likely have Ian Heath before hitting Mendez. Making the final 4 would be big 138 Blake Boarman is the big dog in a difficult half-bracket. For his 3rd match will probably face either Logan Wagner or Floyd Central's Conway 145 Brody Baumann has winnable first 2 matches but they won't be easy. Jajuan Anderson from Warren Central will push the pace - and then AJ Poindexter will stand in the way of a top 4 finish 160 Eli Dickens - Based on this year's results he is the favorite - but the final 4 at 160 will be extremely entertaining and could go any combination. He would have a match versus Cathedral's Eliot Rodgers in his 3rd match to reach the finals. That's a HUGE swing match for team points 170 Gabe Sollars - Someone like Sollars could make a huge difference. His first match is against Chesterton junior Gavin Layman. Then he would face a likely head-to-head matchup against Cathedral's Tyler Wagner 182 Macartney Parkinson - has the toughest quarter bracket in the tournament. Opens up against #1 Joseph Walker then has Mason Winner in the 2nd round. It's feast or famine for Mater Dei here Indianapolis Cathedral Cathedral enters 8 wrestlers to the field Friday night. All of them have a shot to make it to Saturday, with some high scoring potential 106 Evan Dickey comes in as a 4th place finisher, but he does avoid the loaded other half-bracket. His Friday night match is against Isaac Ruble - if he can get by that, then his points will really be a help 120 Zeke Seltzer is the prohibitive favorite but it isn't a cake walk. He may see Bettich or Freeman in the 3rd round. Still, it's likely big points here 138 Logan Bailey is a big swing in points, I think. He has potential to reach the finals, but he has a match against Drake Campbell in the 2nd round that could be a scare 160 Elliot Rodgers has a good path until that final 4 where he faces Dickens who has beat him this season. Will experience win over latest results? 170 Tyler Wagner may face EMD's Gabe Sollars in his 2nd match - that's a big showdown. Wagner could make a run to the finals 182 Johnny Parker - Unfortunately for Parker, he drew in to the death quarter bracket of Mason Winner then Parkinson/Walker. Tough to see him winning the first round, let alone getting to the final 4 195 Jacob Huffman - he is an interesting one. His first match is against Friedt, who is ranked higher but also lost to his Cathedral teammate Parker this season. I don't have Huffman making it to Saturday, but he could surprise and get into that 5th-8th range. In that case, bonus points would be key 285 Holden Parsons - the senior Yorktown transfer has wrestled well this season and the 285 weight class is always unpredictable. I have him winning 2 matches before facing Dancy from Portage. Parsons is very experienced and opposite the Key/Irick combo. If he can slow down the match and wrestle strategically against Dancy, he could be under the lights with some HUGE points Crown Point Crown Point brings 8 wrestlers to the first round. I think their first round looks great, which means they will get 6 or possibly 7 into the scoring rounds. They are very young, but still could surprise some of the older wrestlers and make deep runs to make this a close race 106 Sammy Goin has only lost once all season. I would love his chances - but he got a tough, tough draw. He has Chundi in the 2nd round. That match may be a tossup. Can Goin get past Chundi and make it into the final 4 and possibly win it all? Since there are so many young wrestlers here and the action is lightning-quick, 106 can be very unpredictable and the matches can turn quickly 113 Logan Frazier is another freshman. He has a stiff task, facing the experienced Cole Ross from EMD in the 2nd round. I would give the edge to Ross, but I am not counting out these young bulldogs either 120 Riley Bettich has a ton of talent and the chance to take out a couple of head to head competitors. He should have Alec Freeman in the 2nd round, then Zeke Seltzer in the 3rd 126 Stephen Roberson - we all know the 126 weight class is bonkers this year. There are no easy paths to the finals and Roberson will have to face Kysen Montgomery in the 2nd round, then the winner of Dalton/Lowery showdown in the 3rd round if he wants to see the finals. Possiblity of huge points, or very few points here. 132 Jesse Mendez - He'll have the target on his back this year. Hard to see anyone stopping him from winning it all and getting the 20 team points. So the question may be how many bonus points can he rack up to help out the team? 138 Nick Tattini - Don't have Tattini getting to Saturday. If he can manage to get there, that's a huge boost for CP 145 Orlando Cruz - he also faces a murderer's row of wrestlers but he is capable of getting some points. He has Feichter in the 1st round, then likely Avon's Jaden Reynolds in the 2nd round before seeing undefeated Alec Viduya in the semis. Any points here would be a big win 160 Noah Hollendonner is the #1 seed. He should win his first, but then will have to try to break up the favored final 4 at this weight. He will see the winner of Noehre/Asbury. Look for Noah to be shooting for 5th-8th range and getting bonus points where he can Honorable Mentions Brownsburg - Some great wrestlers with some brutal matchups. Logan Miller at 106 should reach the semis. Kysen Montgomery will have Roberson in 2nd round. DRake Campbell has only lost once this season - can he knock off Logan Bailey in the 2nd round? Peyton Asbury got a Friday night death draw versus Noehre, but he will not make it an easy out. 285 Dorian Keys is the returning champion - can he repeat against Irick in a likely rematch with Irick in the semifinals and bring home another title? Chesterton - Look for Ellis and Bates to score big points here. Torres is great but has Rioux in the 2nd round. Kaiser would have to beat Boarman in the 2nd round. Tough roads to reach those big-point finals Perry Meridian - Only 3 wrestlers, but all of them have a legit shot to get to the finals. Cottey (113), Koontz (132) and Warren (182) can rack up mega points, but they are just hurt by lack of sheer numbers Roncalli - Similar to Perry. The Lowery brothers only have 2 losses between them on the season. Both could make a nice run to the finals. Viduya is on fire and he could be the 3rd Roncalli wrestler to reach the finals. Slivka is talented but has a really tough first round matchup with Kane Egli. If the other 3 can get to the finals and Slivka reaches the final 4 then we may see Roncalli creeping up the board Warren Central - 5 wrestlers here. Brice Coleman is undefeated and favored - he should score lots of points. David Pierson at 126 would be challenged at every step, but he has the potential and experience to make a deep run. Jajuan Anderson, Damon McClain and Dennis Hubbard could score some points, but not enough As always these are only my opinions. Good luck to all teams and wrestlers this weekend - hope that everyone wrestles their best match(es) ever and stays injury-free, in victory or defeat.

Silas Allred has been chosen to represent the Team USA All-Stars at the “Rose Bowl of Wrestling”.....The Pittsburgh Classic. An all senior event for 50+ years, Silas will represent the 195lbs weight class. The event will take place March 14th, at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse on the University of Pittsburgh campus. The dual meet will not have the 106-113-or heavyweight division. Rather....it will be 120-220, and have 2 matches at 138 & 195. Silas (#2 via Flo) will be squaring off against PA State Champ and Michigan commit Gage Garcia #3. Tremendous honor for Silas to be selected and represent Shenandoah High School, CIA Wrestling, Indiana Wrestling, as well as his future Nebraska Cornhuskers at this prestigious event. Other notable participants and match-ups..... Serrano USA132 (Nebraska Commit) 138lbs.....1-4 in the country. 182lbs Poznanski NJ (Rutgers) vs Neijhous (Purdue). 195 Christensen (Iowa commit) vs Stout (Princeton) 220lbs Braxton Amos USA (Wisconsin) I’ve been told complete lineups will be available online soon. These are simply what I remember through phone conversation. Tickets are now available, and the event will be broadcasted on Flo.

EVERY year since 1968.....

That’s a real statement brother. Painful lesson.....but a valuable one. An early cradle and extremely intelligent wrestling of backing up and down blocking, allowed a very strong...physically mature and battle tested Mazero to squeek past 14 yr old Silas by 1 point. Admittedly....it was one of the best things to happen to Silas. It initiated an even deeper sense of drive towards strength training, positioning, and becoming a well rounded wrestler. Not just a dynamic athlete on his feet. I’m hopeful every wrestler who reads this....whether freshman or upper classmen, fully realizes......wins & losses don’t define you. Your response does.

Saving seats is getting out of hand. Many parents and grandparents just want to see their son wrestle. I ran into a mother last night that was chased from her seats cause she dared try to sit near the mat where her son was going to wrestle and another team’s fans had “reserved” three complete sections on level 2. She was very upset - this is out of control it shouldn’t be like that

I currently live in Indiana but lived most of my life in Ohio. I wrestled in Ohio and attended the state wrestling tournament there for 20 consecutive years. This year, I attended the IHSAA post season Semi State at New Castle for the first time ever. Was my first post season event ever attended for Indiana High School Wrestling. My first experience was almost entirely positive. I can tell you the perception in Ohio is that Indiana Wrestling is not as competitive. I personally had this belief as well. I do not anymore. I don’t know if New Castle is that much more competitive from the other Semi-State’s but the quality of wrestling there was excellent. I would go as far as saying there were kids who did not make it out that I could see being state qualifiers in Ohio. My only grip, which most of you could probably guess, was the qualification process. SMH. Why? I just can’t wrap my head around the thought process that went into decided that you need to make the semi finals and your in. This does not ensure the best four getting out. Having double elimination also does not ensure the “best” 4 getting out but it does allow tough quarter final draws to have a second chance. The state’s response could be to not lose and your okay. I get it, but for a lot of kids their goals are not to be a state champ. Maybe it’s to make it state or place in state. I am curious how many other states do it like this? My favorite round in all of Ohio’s post season wrestling is District (their semi-state) Conso-Semi’s. I wish Indiana would revisit this, but I also know that others have probably voiced their opinions over the years and here we are still the same. Also, New Castle is an awesome venue!

I was at the Al Smith and I was the official most of the Day on Mat one. Name is Leo Mercado, and I truly work really hard to make sure I stay consistent with the rules of our sport and apply them like the rulebook states to apply them. I typically don't like to throw jabs at anyone and I hope that this doesn't come out as a jab to anyone or anything; but I truly work hard to make sure my signals, mechanics, interpretations, and rules applications of the sport are delivered clearly and consistent throughout the whole match in the whole entire arena, so that even the deaf man at the nosebleed seats can understand my call. If you don't want me calling a "bad" match for your kid, scratch me like any other coach does in the our state because I apply the rules the way they should be applied.

I know and understand that Hardcastle has dreams of being a State Qualifier and that is why I said nothing negative about him. What I was frustrated with was that Josh wasn't given the opportunity because of a "Caution" and a questionable one at that. I was not impressed with the Oak Hill coaching staff and how they handled the situation and am pretty sure they are aware of that. I am sorry for the subtle comments I will make them clear! Ryan Landis - head coach at Southern Wells if that wasn't clear??

Genuinely appreciate each of your encouraging words. I equally appreciate all who read the article, and just choose to pray and encourage personally. Collectively means a lot to us as a family. With full transparency....I can say that I fell in love with the sport of wrestling for reasons other than just my son. He was just the vehicle God used to lead me to it. In fact, in the beginning Silas was average at best. He was a chubby kid who had some natural gifts, but threw a nasty “lefty” headlock that resembled a Joe Frazier headshot. 😏 So yes....I was the “know nothing” over zealous dad in the corner yelling....”reach back and headlock him!” 😂 But I became absorbed with learning the sport. Only my scriptural studies took precedence over my wrestling research. And recognizing that attributes like self-sacrifice, humility, work ethic, commitment, perseverance, and above all accountability....were all factors in becoming truly elite at this sport. That resonated in me, because those were the same characteristics I had to embrace to transform a formerly very wayward lifestyle, and become the man/dad/soldier God created me to be. Silas and I’s bond is so deep ridden, because we have grown together. Both in the sport...as well as spiritually. The blessings of adversity....is that it breeds tremendous levels of persevering strength when approached with proper perspective. We don’t see problems....we see opportunities. And no disease, excuse, obstacle, or exterior setback will deter the true goal he and I both have dedicated our lives to. And that’s simply this.....Be a better version of yourself today than you were yesterday. That daily application will literally push you to new heights that have no plateaus. Because you’ll be in a continuous evolution of forward progress. So even during peaks in all facets of life....you’ll keep striving to move forward. Even if in small increments. This sport, the above attributes I mentioned....have prepared me for this wrestling match with ALS. Scripture tells us that “We don’t wrestle flesh and blood. But principalities, powers and spiritual wickedness in high places.” There’s even a wrestling match in the Old Testament where Jacob literally wrestled with God all night. He was left with a permanent limp. So translated....I won’t be an easy “out”. It’s not in my DNA, nor is it the spiritual man God has molded me into. I fully anticipate conquering this disease and being healed. But if God’s healing doesn’t come until I’m called home....I guarantee you, I won’t get stuck or tech’d. Even if I have to get pointed....I HAVE ALS, ALS doesn’t HAVE me. Thanks again for the prayerful support.

I'm just trying to find the bible verse saying, "thou shall not wrestle females". Must have missed that one.

Also the trainers asked me if I was ok, and I replied that it wasn’t my head, I just landed on my neck weird. I never even had the thought of taking the match from him like that. I have too much respect for him and his father to ever do that.

This will be 30 in a row for me. Qualified for 3, placed in 2 of them. Coached in some capacity in 7 of them. So many memories, too many to count, but so many heartbreaks as well. What a great weekend, especially seeing old friends and making new. Hoping I am fortunate to see 30 plus more! Good luck to everyone this weekend and remember that regardless of what happens you are part of one of the greatest fraternities in the world.

We don't need another week of the state series. A simple rule change that during the state tournament if you injury default you are not allowed to wrestle the rest of the day would suffice.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/2020/02/14/ihsaa-wrestling-nebraska-wrestling-commit-silas-allred-champion-shenandoah-als-lou-gehrig-disease/4714088002/

Thanks for keeping up on Mason! He weighed in at 253 lbs. the other night against Iowa. Last 3 or 4 weigh-ins been at 255. Love following and seeing all the Indiana boys doing great in College. I'm Masons dad, Mark.

By JEREMY HINES Thehines7@gmail.com For as long as Sullivan freshman Lane Gilbert can remember he has dreamed about having his hand raised at the Indiana High School wrestling state championships. He’s done more than dream about it. As a young kid he would go into the wrestling room at Sullivan High School and act out having his hand raised. It didn’t matter that nobody else was around him. In his imaginary scenario he always emerged victorious. No obstacle stood in his way. No opponent could beat him. He was the champ. That dream would never be taken away. The dream was much different than real life for Gilbert. In real life, he has had far more hardships than one kid should experience. He’s overcome situations that would break others. Through it all, he’s come out stronger. To get a clear picture of just how tough Lane Gilbert is, it is important to dive into his uncomfortable past. Gilbert’s mother, Rachel, became Indiana’s first female sectional champion in wrestling. She won the 103-pound class in the North Knox sectional in 2002. Rachel was going places in life. News agencies had reported on her wrestling journey, because at the time, female wrestlers were still very new in the state. She had some colleges showing interest in her. But Rachel began facing a more formidable opponent than anyone she went up against on the mat. She started battling an addiction with drugs. Lane’s father had his own battles with drug addiction. For Lane’s father, that addiction would eventually lead to a prison sentence. Young Lane didn’t want to miss an opportunity to visit his dad, even if that meant going to the prison any time he could. “Lane worshipped his dad,” Lane’s wrestling coach and grandfather Roy Monroe said. “Lane never failed to go see him. He always wanted to see him.” Tragically, Lane’s father developed cancer while in prison and ultimately died due to the disease. “That was really rough on Lane for a while,” Rachel said. “His dad was a drug addict for a long time and Lane always held out hope that one day he would get better. Once he got sick, that was probably the hardest thing. Lane stayed strong through the whole thing.” At nine-years-old Lane did something no kid his age should ever have to do. He stood up in front during his dad’s funeral and sang a special song. “I don’t know how he did it,” Monroe said. “That’s almost an impossible thing to get through, and he did it. He toughed it out.” That’s what Lane always does. He toughs things out. He toughed it out when his mom was having her struggles. He toughed it out seeing his dad in prison, and then watching as cancer slowly took its toll. He toughed it out when his uncle Jordan, who had taught Lane quite a bit about wrestling, died in a fiery car crash. No matter what life threw at Lane, he toughs it out. Perhaps he gets his fighting spirit from his grandfather. Roy has been a major part of Sullivan wrestling for over 30 years. He’s watched his daughter struggle with drug addiction. He lost his son in that tragic car accident. He’s experienced heartache and he remained the rock Lane needed in his life. Lane could always stay the night at Roy’s house. He could always get the right words from his grandpa. And, on the wrestling mat, he could look to Grandpa Roy for direction as well. “He’s my role model,” Lane said. “He’s nice to everyone. He’s a good coach. He’s all the things you can think of if you were to make the perfect person – that would be how I describe him.” But Lane’s toughness also comes from his mom. In a time when people frowned on girls wrestling against boys, she held her ground. In fact, she and Roy had to go to the Sullivan school board to even get approved to wrestle back in her high school days. Later, as has already been alluded to, Rachel battled a fierce drug addiction. But, for Lane’s sake – and for her sake, she fought through and emerged victorious. She is currently a Dean’s List student working to become a nurse. “I am so proud of her,” Roy said. “I’ve been a counselor. I’ve went into the jails and counselled drug addicts. I’ve seen them come in and out of addiction. The real truth is, only about one percent of drug addicts make it to where she is now. It’s so hard to overcome, but she’s done it. And she’s a great mom.” She is also very, very protective of Lane and worries almost to a fault about the decisions he makes in his own life. “After having made the decisions at a young age that I made, I saw first-hand what can happen and how quickly everything can just spiral out of control,” Rachel said. “One mistake and everything can be gone. I have that fear in the back of my mind that he’s of the age and he could make the wrong choices. I’m almost too hard on him, but I am terrified because I know what can happen and I keep my eye on him. I do trust him. He’s seen what can happen and how bad things can get.” Lane knows when his mom tells him to keep on the straight and narrow, it’s because she cares. “I have so much respect for my mom,” he said. “I’ve learned a lot from her.” One thing Lane has learned is to never doubt himself. This summer when he was a third alternate for the Pan-American games, he let doubt creep into his psyche. After the first two qualifiers couldn’t attend the games, Lane got the call to participate. But, going into the event, he felt like he really didn’t belong. Boy was he wrong. Lane went undefeated in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. News of his success quickly spread throughout the town of 6,500 people. When he arrived home, he was given a police escort through the streets. “Oh my gosh,” Rachel said. “The town put on this whole show when he returned. The police and emergency vehicles all met up on the north end of town. He had no idea it was going to happen. There were fans from all over our town and they all followed him to the high school. It was so cool. He was so surprised.” Currently Gilbert is 28-1 on the season and ranked No. 5 at 113 pounds. He has carried the confidence he developed during the Pan-American games over to the season. Now he knows he belongs. Now he knows that dream he played through his head so many times growing up isn’t just a dream – it’s an attainable goal. “I’ve been coaching at Sullivan for 13 years as head coach and I’ve been there 30 years as an assistant,” Monroe said. “I’ve never seen anything like him. I look at Lane, with his skills and what he’s been through, and I just know that adversity isn’t a problem anymore. He can do whatever he sets his mind to do.” As for Rachel, well, she says nowadays she’s just like any other wrestler’s mom. “I’m still up in the stands screaming my head off,” she said. “But when I’m shouting, at least I know which moves to shout. The other moms look at me and ask what they should be yelling.” View full article

Lots of memories from a little guy watching the wrestling Gods under the lights. But the ultimate memory was winning a state championship under the lights at Market Square. There was more of a drive to put small schools on the map and know that it could be done. To then coaching Mason Todd under the lights, alongside my longtime mentor Dave Cloud. Amazing to experience both as a wrestler & coach.

They should have to stand inline to weigh in wit the kids..... Sware to God they should...…. Four hours later bFF,s

My issue is with the other dude (Greg Rakestraw). He fills in on some sports talk radio shows down here in Indy. Just don't enjoy listening to him. He just rambles. Clearly does not know a lot about wrestling. Plus.... he doesn't know the difference between Peanut Butter and Jelly and Ham sandwiches. Smh

Any updates on Purdy/Deffendoll?

I think that Silas, Jesse, and Zeke are the only ones we can legit call 'locks'. Viduya has to face Ellis, and Coleman has to get out of semi-state first.

To be a state champion it takes a lot of skill, hard work, dedication, and some luck to not be injured or sick at the wrong time.

Before the college conference and post season begins I just wanted to take a second to thank everyone who has been contributing to this forum. For many years this place had been pretty sparsely used, with many results threads being hijack. I’m glad to see the consistent traffic this forum has received this season. I’m amazed at the effort by several posters to highlight wrestlers from multiple programs and in all division. And I’m pleads this forum is finally being used by most posters as a place to highlight the achievements of these hard working young men rather than as a avenue to spawn negativity. Keep it going Indiana. There is life beyond HS wrestling and I’m glad more quality posters are interested in talking about it.

I got bored and I wanted to avoid the actual work that I have to do, so I coded a Monte Carlo simulation of the IHSAA state wrestling tournament in Matlab. To determine win probabilities of wrestlers, I used a rating system comprising rank, record, and grade (~67% rank, 20% record, ~13% grade). With this, an undefeated senior ranked #1 has about a 90% win percentage against the worst wrestler meaning that the worst wrestler has about a 95% chance of winning one match if about 30 matches are wrestled against the best wrestler. I set the simulation to run 1,000,000 times (admittedly this was probably ridiculous, but oh well). The amount of times each wrestler got each place was tabulated and used to make the observations below (Some Many of which are trivial). 106: Lowery is top 4 58.63% of the time (73% of the times he places) Miller wins 18.36% of the time (the most despite being on the same side as (2) and (3) Miller only makes it to the finals 32.16% of the time, but wins 57% of the finals matches he’s in Chundi has very similar results Triana wins the 2nd least of any wrestler at any weight (0.14%) 113: Cottey wins the 2nd most of any other wrestler at any weight (27.93%) Cottey and Ross are only ones at 113 that win more than 10% of the time 120: Seltzer is top 3 more than half of the time (58.44%) Diaz actually ends up better than Bettich on average 126: Dalton and Roberson have very similar chances at 1st 2nd and 3rd Rioux wins 20.45% with 365802 finals appearances 132: Nothing too significant 138: Campbell makes the finals more than Bailey, but loses more often when he gets there, leading to similar 1st place finishes 145: Pretty good pairings here for top 4, no real surprises 152: Boe, Kervin, and Hall all win more than Coleman Coleman wins almost 60% of the 254,538 finals matches 160: Levitz has the best shot at reaching the finals here (32.76%) 170: On average, Deters is able to do better than Calhoun 182: Walker has the highest finals win percentage of anyone Warren makes his way to the finals 273,963 times, but has a 50-50 shot at winning once he’s there Lone is very similar, just less finals appearances 195: Silas runs away with 319,526 times on top of the podium If kemper makes the finals, he wins more often than not 220: Not too much interesting here 285: Dancy and Irick win more than Keys, Swallow makes a solid run most of the time placing top 5 about 52.80% of the time Summary: Most of these actual numbers are completely meaningless as they are only as good as the data I had at my disposal. The overall trends however are at least somewhat representative of what is likely. I thought this would be an interesting look at the state tournament and it was (for me at least) and really highlights how effective a good or bad draw can be. That’s all from me for now, but ill answer just about any questions either about the simulation or how certain people finished. Overall, it was fun and I hope to try this again with better ratings and such, potentially using old state tournaments as training data for a machine learning rating system. Monte Carlo Results.pdf

What’s low is a kid being “injured” enough to get a default win to get the state, then show zero signs of injury on his way to a title.

Welcome to TripleB’s annual Evansville Semi-State Preview! House keeping items - From our inside man Markio - Ford Arena info: ● Parking and general information about the arena can be found at www.thefordcenter.com ● Wrestlers can enter the arena at 7:30am for weigh ins. Wrestlers and coaches will enter at the interior ticket office lobby (to the far right of the main lobby doors) to check in and head back. You will pick up your credentials here. ● The only coolers allowed are for wrestlers and must enter at the check in table through the interior ticket lobby. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK for anyone else is allowed inside unfortunately. Not my rules, just standard building policy. ● Public doors open at 8:00am CST. Enter on Main Street through the main lobby. We will look to create a separate door/entrance for those that already have tickets. $12 dollars for all session ticket, $10 for finals only. ● There is NO onsite parking. Please do not have any team vehicles attempt to park in the loading dock or attached outer lot. These are reserved spots. ● There is no public Wi-Fi. ● Please do not jump over the dasher walls to access the floor. They try to control access to the floor, so you need to enter from the lower level hallway under section 103. You wouldn't jump the wall at Banker's Life would you? lol ● The hospitality room for officials, etc. will be in the Corner Club. Enter from the main lobby and hang a right at lower level hallway. ● If you are going to set up a camera please do not have the cord running across the aisle. You will be made to unplug any cords running across an aisle. ● We will have full concessions available throughout the day. Coffee and hot chocolate are also available all day as well. (get the bbq pork nachos, huge and awesome) ● There is no smoking on or in the Ford Center property, this includes e-cigarettes. ● Brackets will be updated throughout the day and posted on several of the 170 or so TVs located all over the arena. The brackets end up kind of small, but hey, they are everywhere and pretty cool. ● Lastly,if you are a wrestler that loses please don't kick,throw,or punch Ford Center property. We had a kid break off a door handle last year.Sent the bill to the school. Friday will be a day of passion and love, but 224 grapplers hope their hearts aren’t broken like scorned lovers on Saturday as only 56 can get hit by Cupid’s arrow and sent to Indianapolis and Bankers Life Fieldhouse. How does this work - The exclusive Evansville Championship Selection Committee (ECSC) spent 2 days in hard deliberations over their Ford Fab 4 picks. Each member selected their ballot, points were accumulated, and from there the picks started falling. Article features: The Charles Barkley “Turrible” Draws - ticket round matches that shouldn’t be happening in the ticket round! The Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Best first round matches! The Built Ford Tough Locks - The Pickers of the Round Table has been assembled. There were very few, but any weight class where the pick for champion was unanimous, makes it a Ford Tough Lock. Ford Tough Locks were hard to come by this year as only 4 were given out. Ford Fab 4 - After picks were gathered, points distributed, and the dust settled, we’ll have the Ford Fab 4. Also special guest committee member The Donnie Baker (not that Donnie Baker) has offered some of his highlights throughout. What if I didn’t agree with the ECSC or I thought they made a terrible error (I mean really how many times will Oklahoma get free frickin pass already)? Then have no fear - The TripleB Guarantee will help you sort out the madness. Without further ado...UNLEASH THE PREVIEW!! 106: 106 brings us our first of five LOCKS. Logan Miller of Brownsburg has been knocking off ranked wrestlers all year. The ECSC was unanimous - this is Miller’s weight class to lose. With team race looking tight, this weight class can get the Bulldogs off and running orrrrr ticket round magic by the latest Egli, Reed can get the Wildcats of Mater Dei rolling. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - The Mater Dei classic in December gave us a preview of 106. Lou Knable and Reed Egli wrestled twice with Knable winning the first match 6-5 and Egli taking the second one 1-0. What happens in the third match?1?!? Don’t be late!! Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - The #12 Coy Hammack vs #13 Blake Zirkelbach guarantees that a SS top 4 kid is going home, and they are also 1-1 with Hammack getting the latest win in their conference finals a few weeks back. Another rubber match in the 106 bracket!! Don’t sleep on…. Jasper Junior Jainier Milanes looks to maybe break up the Hammack/Zirkelbach trilogy by sliding through the quarter bracket and onto Indy! Ford Fab 4 - The ECSC was unanimous on 1-2, but a tie for 3/4th. Ties were handled by whoever had the total higher placement points (more 3rd place votes in this case). 1st - Logan Miller Brownsburg, 2nd - Kyler West Evansville Memorial, 3rd - Coy Hammack Tell City, 4th - Ca$h Turner Edgewood 113: All 10 semi-state ranked grapplers have navigated their way through sectionals and regionals and have set themselves for shots at BLF. Mater Dei’s Cole Ross is the early favorite, owning 2 razor thin wins over both Lane Gilbert and Cheaney Schoeff. But this weight class is star power heavy as Ross, Gilbert, and Schoeff lead a class that could all be podium placers in the next few years. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - SS #4 Braiden Hanes vs SS #7 Ethan Roudebush are featured in a quarter bracket with no state ranked wrestlers and also features SS #6 Noah Lykins. Sophomore, Sophomore, Sophomore = Future Hammers, Hammers, Hammers but for one their time is now. Donnie Baker says you better watch this quarter bracket! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Maybe not a tuuuurbbbillee draw but certainly a blood round match to watch - Freshman #5 ranked Gilbert vs Senior #19 ranked Logan Sutton of Castle. Winners goes to Indy, loser heads home too early. Don’t sleep on…. The aforementioned quarterbracket of Super Sophomores and Noah Lykins. The Olympian is battle tested as East wrestles one of the toughest schedules in the state. Can he pull off wins over two legit competitors? Ford Fab 4 - The ECSC was split but Ross gets the nod. 1st - Cole Ross Evansville Mater Dei, 2nd - Lane Gilbert, 3rd Cheaney Schoeff, 4th Braden Haines TRIPLEB GUARANTEE - Cheaney Schoeff of Avon will cause some noise, he makes the finals, he pushes Ross, he beats Ross. 120: 120 features our second LOCK of the preview - Evansville Mater Dei Junior and returning state qualifier Alec Freeman. Heritage Hills’ Sam Scott has had a great year and is the only other clear cut state bound wrestler here as after that things get murky. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker: 2 opening round matches could bring early fireworks - Greencastle Frosh phenom Chase Carrington and Evansville Centrals super Soph Ayden Amento will both battle for a chance to advance. Both received votes, this first round match could determine who advances to Indy. The other is Chris Newman and Jacob Bechert, Newman is a returning state qualifier but he gets two points of recognition here as he’s also featured in…. Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Chris Newman and Delaney Ruhlman maybe isn’t a Turrible do to both being underclassmen and not a lot of state level credentials. But both have had great years, 6 combined losses, and this could possibly be the first of many matches. Don’t sleep on…. Newman, Amento, and 2 homers I have - Charlestown junior Colin Knox is 35-1 but has gotten zero love from the ECSC, also Madison Sophmore Noah Burkhardt has only been wrestling for 2 years and won sectionals and was a regional runner up. Can either of these 2 TripleB Sleepers pull off the upsets?!?!?! Ford Fab 4: After Freeman and Scott the rest of the field appears to be up for grabs - Ruhlman, Newman, Carrington, and Amento all got some love but after the dust settled - 1st - Alec Freeman Evansville Mater Dei, 2nd - Sam Scott Heritage Hills, 3rd - Delaney Ruhlman Bloomington South, 4th Chase Carrington Greencastle 126: 5 top 10 state ranked wrestlers, 8 top 10 semi-state ranked wrestlers. Maybe the mostest biggest, yuuugest CB Turrible Draw ever….. Alstott/Dalton 3. This was a bronze medal match last year at state and now it’s a ticket round match. Somebody better call my momma….this is a injustice!!! Oh and our 3rd Ford Tough LOCK! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Let’s skip the formalities and pleasantries, all 8 SS guys fall into different first round matches. First round should be chalk. Let’s get to it Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Are you kidding me?? Under absolutely no circumstances should this be a ticket round match. This should be a prime reason for wrestlebacks, but not so fast my friend!! This is the beauty of Indiana wrestling. We are getting a winner take all match in the blood round between two state medalists. This should be a fantastic, low scoring match up. Good luck to both guys! Don’t sleep on…. After the Alstott/Dalton match this weight we almost Chalk picks. Maybe I should plug Raymond Rioux here. All the talk has been about Alstott and Dalton and we have a Ford Tough LOCK here. Raymond has put together a stellar career for Avon, he’s a 3 time state medalists. He’s been a leader for the #WestSideWingmen for 4 years and should put a bow on his career with a Semi-state Championship this weekend and a state championship next weekend. He’s also the first of the Rioux Dozen, that name isn’t going away anytime soon in the Indiana Wrestling scene. #ParrishTrained Ford Fab 4: Gavin Alstott is 0-3 against Ben Dalton, the ECSC believes 4th time's the charm as The Highlander got the nod 1st - Raymond Rioux Avon, 2nd Gavin Alstott Floyd Central, 3rd Kysen Montgomery Brownsburg, 4th Ashton Hayhurst Mater Dei. TripleBGuarantee - B-E-N-D-A-L-T-O-N, not only for ticket round but maybe as a LOCK buster! 132: 5 state ranked and 8 semi-state ranked wrestlers lead this weight class. 2 words can describe this HOT MESS. 9 potential qualifiers all received votes, yes I said 9! That means this weight class should be a doozy Saturday! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - SS #4 Beau Heeke from Heritage Hills and SS #7 ranked Seth Rohrbach both got votes to advance, but only one can advance out of the first round. Also a potential 1 over 4 upset as Conner Alcala from Decatur Central looks to take out regional champ Chase Aldridge from Providence. Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Sound the sirens, we have our first “Swear to God” pick by Donnie Baker - Gibson Southern Sophomore Christian Polen and Center Grove’s Hayden Watson. DB says to bet the boat on Polen! The other Turrible draw is a battle of two time state qualifiers and features a match that could definitely shift the team race. #4 state ranked Kane Egli takes on #8 ranked Tyler Conley from Avon. These two wrestled at state duals with Egli getting a 3-2 win. Can Conley switch that result and help his Hendricks Co rivals Brownsburg out here or even help put Avon in position to win? Don’t sleep on…. Ha, evidently we shouldn’t sleep on the whole bracket. But in no order - Seth Rohrbach, Beau Heeke, Christian Polen, Lane Deckard, and Tyler Conley all got votes but not enough to break into the - Ford Fab 4 - 1st - Hayden Watson Center Grove, 2nd - Kane Egli Evansville Mater Dei, 3rd - Connor Holt Plainfield, 4th - Conner Alcala Decatur Central 138: A weight going chalk means the ECSC has 4 unanimous selections in the same order. It has rarely if ever happened. This weight class was as close as it came this year as only one vote kept the weight class from being chalk and having Blake Boarman as a LOCK (*cough Donnie Baker cough*). Oh did I mention Drake Campbell beat Blake Boarman this year already? Maybe good old DB isn’t off his rocker! 5 state ranked wrestlers and 9 semi state ranked wrestlers are featured at 138, Let’s Go!!! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - 2 matches stand out as curtain jerkers and I noticed some irregularities. First another Donnie Baker “Bet the Boat” upset alert - Terre Haute South junior Nathan Recknor over #13 Keandre Watson. The other match is SS #6 Colton Roberts and SS #9 Pat Mayes. Mayes is 40-2, Roberts has 13 losses. Does Avon’s strength of schedule carry Roberts over Mayes? Some voters say yes, some say no! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - None, there’s a reason this weight class was almost chalk. Semi finals and finals should be great though. Don’t sleep on…. Campbell beat Boarman in a close match, Boarman beat J Conway in a close match. J Conway has been a takedown machine all season……. can the Highlander steal the booty and walk away like a Pirate with some gold Saturday? Ford Fab 4 - 1st - Blake Boarman Brownsburg, 2nd J Conway Floyd Central, 3rd Drake Campbell Brownsburg, 4th Landon Boe Plainfield 145: 5 state ranked wrestlers and 7 ranked semi-state wrestlers are featured at 145. Also 145 features our only 1st place tie, it’s officially up for grabs. It’s another weight where the committee doesn’t feel that there will be any party crashers as all 5 had the same 4 qualifiers albeit in different order. Justice Cash, Brody Baumann, and Jaden Renyolds all got first place votes and Cash/Reynolds finished in a tie. We will take it The Speaker of the Committee TripleB to break the tie. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Both unranked, both having great years Central freshman Luke Kemper and Floyd Central sophomore Codei Khawaja both come from bloodlines of wrestlers (Look them both up, I’m not geneology.com over here). This will be a great curtain jerker. Franklin Community senior Ethan Nash draws regional champ and state final hopeful #19 David Tucker. Here’s 2 things I know from my years of being around - Franklin never has a dull semi state, they keep matches close and Tonte brings the magic. While Tucker is the favorite, don’t be surprised to see Nash pull out a grinder match and sneak through Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - There’s nothing to see here, move along. Don’t sleep on…. Voters were chalk with the qualifiers Ford Fab 4 - Our first and only tie for first place, Justice Cash and Jaden Reynolds both racking up 16 out of a possible 20 votes. We went to the ballots and Cash received 3 first place votes while Reynolds received 1. Cash gets the nod. 1st - Justice Cash Bloomington North (Donnie Baker Lock, Stock, and Pork pick), 2nd - Jaden Reynolds, 3rd - Brody Baumann, 4th - David Tucker Brown Co 152: 5 top ten state ranked and all 10 semi-state wrestlers makes 152 no joke. There will be some Fitts thrown, some Hamms, will the Law be laid down, or can the Incredible Fulks smash the field? I could go all day with puns here but let’s put a BOE on it and move along. A top ten match up in the blood round gives us a Turrible draw and a Donnie Baker “Bet the Boat” guarantee are featured. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Moses Hamm and Jacob Cookerly are two SS ranked dudes looking to get after it, can the Hamm be COOKerlied? Oh man but seriously, the winner gets Fulks and this should be a great match! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - #7 Fitts vs #2 Kervin. Both are returning State Qualifiers. Fitts is a fireball, if he can channel his emotions in the right way, will it be enough to knock off Kervin? Don’t sleep on…. Logan Boe, yes he’s predicted to finish in top 4 but this Warrior is a 3x state medalists and has always brought the heat when it counts. Kervin got the nod from the voters, but Don’t Sleep On Boe Ford Fab 4 - Your top 4 seeds are a combined 142 and 2. Schwew-wee, this should be some fun semi-finals and finals. Boe and Kervin are the Donnie Baker “Shut Up Randy, I’m watching come rasslin” Highlight match. 1st Jonathan Kervin Floyd Central, 2nd - Kade Law Columbus East, 3rd Logan Boe Danville, 4th - Jordan Fulks Boonville Donnie Baker Bet the Boat Guarantee - All 4 will be on the podium next week at BLF, STATE LAW!!! 160: 5 State ranked and 8 semi-state ranked wrestlers lead the field at 160 including the next LOCK, Evansville Mater Dei’s returning 3rd placer Eli Dickens. Some ticket round matches are featured here, not necessarily Turrible draws but matches that should be worth the watch. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - The Donnie Baker “Too Close to call” first round curtain jerker goes to #11 Sam Morrill and Evansville Reitz’s Aiden Farmer. Can Farmer sneak the upset? Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Whenever 2 top 10 ranked guys are going at it for the golden ticket it’s just turrible. #1 Eli Dickens and #9 Tyler Fuqua have both made the trip to Indy and both certainly are worthy medalists, but this year only one will get to take that opportunity. Turrible, turrible, turrible. Don’t sleep on….Wade Presson of Bloomington South has had some good wins this year and a win in the ticket round isn’t unthinkable. Keep an eye on Morrill/Farmer winner vs Presson. Ford Fab 4 - The 2nd Wildcat making the LOCK list, Eli Dickens leads this talented field 1st - Eli Dickens Evansville Mater Dei, 2nd - Peyton Asbury Brownsburg, 3rd - John Purdy Castle, 4th Sam Morrill Columbus East 170: 5 State ranked and 8 semi-state ranked wrestlers are on tap to duke it out at 170. The ECSC had a unanimous Fab 4, though some disagreed with placements. This because we have the dreaded my guy beat your guy but lost to your guy. The sectional seeding nightmare. 2x state qualifier Robert Deters leads this field. Let’s see who gets left out of the musical chairs. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Columbus North’s Nick Holt was a sectional champ that hit a roadblock last weekend by some freshman from Madison (btw how many freshman lead the varsity football team in tackles and win regionals?) Indian Creek’s Owen Sego’s season has been well documented, this is his 4th trip to Evansville, will he get through? This match should be special, don’t miss it! Don’t sleep on…. Sego and Carrington Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Two turrible draws, the aforementioned Sego has a decorated career, here’s to hoping he can continue his season with a W, but Deters is no small obstacle. #3 2 loss Ruhlman and #11 2 loss Carrinton will be going at it to determine who goes to BLF. Ruhlman appears to be the favorite, but another Turrible Draw Ford Fab 4 - Whenever you got #2,#3, and #6 in the same bracket, there will be no LOCK. The ECSC did really like Deters though to avenge his loss to Ruhlman and lock up a SS championship. 1st - Robert Deters Castle, 2nd - Tristan Ruhlman Bloomington South, 3rd - Gabe Sollars Evansville Mater Dei, 4th - Jalen Ward Franklin 182: 2 state qualifiers, one not favored to advance, a for LOCK that wasn’t. It’s 1-8-2! 6 state ranked (including #s 3,7, and 9) and 9 ranked SS wrestlers are on tabs at 182. Macartney Parkinson is a returning state medalist, who is undefeated in Indiana this year. This was a hands down LOCK….but then Donnie Baker crashed the party. Also Brenden Moore is a returning state qualifier who hasn’t had the easiest path to the Ford Center. How do Parkinson and Moores fate intertwine? Welll….. Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Brendan McPike of Terre Haute South has had a fantastic season (trust me I got the emails and texts to prove it). Can this Outlaw survive returning State Qualifier Moore in the first round to lay way for rematch with Parkinson? Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Macartney Parkinson and Greg Glover will meet to determine a spot in Evansville. Another ticket round match that could affect the team race. Don’t sleep on…. Brenden Moore, Greg Glover, how about a sleeper pic of Drake Buchanan? Do you know his dad was a school teacher at Madison Junior High School when TripleB was only DoubleB and ran the hallways?!?! Never doubt a 3B connection!! Ford Fab 4 - 1st - Macartney Parkinson Evansville Mater Dei, 2nd - Noah White Columbus East, 3rd - Drake Buchanan Center Grove, 4th - Brendan Mcpike Terre Haute South Donnie Baker Bet the Boat Guarantee - Brendan McPike will be on the revenge tour Saturday knocking of Parkinson and Noah White. 195: Only 4 state ranked and 8 SS ranked wrestlers leaves this bracket kind of feeling ehhh…. but no worries, the Donnie Baker “Fight of the Night” will deliver and according to DB break up another LOCK. McKinley Kemper was well on his way to locking up a LOCK, like the other Kempers before him. Donnie pulled a Corso and said “Not so fast my friend” Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - No first rd matches of SS ranked grapplers left me searching….just like I”ll be searching the concessions Saturday at about this time. Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Again natta, all 4 ranked guys are spread out in quarterbrackets, all seems well. Don’t sleep on…. Cody Matherly of Jeffersonville, he will have to win one on the STREETs to get to Bankers but the streets of Jeff are no joke. Donnie Baker’s FIGHT OF THE NIGHT - Ladies and Gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages, Donnie Baker enterprises in accordance with STATE LAW proudly brings to you the Fight of the Night… it’s a semi final match up between a Junior, from Franklin Community, with a 35-2 record Harrrriiisss Eaassssooonnnn!!! And his opponent from Evansville Central, this senior comes to us with a record of 36 wins and only 1 defeat, ittttttttt’s McKinnnnnnnnnley Kemmmmmper!!! Ford Fab 4 - Kemper, Eason, Street and Rogers all advance. Kemper so close to a lock, but Eason got a vote. 1st - McKinley Kemper Evansville Central, 2nd - Isaiah Street (I watched this kid almost bleed to death in Iowa as a 6th grader and still finished the match and the tournament helping Team Indiana finish 3rd in the nation, do not sleep on the STREET), 3rd - Harris Eason, 4th - Phoenix Rodgers Heritage Hills 220: 7 state ranked (wow) and all 10 SS ranked wrestlers bring the BOOM to 220. 8 wrestlers all recieved votes. Amongst the chaos the ECSC picks a non state ranked hammer to get through, Yowie Wowie what a weight class!! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - This quarter bracket features 4 SS ranked dudes - #9 Ethan Rogers, #8 Cordell Huering, #10 Reese Condon, and #7 Kenton Williams all will have to sort it out it to make it out and the votes were not unanimous on who makes it out. Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - When you have so many ranked guys does it negate Turrible draws? The Donnie Baker Barn Burner of the night and Turrible Draw - #13 Josh Howell of Terre Haute South vs #7 Will Stewart of South Spencer. Spencer is a returning state placer, Howell has one loss and Donnie says this match is going to extra periods - This should be a great match! Also #6 Nathan Willman vs #11 Leighton Jones both are top 4 in SS but one is going home! The last one is #8 (#1 in ss) Micah Dodson vs #15 (#6 in ss) Macray Robinson. Don’t sleep on…. Stop what you are doing, look up the bracket (The Indianamat one with rankings), take a picture and seriously don’t sleep on any of them Ford Fab 4 - This was chaos, the ECSC was up until the wee hours debating 220. Here’s what we got: 1st - Nathan Willman North Posey, 2nd - Micah Dodson Martinsville, 3rd - Joshua Howell Terre Haute South, 4th - Kenton Williams Sullivan TripleBGuarantee - If Ethan Rogers can get on his offense early, he’s going to state. Leighton Jones will go big boy and the frosh will knock out a senior in the ticket round, Will Stewart will go to state… Heck just write this down - 1. Micah Dodson, 2. Leighton Jones, 3. Will Stewart, 4. Ethan Rogers. Take that to the Bank! 285: The last weight and the last LOCK. Last year Dorian Keys took the state by surprise on his run to a state title. There will be no surprises this year as Keys has been labeled a LOCK by the ECSC. 6 state ranked and 9 ss ranked wrestlers round out the semi-state qualifiers for 2020 (round, see what I did there, jeeze I’m losing my mind). 6 garnered votes and the most interesting matchup is a Turrrible draw Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - I’ve been hearing about this one guy all year, “TripleB ya gotta give love to Ke’Tre Dickens, watch out for Dickens, Dickens, Dickens” Well here is his chance to shine and out of the gates he has undefeated Bloomington North wrestler Race Stewart. I’ve been told this could be shocker! Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - #14 Robbie Gentry vs. #15 Matthew Munoz, both are worthy of state and Munoz has a win over Gentry this year albeit on home turf. There will be no home turf this weekend. Don’t sleep on…. Hunter Wimpelberg is a senior for Coach Ferguson at Reitz, Regional champ, good program, great coach, do not sleep on Wimpelberg punching a ticket. Robbie Gentry could reverse his fortunes against Munoz and also punch his ticket Ford Fab 4 - Our last LOCK and Munoz doing what Munoz does best, escaping with a win 1st - Dorian Keys Brownsburg, 2nd - Matthew Munoz Jeffersonville, 3rd - Race Stewart Bloomington North, 4th - Jacob Johnson Franklin Man we made it…….let’s end w my favorite - food recomendations Friday night I’m heading to Hilltop Inn for my first ever Brain sandwich. I'm pumped. Brains aren’t your thing? Turonis is a local pizza place that’s dynamite. Like German? Gerst Haus is phenomenal. Want to head out for some adult beverages? Go to Franklin Ave, Gerst Haus is there and a number of other watering holes and great restaurants. I’m never up early enough for Breakfast so I have no clue. I hear the nachos at the Ford are great and worth the $. And a tradition on the way home is Stoll’s Country Diner - lights out fried chicken and down home buffet. Have a great time Saturday, I thoroughly enjoy the Evansville Semi-State experience. I’ll be there slumming around, feel free to say hey, you can’t miss me! Good luck to all my coaching buddies and all 224 grapplers. Use this to pump you up and get mad bc you were slighted and parents have fun with this as we at Indianamat are just trying to bring attention to our favorite sport, wrestling! See everybody at the FORD and onto Bankers! View full article

Right, and somewhere there is someone with a piece of paper with some A’s B’s C’s and D’s lined up in a unique order. Would that person like to share with the class?

No referee-backs either!

Great time today at the IHSWCA HoF ceremony. Always a blast seeing coaching/officiating legends and contributors who worked to build our sport. Awards 2019 Harold F. Mumby Award: Asa Garcia 2020 Don Patton Head Coach of the Year: Erich Highley of Northridge High School 2020 Randy Helfrich Assistant Coach of the Year: John Bray of Edgewood High School 2019 Tom Cameron Administrative Award: Keith Nance of West Washington High School John W. Hurrle Award: Joe & Beth Lybarger 2019 Media Award: Mike Beas of Johnson County Daily Journal Inductees Wrestlers Michael Escobedo II of Lake Central High School Josh Harper of Mishawaka High School Andrae Hernandez of Griffith High School Dan Pleak of Cathedral High School Coaches Jack Grimaldi of Delta/Alexandria/Pendleton Heights Cale Hoover of Hamilton Southeastern/Center Grove Tim Klingensmith of Jay County Brian Seltzer of Elkhart Memorial/Lawrence North/Cathedral Contributors Kevin Troy Wrestler/Coach/IHSAA Official Jeff Schaefer Wrestler/Coach/Vendor Historian's Family Award Joseph Gremaux Family Billy Thom Award Frankie Medvesek

Coaching at Indy nationals today and noticed SQ Brac Hooper from Carmel was wrestling and won Indy nationals after wrestling Friday night. Just thought it was awesome to see a kid going right back to work after his season was cut shorter than I’m sure he hoped. I would bet there were some others I just recognized him from one of our kids wrestling him frequently in the offseason. Kid is tough as nails and I respect him a lot for competing just after state.

Hope this works...if I remember right the camera missed some of the best action, but still worth a watch Samuels vs Clark

1. Will Viduya get the golden bookend? Alec Viduya won a state title as a freshman at 113lbs, but since then his nemesis Asa Garcia has tripped him up twice. Garcia is in Bloomington now and the path seems clear to end on top of the podium. The other likely contenders include Brock Ellis, Jaden Reynolds, and Reece Luhmann. Luhmann went to overtime with Viduya last week. The "golden bookend" has been done three other times throughout Indiana history. The first was Ray Webb of Bloomington University who won titles at 120lbs as a freshman and 145lbs as a senior. The next to do it was current Evansville Mater Dei coach Greg Schaeffer. In 1995 he won a state title at 100lbs and again reached the top step of the podium in 1998 at 119lbs. The last person to accomplish this feat was Indian Creek's Ethan Raley. He won a title as a freshman at 103lbs, then again at 135lbs as a senior. 2. Team Race The team race is going to be hotly contested from the getgo. Mater Dei looks to be the favorite on paper early on. Crown Point has some brutal Saturday morning matches that could determine the state title. Brownsburg is lurking with a couple state title contenders and other placers. Never count out two-time defending champions Cathedral. Friday night could set the stage for one or more of the contenders to pull away from the field. However, a couple slipups could mean another team or two comes into contention. Saturday morning will be filled with fireworks that will give us a great indication of who will come out on top of the team race. 3. Will the class of 2021 get a title? As of this writing the current junior class has yet to win an individual state title. This can and possibly will change on Saturday night. Top contenders for a title include Alex Cottey(113), Blake Boarmann(138), Evan Bates(220), and Brock Ellis(145). Cottey has one loss on the year, but his opponent did not qualify for state. Boarman has a wide open weight class where the top guys have all beaten each other. Bates and Ellis both have yet to be defeated by an Indiana opponent this year. 4. Famous firsts Indianapolis Lutheran's Hayden Flipiovich is the school's first state qualfiier. Will he be able to crack the code and be their first placer as well? Attica, Monroe Central, and River Forest have never had a state placer in their history. Will Jeffrey Bailey be the first Ingot state placer? Logan Swallow won a semi-state title last week and could be the Golden Bear's first state placer. Jordan Douglass was the first state qualifier in Rambler history two years ago, but has yet to reach the podium. There are 32 schools that have a state qualifier that has yet to have a state champion. The ones that might just break through this year include Garrett's Clayton Fielden, Hamilton Southeastern's Andrew Irick, North Montgomery's Drew Webster, Norwell's Cale Gray, Sullivan's Lane Gilbert, and Wheeler's Giovanni Diaz. 5. Best dressed From shiny pants and shorts to Tonte's custom taylored suits, who will stand out in the fashion department? Will Cathedral be wearing their robes this weekend? Which coach will have the strongest beard game? All of these are valid questions that will get answered this weekend. View full article

This may be a totally different approach than you were probably expecting. My thoughts of coming up with a "Mount Rushmore" is a reflection of four individuals that have raised the bar and propelled Indiana Wrestling to where it is today....during the time I have been around this sport. COACH - Al Smith - Mishawaka. Coach Smith had a vision for what he thought Indiana Wrestling should be. He coached to that vision and the seeds he planted with his vision multiplied to many individuals that have carried on that vision as athletes, officials, administrators, Head Coaches and Assistant Coaches all over the State for many years. OFFICIAL - Jeff Colburn - The General. Like Coach Smith....I believe Jeff had his own vision of where the level of officiating needed to be in our State. Jeff along with many others have spent a lifetime ensuring that if they were on the mat...the highest level of officiating would be in the house that day. As a result of lifetime achievement we have many other officials throughout the State that share the same dedication. Many who would not be wearing the stripes if it were not for Jeff's influence and tutelage. WRESTLER - Alex Tsirtsis 236-0 Undefeated Four Time State Champ - In my opinion the greatest achievement in the history of Indiana Wrestling. The inspiration for so many of our recent greats that grew up wanting to be half as good as he was. I know my son was in awe every time he stepped on the mat, watched him, admired him, wanted to be like him. A true role model for every kid that had the dream....it was possible. Don't get me wrong my list of favorites is very very long.....but I only get to pick one. MEDIA/OUTREACH/GROWING THE SPORT - Joe Caprino Wow! I remember when this little website was launched. Now look at it. Without a doubt this is the PREMIER Wrestling Website available and we have it at our fingertips for anything that you want to know about Indiana Wrestling. Thousands like myself check this out several times a day just to keep up on what's going on around the State in this sport. As good as it is now....there is a daily attempt and vision to make it even better by constantly adding new features. We are extremely fortunate to have IndianaMat as an instant reference for anything related to Indiana Wrestling. This is my Mount Rushmore of Indiana Wrestling....Four Individuals with four different visions to the sport of wrestling that raised the bar in every area for every Coach, Official, Athlete and Enthusiast that makes this sport what it is today. Maybe not what you expected but really was the first thing that popped in my head when I saw the topic.

They came back to win the regional 191-190 over Hobart with a pin by Streck at 220.

This is a terrific piece of research but to show my bias: Little old Adams County has the #2 & #10 programs with Bellmont and Adams Central. South Adams has been gaining ground. We like to think we are the number one wrestling county in the State.

I’ve avoided dialogue regarding Silas vs Bates all year. For obvious reasons on one hand as Silas’ father, but also due to privileged information regarding weight changes, and the initial facilitation of this “should have been” match up. I could allow pride to take over and list countless examples of top 10 Nationally ranked young men from 182-220 that Silas has pinned or tech’d. Including some Bates was unfortunately on the losing end to. And I say “unfortunately” GENUINELY. Because despite how I know this match up would go.....we genuinely root for Evan on the National scene. We want Evan to continue growing his skill-set, smash opposing nationally ranked wrestlers, and continue growing the reputation of our very underrated State’s wrestling rep. That said.....I’ll only divulge this bit of information. Silas trended down nearly 30lbs prior to BMI’s to make this match happen. We were told by reputable sources that Bates was going to stay at 195lbs and challenge himself. We admired that attribute....and were more than willing to give him opportunity. Regardless of Silas’ initial plan to wrestle a VERY comfortable 220lbs prior to leaving for Lincoln in June. The weight class jump wasn’t solidified until after the first of the year. Now.....opinions are just that.....”opinions”. And everyone is entitled to their own. But those closest to the initial facilitation of this match know the truth. And that’s what matters most. We appreciate the statewide support for Silas, and fully respect the opinions of those who support, and are fans of Evan. It’s great for the sport. We wholeheartedly regret this match isn’t going to happen this year, but will very much look forward to a potential Fargo match-up. We wish Evan and the Chesterton team nothing but good health, and success moving forward. And hope they collectively enjoy the ride in pursuit of their goals. -The Allred’s Plenty of other talented and driven 195 and 220lbs young men for Silas & Evan to focus on as we speak.

Excuse me, but I think you mean the great State of Kansas for the Chiefs.

Ya think? Congrats on the worst thread hijack in IndianaMat history..and that's saying something!! Amirite...

Personally, with as many middle school events as there are I would hate for kids to be forced to monitor their weights multiple times per week. As a high school coach we try to limit the number of weeks with two weigh-ins just to ease the strain on the kids. I know our middle schools will have three, sometimes four events in a week and I couldn't imagine a kid needing to make weight that many times. Even if they aren't cutting weight they still need to monitor their weight in order to not be over. When talking about middle school we need to work on retention of athletes more than anything. This includes uniforms AND weigh-in procedures.

Cant forget about Robert Samuels and Rickie Clark for I think 3rd a couple years ago.

113 at Southport may qualify as the most unusual bracket. 10 team field. #1 seed Cottey (Perry) 27-0 State ranked 1 #2 seed Glithero (Roncalli) 21-4 State ranked 15 #3 seed 0-15 freshman #4 seed 0-12 freshman 6 Forfeits Somebody's gonna get their hand raised for the 1st time in the 3rd place match. And maybe one of them can pull off a shocker in the Regional & punch their ticket to Semi-State with just 1 win.