Y2CJ41

Overall Another year, another ranking breakdown for the state finals. As always Mike Reiser does a knock out job. He has consistently done a great job with our rankings even with locking them before the first whistle at sectional. This year's total of 193 ranked wrestlers is second only to last year's 200. Most of these wrestlers were in the state rankings at some point and are currently in the semi-state rankings. While ranking high school wrestling is not an easy job, Mike and the rest of the crew make it look easy. As we always say, the best part of the rankings is you get to prove them on the mat. Good luck to all the wrestlers in Evansville. As always our information center has brackets and will be updated multiple times with information throughout the week. Bookmark this page and check it often for updates. Click here for the Info Center with links to download the brackets Season by season ranked wrestlers advancing to state *Note Mike Reiser took over the rankings in 2012 2024- 193 2023- 200 2022- 190 2021- 186 2020- 180 2019- 175 2018- 179 2017- 169 2016- 175 2015- 172 2014- 171 2013- 171 2012- 170 2011- 157 2010- 159 2009- 143 Wrestlers not in either the final state or semi-state rankings: 106lbs Caleb Morrow (Indianapolis Lutheran) 113lbs Bradyn Volz (Eastern Hancock) 132lbs Dylan Fernandez (Lafayette Harrison) 190lbs Nathan Shafer (New Castle) 215lbs Aiden Beadles (South Putnam) 106lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14 Unranked qualifiers: Caleb Morrow (Indianapolis Lutheran) Charlie Fleshman (Central Noble) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #5 Peyton Schoettle (Roncalli) vs. #17 Joseph Hamilton (Center Grove) #9 Rex Moore (Manchester) vs. #13 Teigan Newell (Crown Point) #11 Alonzo Chantea (Plymouth) vs. #7 Julianna Ocampo (New Haven) #1 Jensen Boyd (Delta) vs. #25 Grant Holloway (Rochester) #14 Mason Goelz (Avon) vs. #10 Heather Crull (Northeastern) #15 John Bissmeyer (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. #8 Talon Jessup (Columbus East) 113lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12 Unranked qualifiers: Beck Doughty (Rensselaer Central) Bradyn Volz (Eastern Hancock) Karrington Cooper (New Haven) Sully Frazier (Zionsville) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #3 Ayden Bollinger (Delta) vs. #19 Gavin Ash (Monrovia) #12 Nathan Reyes (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. #13 Brady Harper (Penn) #8 Caleb Schaefer (Evansville Mater Dei) vs. #4 Jalen Sawyer-May (Kokomo) #16 Kaleb Salazar (Wawasee) vs. #2 Nathan Rioux (Avon) 120lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13 Unranked qualifiers: Cameron Woods (Portage) Henry Faurote (Bellmont) Hunter Douglas (Norwell) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #1 Gavin Jendreas (Crown Point) vs. #23 Tony Kessinger (Floyd Central) #5 Charlie LaRocca (Center Grove) vs. #18 Adrian Origel (North Newton) #15 Kaid Jackson (Delta) vs. #14 Jett McGuire (Greenfield-Central) #6 Tanner Tishner (Western) vs. #13 Richard Rogers (Franklin Central) #2 Seth Aubin (Hobart) vs. #7 Isaac Ash (Monrovia) 126lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14 Unranked qualifiers: Bradin Daniels (Union City) Fynn Douglas (Floyd Central) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #2 Landon Hawkins (Crown Point) vs. #5 Neal Mosier (Delta) #8 Gavin Bragg (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. #4 Braylon Reynolds (Brownsburg) #3 Luke Rioux (Avon) vs. #9 Eli Broady (Mount Vernon (Fortville)) #7 Layne Horn (Rochester) vs. #18 Cody Rowles (Jay County) #16 Drew Waldon (DeKalb) vs. #10 Matthew Maldonado (Merrillville) #1 Isaiah Schaefer (Evansville Mater Dei) vs. #14 Peter Nguyen (Guerin Catholic) 132lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13 Unranked qualifiers: Cole Stuffel (Yorktown) Dylan Fernandez (Lafayette Harrison) Hayden Fritz (West Central) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #15 Jack Davis (Indianapolis Bishop Chatard) vs. #4 Eddie Goss (Center Grove) #13 Keith Parker (Ben Davis) vs. #20 Cole Vandygriff (New Palestine) #1 Jake Hockaday (Brownsburg) vs. #19 Isaac Kuhn (Hamilton Heights) #7 Carter Fielden (Garrett) vs. #8 Sonny Sessa (Crown Point) #2 Tylin Thrine (New Castle) vs. #10 Quinten Schoeff (Avon) 138lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 12 Unranked qualifiers: Blake Jones (Lawrence North) Jaylen Covington (Pendleton Heights) Josh England (LaPorte) Taiden Chambers (West Noble) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #11 Chase Stephens (Tell City) vs. #10 Luke Reid (Valparaiso) #5 Wesley Smith (Plymouth) vs. #13 Justice Thornton (Columbus North) #25 Cam Dews (Elkhart) vs. #6 Gavyn Whitehead (New Castle) #1 Clinton Shepherd (Crown Point) vs. #14 William Vander Luitgaren (Center Grove) 144lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 16 Unranked qualifiers: None First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #6 Zar Walker (Mishawaka) vs. #25 Marlin Williams (Southmont) #23 Colton Bollenbacher (South Adams) vs. #2 Parker Reynolds (Brownsburg) #4 Christian Arberry (Warren Central) vs. #17 Avery Stanley (Rensselaer Central) #8 Branson Weaver (Owen Valley) vs. #10 Brody Hagewood (Prairie Heights) #1 Reese Courtney (Center Grove) vs. #18 Emilio Liscano (Oak Hill) #16 Bryce Doss (New Palestine) vs. #3 Jeffrey Huyvaert (New Prairie) #12 Marlone Kirksy (Merrillville) vs. #7 Dillon Graham (Indianapolis Cathedral) #5 Easton Doster (New Haven) vs. #24 Gabe Rose (Switzerland County) 150lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14 Unranked qualifiers: Aidan Elkins (New Haven) Mason Adams (Western Boone) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #21 Luke Teusch (Huntington North) vs. #10 Christopher Bohn (Munster) #8 Braden Getz (Roncalli) vs. #11 Alex Smith (Heritage Hills) #9 Kaptur Nowaczyk (Crown Point) vs. #19 Jayden Jett (Cowan) #5 Wesley Harper (Penn) vs. #12 Brock Hagewood (Prairie Heights) #6 Tyler Vanover (Evansville Mater Dei) vs. #16 Carson Fettig (Hamilton Heights) #20 Moses Stevenson (Franklin Central) vs. #2 Hunter May (Floyd Central) 157lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15 Unranked qualifiers: Cael Hickok (Bloomington North First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #3 Mitchell Betz (Western) vs. #11 Michael Cain (Hamilton Heights) #7 Mason Day (Brownsburg) vs. #1 Beau Brabender (Mishawaka) #5 Anthony Cashman II (Warren Central) vs. #14 Kevon Russell (Fort Wayne Snider) #10 Griffin Van Tichelt (Crown Point) vs. #6 Silas Stits (Center Grove) #4 Silas Foster (Purdue Polytechnic) vs. #15 Teegan Clouse (West Noble) #8 Gavin Davis (Bellmont) vs. #12 Aidan Kincaide (Noblesville) #9 Asher Ratliff (Columbus North) vs. #19 Javon Frost (Delphi) 165lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14 Unranked qualifiers: Emilio Tirado (Lake Central) Ethan Smith (Fort Wayne Snider) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #15 Xavier Smith (Fishers) vs. #16 Jesse Derringer (Brownsburg) #14 Coy Bender (Terre Haute South) vs. #17 Zach Huckaby (Perry Meridian) #2 Waylon Cressell (Warren Central) vs. #8 Oliver Hallett (Indian Creek) #7 Isaac Sinks (Harrison (WL)) vs. #4 Kaeb Stebbins (Delta) #10 Levi Abbott (Cowan) vs. #6 Brant Beck (Rochester) #3 Evan Roudebush (Bloomington South) vs. #25 James Dozier (Roncalli) 175lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 15 Unranked qualifiers: Aidan White (Crown Point) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #11 Kyle Harden (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. #6 Braxton Russell (Delta) #1 Aidan Costello (Hobart) vs. #14 Noah Sumner (Martinsville) #8 Laish Detwiler (Goshen) vs. #16 Michael White (Lawrence North) #3 Brenton Russell (Warren Central) vs. #17 Ethan Farnell (Maconaquah) #18 Cooper McCloy (Terre Haute South) vs. #13 Zymarion Hollyfield (Penn) #7 Ethan Popp (Harrison (WL)) vs. #4 Noah Clouser (Center Grove) #2 Chase Leech (Garrett) vs. #19 Silas Frye (Greenfield-Central) 190lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 13 Unranked qualifiers: Keith Miller (Northwood) Nathan Shafer (New Castle) Trey Dunning (Mishawaka High School) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #4 Vinny Freeman (Penn) vs. #3 Luke Penola (Zionsville) #20 Elias Cressell (Wabash) vs. #11 Collin Casad (Terre Haute South) #25 Colin Whetsel (New Palestine) vs. #16 Aleksandar Tatum (Hobart) #6 Noah Terry (Tell City) vs. #14 Eli Coolman (Leo) #23 Donovan Blair (Wawasee) vs. #2 Kaden McConnell (Center Grove) 215lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14 Unranked qualifiers: Aiden Beadles (South Putnam) Preston Duffy (Manchester) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers: #2 Cole Chicoine (McCutcheon) vs. #13 Wyatt Woodall (Southmont) #18 Travis Henke (Northridge) vs. #19 Parker Hart (Heritage Hills) #6 Brandon Johnson (Lawrence North) vs. #12 Jayden Bartoszek (Hanover Central) #1 Will Clark (Crown Point) vs. #9 Devin Kendrex (Mount Vernon (Fortville)) #4 Julante Hinton (Fort Wayne Northrop) vs. #17 Landon Terry (Tell City) #8 Jackson Weingart (Indianapolis Cathedral) vs. #5 Alex Deming (Rochester) 285lbs Number of Ranked Wrestlers Qualifying: 14 Unranked qualifiers: Max Amberger (Batesville) Perris Green (Warren Central) First round match-ups of ranked wrestlers:#1 Paul Clark (Crown Point) vs. #22 James Hartleroad (DeKalb) #10 Juan Cruz (Bluffton) vs. #3 Aramis McNutt (Highland) #11 Justin Brown (Floyd Central) vs. #8 Hosia Smith (Indianapolis Cathedral) #7 Austin Hastings (Noblesville) vs. #18 Hayden Smith (Heritage Hills) #5 Anthony Popi (Plymouth) vs. #23 Ethan Dodson (Fort Wayne Snider) #20 Isaiah Coolman (Leo) vs. #2 Brady Beck (Rochester)

The state qualifier streaks are always fun to keep an eye on. This year we have a lot of teams with 10+ straight years of state experience that might have their streaks broken. While we expect most of these teams to continue their streaks they do have intriguing ticket round match-ups for their top wrestlers. Perry Meridian 22 year streak, 5th longest active streak Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/#5 Colin Clark 113lbs #19/#6 Hruai Lian 120lbs NR/NR RJ Taylor 165lbs #11/#3 Zach Huckaby 175lbs #13/#3 Seer Godwise 190lbs #13/#3 Jaylen Young 285lbs #17/#1 Jacob McClure Best Chance to Advance There are very few easy paths out of New Castle and it seems Perry Meridian received some tough draws. Hruai Lian comes in with a solid shot of continuing the streak. His biggest obstacle will be one loss freshman Bradyn Volz of Eastern Hancock. Two-time qualifier Zach Huckaby comes in at #11 in the state and will have to go through #22 Kade Rickard of Bishop Chatard. Tough road to Evansville The others in the field got about the worst possible draws. Collin Clark runs into undefeated Heather Crull at 106lbs. Returning state qualifier RJ Taylor could meet up with semi-state #1 Chace Yant. Seer Godwise runs into state placer Kyle Harden at 175lbs. Jaylen Young comes in at #3 in the semi-state, but has Noah Weaver in the ticket round. Lastly, the big guy Jacob McClure has a combination of Killian Miller and state placer Hosia Smith to punch his ticket. Bloomington South 26 years, 5th longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/#10 Jaxsen Jean 132lbs NR/NR Amrin Pratt 144lbs #13/#4 Wyatt Cooksey 165lbs #3/#1 Evan Roudebush 175lbs NR/NR Tristian Hicks Best Chance to Advance Junior Evan Roudebush(pronounced ROWDY-bush) comes in as the 3rd ranked wrestler in the state, but will have to go through either #19 or #21 to make his way to Evansville for two straight weeks. Tough road to Evansville Little guy Jaxsen Jean will have to go through state ranked Eli Ogle and Talon Jessup to punch his ticket to Evansville. Amrin Pratt will have to go through #17 Kellan Carter in the first round. If he wins that he’ll likely see two-time state champ Jake Hockaday. Wyatt Cooksey has had a great sophomore year, but will likely see #1 Reese Courtney in the ticket round. Tristan Hicks will have to go through undefeated Sam Howard and #14 Noah Sumner if he is to punch his ticket to state. Adams Central 25 years, 7th longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/#10 Myles Kaehr 113lbs NR/NR Kale Beer 132lbs NR/#5 Brason Schortgen 138lbs #16/#5 Maverick Dubach 150lbs NR/NR Max Byerly 190lbs #16/#3 Trevor Currie 215lbs NR/#6 Keegan Bluhm 285lbs #13/#4 Zac Wurm Best Chance to Advance Maverick Dubach has wrestled well his sophomore year and ranked #18 in the state. He will be a slight underdog against #12 Linkin Carter of Eastside in the ticket round. Keegan Bluhm at 215lbs comes in with the best ranking in his quarter bracket at #6 in the semi-state. He will have #10 Matt Poiry and #7 Preston Duffy to go through. Heavyweight Zac Wurm will also come in with the best ranking. However, he has #9 in the semi-state Vincent Parke first round and #22 in the state James Hartleroad in the ticket round. Tough road to Evansville To start out for the Flying Jets Myles Kaehr will have two state ranked wrestlers in his quarter bracket including state qualifier Rex Moore. Kale Beer is in the same boat with state ranked Abrum Swathwood and Kaleb Salazar in his way to Evansville. Freshman Brason Shortgen has had a great year, but runs into state placer Carter Fielden in the first round. Max Byerly will have to go through either Aidan Elkins or Porter Kleeberg who are both semi-state ranked to advance. Trevor Currie won a tough regional and got put into a quarter bracket with two other state ranked wrestlers. The #15th ranked wrestler will get the winner of #9 Chad Washburn and #14 Eli Coolman in the ticket round. Carroll (Fort Wayne) 17 years, 10th longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/NR Boston Blake 165lbs NR/NR August Adams Best Chance to Advance With both wrestlers drawing state qualifiers in the first round the best chance to keep the streak alive is August Adams. Adams won a sectional title and was runner-up at regional. Tough road to Evansville Little guy Boston Blake has undefeated and returning state qualifier Rex Moore first round. Adams will start his quest with Cowan state qualifier Levi Abbott. Neither is a good draw which is not good for the 17 year streak in Huntertown. Westfield 13 years, 12th longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/NR Keegan Carson 120lbs #11/#3 Porter Temples 126lbs NR/NR Carter Niccum 132lbs NR/NR Chase Camire 138lbs NR/#10 Jake Saez 150lbs NR/NR Graydon Staley 157lbs NR/NR Eli Turner 165lbs NR/NR Hunter Lancaster Best Chance to Advance Sophomore little guy Keegan Carson won a regional title and landed in a spot with only one opponent with a ranking in #4 semi-state Kendall Moe. Returning state qualifier Porter Temples is a slight ranking underdog at 120lbs, however he has a solid shot to make his way back to state. Tough road to Evansville Carter Niccum was a regional runner-up and runs into a tough Gavin Bragg in the ticket round. Chase Camire will likely have to go through state ranked Donald Bowie and Jack Davis to wrestle in Evansville. Junior Jake Saez is another one with two state ranked wrestlers in his quarter bracket. He has state placer Gavyn Whitehead and tough freshman Peyton Hornsby. Graydon Staley will have #16 Carson Fettig in the first round. Junior Eli Turner will have tough freshman Aidan Kincaide in his opening match. Hunter Lancaster will have #25 James Dozier in the opening round and undefeated Damien Dance possibly in the ticket round. Zionsville 11 years, 16th longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 113lbs NR/#7 Sully Frazier 120lbs #20/#5 Tommy Frazier 126lbs NR/NR Quinn Stauffacher 132lbs NR/NR Jalin England 144lbs #16/#9 Hank Phenicie 157lbs #20/#7 Blake Wahl 175lbs NR/#6 Jon Mangus 190lbs #3/#1 Luke Penola 215lbs NR/NR Kian Maclauchlan 285lbs NR/NR Dace McNeil Best Chance to Advance Regional champ Sully Frazier opens with state ranked Keegan Dresllar of Southport. Tommy Frazier is in a good spot, but could meet semi-state ranked Cole Freese or Jack Richardson in the ticket round. Luke Penola brought back a state medal last year, but has a tough ticket round match with #10 Clay Guenin looming. It’s one of the bigger ticket round matches in the semi-state. Tough road to Evansville Quinn Stauffacher and Jalin England both come in with losing records and draw into tough quarter brackets with ranked wrestlers. Al Smith placer Hank Phenicie will have a tough match to start with #16 Bryce Doss. If he wins his reward will be #22 Oshea Phillips of Centerville. Senior Blake Wahl’s path to state is through state placer Anthony Cashman. Jon Mangus is ranked #6 in the semi-state, but has #16 in the state Michael White in the ticket round. Kain Maclauchlan will start the day with state placer Devin Kendrex. Heavyweight Dace McNeil will have Warren Central’s #7 in the semi-state Perris Green in his first match. Carmel 11 years, 16th longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/#10 Carlo Federici 113lbs NR/#8 Tamir Halevi 132lbs NR/#8 Caleb Mattingly 150lbs NR/NR Jackson Schmidt 157lbs NR/#10 Jario Ojeda-Cortes 285lbs NR/#4 Killian Miller Best Chance to Advance Caleb Mattingly comes in as a regional champ and ranked #22. He will have #10 in the semi-state Alex Plahitko to open up and then possibly #19 Isaac Kuhn. Tough road to Evansville Carlo Federici has had a good freshman year, but will run into #1 in the semi-state Peyton Schoettle in the ticket round. Tamir Halevi was a state qualifier in 2022 and looking for another trip. He will however run into two state ranked wrestlers in Connor Bayliss and Nathan Reyes to make a return trip. Jackson Schmidt will have to go through tough sophomore #20 Moses Stevenson to punch a ticket. Another Greyhound with two state ranked wrestlers in his quarter-bracket is Jario Ojeda-Cortes. He will have to go though #11 Michael Cain and #25 Kaleb Wilburn. To keep the same theme, Killian Miller has #14 Jacob McClure to open up his day and if he wins that likely gets #8 Hosia Smith. Columbia City 10 years, 22nd longest active Semi-State Qualifiers 106lbs NR/#5 Ian Berry 285lbs NR/#9 Vincent Parke Best Chance to Advance Vincent Parke comes in with a lot of experience battling the top big guys in the area. His draw however did him no favors. Tough road to Evansville Ian Berry has put together a fine freshman year, but after losing to NE8 rival Julianna Ocampo at regional he has to go through #1 Jensen Boyd to punch his ticket. After a regional runner-up finish Parke fell into a quarter bracket with state qualifier Zac Wurm and Fargo champ James Hartleroad who are both state ranked.

Mike and Joe talk about East Chicago

Mike and Joe talk about New Castle

TRIPLE_B EVANSVILLE SEMI-STATE SPECTACULAR PREVIEW!!!!!! This year Trips will hit turn the big 4-4 on Saturday, Mrs 3B will be in attendance for her first SS ever, will this be the greatest Evansville SS of all time?? Dirty brackets, blood round matches that feel like your cutting fresh onions, and all around excitement will fill The FORD Saturday February 10th. Evansville is THE BEST Semi-State in the land!! 224 wrestlers will be battling for 56 Golden tickets to Indy…..errrr…. Back to Evansville!!! Out of those 224, 138 are Semi-State ranked and 98, I Said 98 (!!!!!!) are ranked in the IndianaMat State Rankings!! Lawwwwwdy have Mercy!!!! This might be the big one Elizabeth!!!! Here’s some quotes from my rankers…. Just in case you needed more convincing of the bloodbath that is Evansville: “The land encompassing Evansville was formally relinquished by the Delaware Indians in 1805 to General William Henry Harrison, then the governor of the Indiana Territory, and the namesake of Evansville’s Harrison High School. On Saturday should anyone surrender a late takedown, escape or back points, they will find themselves relinquishing a spot on the podium. Faltering in the first couple of rounds will likely mean a one-way ticket to palookaville.” “There is going to be some blood shed this weekend. Dirty South has some match-ups that just plain SAY'S Wrestle back are NEEDED!!!! Damn Travesty! EVSS has 8 Brackets with 3 Top 25 Ranked wrestlers & the other Semi-States combined only have 9.. So yes, if you make it out of the South "You are a BAD Dude" pain and simple!! Go Dirty South” “Some of these were tough. I HATE these freakin' draws man! Evansville gets screwed. Crown Point looks amazing with their 'easy' draws. BB and CG get picked apart down in the toughest semi state.” In other words…… WE BUILT DIFFERENT!!!!!! House keeping items - Here is the link for the Indianamat Semi-State Hub - https://indianamat.com/index.php?/articles.html/high-school-news/2024-semi-state-information-center-r1358/ From our former inside man Markio - Ford Arena info: NEW DOOR ENTRY PROCESS FOR WRESTLERS SEE UNDERLINED INFO BELOW 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 rear double doors on 6th Street near the corner of 6th Street and Bob Jones Way. You will pick up your credentials here. The only coolers allowed are for wrestlers and must enter at the check in table through the rear wrestlers entrance door. 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 Gainbridge 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 the 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. 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 into place. 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 - Any weight class where the pick for champion was unanimous, makes it a Ford Tough Lock. This year we have, what may be a record, 10, yes 10 FORD TOUGH LOCKS! Ford Fab 4 - After the picks were gathered, points distributed, and the dust settled, we’ll have the Ford Fab 4. Rankings will be featured like such (State Rank/SS Rank) A big shout out to Navy80, BigToe19, DuckTails (Wooohoo!), Hook&Half and The DONNIE BAKER for their contributions. I will add some commentary throughout from our great pickers. What if I didn’t agree with the ECSC or I thought they made a terrible error? Then have no fear - The TripleB Guarantee will help you sort out the madness. 106: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10 (19/7) David Alstadt crumbled this bracket up last week at Regionals and tossed it in the can. We have several great opening matches and the ticket round matches should all be competitive and great for the fans. 8 State ranked wrestlers will be competing for the 4 spots. This weight class has it all! The winner of Malone/Byrd will be the favorite, no offense Wildcat nation, and really after what we saw last weekend this weight could be wide open. Alstadt/Goelz/Jessup/Ogle/Malone/Byrd could all win or can lose in the ticket round. I’m not sure we’ve seen 106 so up for grabs in a long time! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - There’s not alot on paper here. Let’s go with 2 great programs and 2 SS ranked wrestlers - Bloomington South’s (SS10) Jaxsen Jean and Brownsburg’s (12/5) Eli Ogle. Jean ranked 10th in the SS and Ogle is ranked 5th, both coaches know how to get their kids ready. Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - We aren’t gonna wait long for blood rounds… soooo HERE….WE….GO…. Monrovia has been known for putting out quality kids and Freshman Royce Malone will look to continue the hammers the Bulldogs. Washington Senior Brady Byrd ran off 42 straight wins…. Until getting upset last week at Regionals by Mater Dei’s David Alstadt. This now sets up a turrrrible draw… as (6/3) Malone will take on (4/2) Byrd. A Frosh vs a Senior… LETSSS GOOOOOO Don’t sleep on…. Switzerland County has been building a reputation in the southeast part of the state for a few years. Sophomore Ethan Rose is making his second trip to the FORD, can he become the first Pacer to punch their ticket to state? He does have a favorable draw by avoiding all the top ranked guys! The Hook&Half DL: “Brownsburg’s Eli Ogle will pull off two—count ‘em—two upsets en route to the semis, where he will meet the winner of EMD’s David Atlstadt and Avon’s Mason Goelz. It’s a crying shame; in opposite brackets you could be looking at a finals match between the Oriole and the Wildcat.” Ford Fab 4 - Royce Malone Monrovia, Mason Goelz Avon, Talon Jessup Columbus East, Joey Hamilton Center Grove 113: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/9 The 4 quarter brackets at 113 couldn’t look anymore different. 2 brackets feature locks in returning state champ (1/1) Revin Dickman from Brownsburg and his counterpart Avon’s (2/2) Nate Rioux. The other 2 feature first round matches that could determine the 3rd place match. Which we’ll cover below. The big story: can the Castle Regional crash the Mooresville Party? Also: Despite having a returning state champ, we do not have our first LOCK (Momma2Dickmans don’t try to fight me in the hotel lobby again). Can Rioux get one on Dickman? They’ve wrestled 1,000,453 times… and both are in the same room in the offseason at Contenders, if anyone knows Revin, it’s Nate. Could Saturday be the day? Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Now business is about to pick up!! 2 Fab Frosh from down South looks to end the season of 2 Juniors from the Mooresville Regional. In our first match up (10/3) Jr. Brennan Leonard from Martinsville gets Mater Dei’s (8/4) Freshman Caleb Schaefer. Schaefer is ranked higher in the state, Leonard is ranked higher in the semi-state. What a match!! Our other first round match of state ranked wrestlers features Freshman (24/7) Wyatt Ulrey of Boonville taking on Junior (19/5) Gavin Ash of Monrovia. Will this be our first Mooresville 4 over a 1? It probably won’t be our last. Can the Castle Regional Freshman send home the Mooresville Juniors? Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - See Leonard/Schaefer above. Two top 10 state ranked wrestlers going at it in the first round is absurd. These two should be wrestling next Friday at the Ford!!! Don’t sleep on…. The “Other Guys”. After winning those first round matches will the victors look past Eli Collier from Owen Valley and Tom Nguyen from New Albany? Let me tell you, if they do, their day will end pretty quick! Also a shoutout to my man Ethan “Eazy E” Pittman, Madison Freshman and Regional Champ. I don’t know who that kid’s youth coach was,but if I was a young wrestler in Southern Indiana, I’d find that guy….. Oh yeah, I’m THAT GUY! Ford Fab 4 - Revin Dickman Brownsburg, Nate Rioux Avon, Caleb Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei, Gavin Ash Monrovia 120: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/11 Let’s pour more gas on this fire!! All 4 quarter final matchups will feature 8 state ranked wrestlers with 2 of those matches pitting top 10 ranked wrestlers against each other!!! 120 also features one of the worst Turrible Draws of all time. This weight class is so loaded, we have 2 top ten ticket round matches! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - A pair of super sophomores will be battling it out early. Heritage Hills Berke Eisenhauer brings a stunning 41-4 record into this match and will be battling it out with Edgewood’s John Orman. Both of these lads are battle tested and the winner gets…. Returning state champ Charlie LaRocca. But I digress, enjoy this match as it’s a warm up for the quarters! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Ohhhhh boy…. When Brownsburg’s Preston Haines lost in Regionals last week, every single regional started buzzing, we all knew what was gonna happen. A Haines/Hendeson ticket round match. We will get a state ranked top 4 match, in the ticket round. This just isn’t fair. Henderson got the big pinfall dub at State duals over Haines. Can Hendo do it again-o? This match is so big it overshadows the other top 10 matchup of Walter Hagerdorn from Tell City and Isaac Ash of Monrovia. Don’t sleep on…. Floyd Central Freshman Tony Kessinger. Dude is mean and built different. He will draw a familiar foe in Corydon’s Jayden Owsley in the quarter finals. Two of Isaac Knable’s Invicta grapplers going at it with a trip to state on the line. Ford Fab 4: Charlie LaRocca Center Grove, Ty Henderson Evansville Mater Dei, Isaac Ash Monrovia, Tony Kessinger Floyd Central 126: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10 126 has it all, but the word is disparity as we got our first unranked quarter bracket, 2 big state ranked ticket round matches and our first of 8 First Ford Tough Locks!! I love the unranked quarterbrackets, sheer chaos and every kid wrestling like crazy. What makes this semi-state great is brackets like 126. Isaiah Schaefer also looks to join his pops as an IHSAA state champion with being our first FORD Tough Lock! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - 2 state ranked wrestlers will be going at it with in the opening round. Returning state qualifier and #6 ranked Dominic Brown will meet up with Terre Haute South’s 19th ranked Nathan Bryan. Terre Haute has been on a tear the last few years and Brown is in that tough Center Grove room. This match should deliver! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Speaking of Dom Brown, if he’s successful against Bryan, it will set up another top state ranked match up in the quarters as #1 ranked Isiah Schaefer will be waiting. Here’s what I know - Schaefer is a two time state medalists and has that Schaefer dog in him. Brown is in a room full of medalists and hammers. Schaefer had a quick fall at team state and that can’t sit well w/ Brown. Switzerland County’s Peyton Richards brings in a stunning 84-1 career record into Sem–State, as a sophomore! His one loss was last year to Eddie Goss in the ticket round. This year the Pacer has Avon’s Luke Rioux. Rioux, a former state medalists, lost a tough 5-4 to eventual state runner up Jackson Heaston. It’s #11 vs #3 and maybe not a turrrrible draw, but a match for sure to watch! Don’t sleep on…. The bottom quarter bracket, someone is gonna “sneak” thru, the early favorite is Floyd Central’s Fynn Douglas. But Heritage Hills has a one loss Freshman in Eli Hedges that could also get through. The only SS ranked wrestler in this bracket is a “Mooresville 4” in Greenwood’s Keegan Murray. And Jeff is like Charlie Puth… .they are… headlock….away! Ford Tough Lock: Isaiah Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei Ford Fab 4: Isaiah Schaefer Evansville Mater Dei, Braylon Reynolds Brownsburg, Luke Rioux Avon, Fynn Douglas Floyd Central 132: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10 Mooresville is known for bringing absolute studs to Evansville. 2 terms have been coined because of the strength of the Mooresville Regional - The Mooresville Sweep and The Mooresville 4. We might see both here as Mooresville looks to sweep the top 4 spots and possibly our first Mooresville 4th place finisher sends a regional champ packing! 132 also features our next LOCK but we will keep that a secret for now! SUSPENSEFUL!! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - An interesting quarter-bracket where a “Mooresville 4” is favored to win, but when you really look at it anybody can! Mt Vernon Sophomore Jayden Stillwagoner brings a regional championship and 32-4 record from the always tough Castle Regional while Keith Parker brings a state ranking of 13th and is a top 4 SS ranked wrestler. In the other match up. SS #12 Keegan Jochim of Franklin will take on (23/8) Hunter Banet of Floyd Central. Who’s one of those 4 losses STillwagoner has to? Hunter Banet!! Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - There are no real “Turrible Draws” if we go by criteria. We do have 2 seniors w/ phenomenal records that look to be victims of the dreaded Mooresville Regional. Terre Haute South’s Josiah Dedeaux (16/5) will go at it with Avon’s (10/3) Quentin Schoeff. Josiah has put together a great body of work. Schoeff is an Oriole from Avon and the young Oriole has had a great season. What happens when these two meet up is anyone’s guess! The other Senior is Scottsburg’s Kellan Carter. A truly great story of toughness and grit, after missing his Junior season the Warrior from Scottsburg has put in work. He wrestled over 70 matches in the off season and has grinded non-stop. Last weekend at regionals he was upended by Columbus North Freshman (coughTripleBtrainedcough) Cohen Long. The bracket god weren’t kind w/ Carter drawing 2x state champ and Oklahoma Sooner commit Jake Hockaday in the ticket round! Don’t sleep on…. It’s a turrible draw, but gotta give love to Former RoughNeck and one of TripleB OG’s - Cohen Long. The Columbus North Freshman grabbed him a regional title last weekend and will get (2/4) Eddie Goss in the ticket round! Ford Tough Lock: Jake Hockaday Brownsburg Ford Fab 4 - Jake Hockaday Brownsburg, Eddie Goss Center Grove, Quinten Schoeff Avon, Keith Parker Ben Davis 138: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 9/11 We have another LOCK at 138 but after Brady Ison, this weight class will be fun. After proving the doubters (myself included) wrong, no one is questioning Brady this year! A Syra/Thornton ticket round match had the rankers at odds. Tons of possible sleepers litter this bracket. Some state ranked first round matches. Don’t miss 138 on Saturday! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Let’s look at state ranked match ups in the first round. The first one is Columbus East’s (22/7) Kaleb Kirkpatrick taking on (16/12) Camden Baumann from Evansville Mater Dei. It’s OTR’s rankings vs TripleB’s rankings as Kirkpatrick is ranked higher in the semi-state but Baumann is higher in the state rankings. Grrrrrrr!!! The other state ranked draw is Floyd Central Junior (23/8) Vince Kessinger taking on (15/4) Seth Syra of Avon. Syra has all eyes on a rematch with Justice Thornton but if he’s caught dreaming of Justice…. Vinny take out his knees!!! Heeeeyyyy!!! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Speaking of the Syra/Thornton rematch. This was a ticket rounder a year ago and it was a banger!! Thornton won a late reversal and fought off a last second takedown attempt by Syra. Syra got redemption at IHPO with a pinfall victory. Syra is 2-1 in head to heads, can Justice prevail this time?!?!!? Don’t sleep on….Landon Horning - Evansville Memorial, with all eyes on the team race and William Vander Luitgaren getting all the love from the rankers, can Horning spoil the Sophomores run in the ticket round? This is a battle built for Ancient Greece, the Tiger vs the Trojan!!! Ford Tough Lock: Brady Ison Brownsburg Ford Fab 4 - Brady Ison Brownsburg, Justice Thornton Columbus North, Chase Stephens Tell City, William Vander Luitgaren Center Grove 144: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/11 We are on LOCKdown as we have another LOCK, Reese Courtney will look to hold COURT on 144! The rankers actually all liked the same 4 but just in some different orders. Almost a chalk weight for the crew. Parker Reynolds will look to overcome his ticket round upset last year and he continues to show his resolve after off season health issues (look up the article on IndianaMat!). Can Branson Weaver crash this party?? Find out Saturday! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - A rematch from the Hoosier Hills Conference finals highlights the opening matches at 144. Columbus East Caleb Cooper (19/7) has won just about everything this year - Columbus Invite, HHC, Sectionals, and Regionals. The Olympian grappler will have to get by a game Webster (SS10) to keep his run going. This match was 4-2 back in January. The Bulldog Senior will not want his season to end with another loss to Cooper! Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Bloomington South’s Wyatt Cooksey (13/4) has been chasing Branson Weaver of Owen Valley all post season. He’s yet to cook up the recipe to knock him off and that has left him w/ turrible draw of returning state runner-up and #1 ranked Reese Courtney of Center Grove! Yet another ticket round match of top 4 ranked SS guys. Don’t sleep on…. This weight class was hard, lots of good kids. Last year I cursed Gabe Rose w/ the TripleB Guarantee so I’ll stay away from that. I’ve gotten several texts about this freshman from Gibson Southern. However, I’m going to go w/ one of the favorites; Owen Valleys Branson Weaver. With the #1 and #2 wrestlers in the state, Weaver will get overlooked. He is a returning SQ and has the tools to WEAVE together an impressive day Saturday. Everyone says 144 is the most wide open weight at state and I think we might also see that trickle down to Semi-State also! FORD Tough Lock: Reese Courtney Center Grove Ford Fab 4 - Reese Courtney Center Grove, Parker Reynolds Brownsburg, Branson Weaver Owen Valley, Deacon Dressler Gibson Southern 150: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10 Nothing much going on at 150, just the top 3 ranked wrestlers in the state and one of them will not be advancing to the IHSAA state finals next weekend! I said 126 featured one of the worst Turrible draws ever, but now it’s #2… How in the world.. Nevermind we will get into it later. We have a lock… that’s not a returning state runner up… 150 is bananas… b-a-n-a-n-a-s…BANANAS!!! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - I’ll take Nate “Dogg” Anderson (25/8) vs Griffin “The Col” Sanders (22/6). This match features 2 seniors, with 9 total losses and this bracket really is wide open. The winner puts themselves into the blood round and one more step closer to that golden ticket! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Floyd’s Hunter May is one of the most decorated wrestlers in the state; 3 time state medalist, returning SS champ, Returning state runner up, returning FORD Tough LOCK. You’d think he’d be another Lock, but no fast my friend, the voters are split!! Some like (3/3) Brownsburg’s Tommy Gibbs! That’s not a typo, we have the #2 and #3 ranked wrestlers in the state going at it for a chance to just get into the top 4 at Semi-State. But NOOOOOOOO we don’t need no wrestlebacks! SMDH!!! Don’t sleep on….The winner of Anderson/Griffin will get Heritage Hills Junior Alex Smith. Smith was in an open bracket last year and took a trip to Greco City, the trip became a nightmare for this Patriot. Look for Smith to get the winner of Anderson/Griffin and not take any exits on his way to the semis! The Hook&Half DL: “I like North’s Cale Bonenberger. I hate his draw against CG’s Wyatt Krejsa. Krejsa wrestles like you kicked his dog. Equally, Floyd Central fans hate Hunter May’s ticket round draw against Brownsburg Sophomore Tommy Gibbs. Gibbs is going to let it fly and claim the “V”.” FORD Tough Lock: Wyatt Kresja Center Grove Ford Fab 4 - Wyatt Kresja Center Grove, Tommy Gibbs Brownsburg, Tyler Vanover Evansville Mater Dei, Alex Smith Heritage Hills TRIBLEB GUARANTEE - Not sure why there’s a lack of respect for Hunter May, but he won’t go down without a fight! Donnie Baker and ducktails told me to bet the boat and call Randy because we ain’t coming in Monday! Da Knobs will be rocking and rolling lead by Hunter May and the rest of his state qualifiers teammates!! 157: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10 157 features our first Turrible draw in the first round! Also not a Lock after a few weights of nailing them down. Also the Jeff Regional (for once) and the Mooresville Regional will look to shut out the other 2 regionals here. Silas Stits was as close as one can be to being a LOCK but one ranker was feeling upsets in his bones at 157! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker/Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Let’s just kill 2 birds w/ one stone. We got a first round match featuring our #3 and #4 ranked SS wrestlers. How does this happened\?!?!?! Well it’s old news now, The Mooresville Regional, that’s how this happened. Columbus North’s (9/3) Asher Ratliff took home a regional championship last weekend and his reward is Martinsville’s (16/4) Evan Hamblin. This match was an 8-6 victory for Ratliff in the regular season. It looks like Hamblin is/was dealing w/ some type of injury. Let’s hope he’s ready to go Saturday! Don’t sleep on…. Indian Creek Freshman Elijah Guyer is the popular pick in his quarter bracket but don’t sleep on Bloomington North’s Cael Hickok. He brings a sectional and regional championship and also is flying under the radar being unranked. The FORD Center might be full of Cougars Saturday, but will Hickok be the luckiest one there? Ford Fab 4 - Silas Stits Center Grove, Mason Day Brownsburg, Asher Ratliff Columbus North, Elijah Guyer Indian Creek 165: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10 After a slight opening, we are back on LOCKDOWN! Hey doesn’t it seem like Bloomington South always has “that guy”? This year that guy is Evan Roudebush and he’s the prohibitive favorite at 165. Be on the lookout for a great semi-final match where Indian Creek’s Oliver Hallett will go toe to toe with Roudebush. That match should be great! Hallet just has to survive a TURRIBLE draw in the quarters to get there! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - 2 matches in the 165lb bracket will get the party started for his weight class. Just wait a second on the pulled pork nachos… you got matches to watch!. I’ve heard this alot this year “I really like _____” and these names all fit in that sentence: (21/6) Matthew Pegram from Evansville North, (19/8) David Oyebode from Decatur Central, (12/3) Gage Eckels from Ben Davis, and (23/7) Spencer Turner of Evansville Mater Dei. So imagine my happiness when I saw them all pitted together Saturday in the opening round!!! Letssss GOOOOOOO!!! Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - We got another top 4 ticket round match… Jeeze Louise!!! Indian Creek Sophmore (8/2) Oliver Hallet will wrestle the winner of Eckels/Turner. While TripleB never counts one of his WildCats out, lets just assume Eckels wins. This match will be great. Eckels is a senior and a returning qualifier, does this Giant have one more Giant match in him? Or can Hallet bring the Giant down to size? Don’t sleep on…. Can Spencer Turner pull some Mater Magic at the Ford and beat two top ranked SS kids? FORD Tough Lock: Evan Roudebush Bloomington South Ford Fab 4 - Evan Roudebush Bloomington South, Jesser Derringer Brownsburg, Coy Bender Terre Haute South, Oliver Hallett Indian Creek 175: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/8 Hey…. did you know that once upon a time Noah Clouser and Bray Emerine were teammates and workout partners? It’s true!!! Is that not a way to set up a potential finals match?? Two old workout partners going at it for a semi-state title on the line?!?!? Probably due to their familiarity and closeness, we don’t have a lock at 175! Will there be a “Mooresville 4” strike also at 175?? Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - This first round match up features contest between two wrestlers that’s flown under the radar. Columbus North’s Keller Despain has been in and out of the line up all season with injuries and Brownsburg’s Griffin Cambpell has also had some injuries keep him sidelined. These two seniors will be going at it to try to keep their careers alive! Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - The Mooresville Regional Strikes Again!!! This time we will get (9/3) Freshman Phenom Sam Howard of Boonville (51 matches?!?!?) and (14/4) Noah Sumner of Martinsville. Their combined record is 84-5!! TUUUURRRRRIIIBBBLLLEEE Don’t sleep on…. Columbus East loves pulling seniors out of nowhere and sending them to the big show. This year that could be Tyler Lake. Lake won Regionals last week, giving him the best path to a semi-final appearance. McCloy is the heavy favorite and already owns a pinfall win over Lake. Will McCloy be focused on a potential semi-final match up with Noah Clouser? If so he might drown in the Lake! Ford Fab 4 - Bray Emerine Floyd Central, Noah Clouser Center Grove, Sam Howard Boonville, Cooper McCloy Terre Haute South 190: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/10 If there’s one thing this Semi-State delivers, it’s exciting ticket round matches and Turrrible draws. 190 will keep that coming with Goldsberry/McConnell. I won’t spoil anymore, but this match will highlight 190. Also a potential Terry/Henry rematch. Those guys tore down Jeffersonville earlier in the year! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - 2 more seniors going at it in the first round and the winner will be the favorite in the quarters. Pike Senior (SS7) Kameron Biven will take on Terre Haute South’s (11/5) Collin Casad. On paper The Brave looks like the favorite but Biven is battle tested and has had some close matches with some high ranked wrestlers. The other first match between state ranked wrestlers is (6/3) Noah Terry vs. (18/6) Braxton Lewis of Cascade. Terry and Gunner Henry are a potential semi-final match and had absolute barn burner (won 8-7 by Henry) back in December. IF Terry is looking past Lewis, we all know Cascade has that magic at Evansville and can certainly drop some upset L’s on people. Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - McConnell/Goldsberry…. Mannnnnnnnn……are you serious right now? Kaden McConnel is the returning state runner up and is currently ranked 2nd to his nemesis from The Burg, Gunner Henry. Jett Goldsberry is a returning SQ and is currently ranked (8/4). These two hammers will meet in the ticket round to determine who advances to the IHSAA State Championships. Don’t sleep on…. The aforementioned Kameron Biven Ford Fab 4 - Gunner Henry Brownsburg, Kaden McConnell Brownsburg, Noah Terry Tell City, Collin Casad Terre Haute South 215: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 5/9 Another bracket of unranked wrestlers, a Turrible draw and a LOCK all highlight 215! Caden Brewer’s High School story has been one of upsets and redemption, His freshman year he won a sectional and regional and got put out at Semi-State, last year he won sectionals, regionals, semi-state and got knocked out the opening round of state. This year the Bulldog from Brownsburg looks to take that next step as he hopes to climb on the podium in his Junior year, he is the LOCK at 215! From a lock…. To a wide open bracket, which we will discuss below. 215 will be a great weight class come Saturday! Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - We have a quarter bracket w/ zero ranked state wrestlers and only one ranked SS wrestler. Keep your eyes on Kellen Fellure (a 3B guarantee), Noah Owens, Aiden Beadles, and Brant Oakley. This bracket is up for grabs. There were disagreements everywhere as TripleB descented from the pickers! Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - We also have a bracket where 2 top 4 SS guys will go at it for a spot in the state finals. Junior from Tell City (17/4) Landon Terry will hope to follow in his brother’s footsteps, but first must get through (14/3) Spencer Watson from Tri-West. Despite being the favorite in both rankings, Watson finds himself as the underdog in this match up! Don’t sleep on…. Heritage Hills Parker Hart, he has a win over Terry early in the season and has been in several close matches. He does have a loss to his potential ticket round opponent, Tyson Ruhe, but still the Patriot knows what it takes to win! FORD Tough Lock: Caden Brewer Brownsburg Ford Fab 4 - Caden Brewer Brownsburg, Landon Terry Tell City, Tyson Ruhe Jasper, Austin Beadles South Putnam TRIPLE B GUARANTEE: The Blue Cactus in Franklin Indiana will be throwing a wild party of all you can eat Chili Cheese Burritos when Franklin Community Freshman Kellen Fellure punches that ticket!!! We can’t have state in Evansville w/o a Tonte Suit on Friday!!! 285: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/9 One of the rare, maybe only weights where there were no official curtain jerkers as it’s all ranked vs unranked individuals. Also no Turrible Draws, none of that means this weight class won’t be fun. While it does have our last lock, Center Grove’s Nate Johnson, and all 4 picks were unanimous, not chalk, I’d be shocked if they all held up. The big quarterfinal match will feature returning state qualifier Ben Land taking on Avon Senior Oluwagbenga Orisadare. Another match up where the favored wrestler wasn’t picked to advance as the pickers like (16/5) Orisadare to beat (13/4) Land. Don’t sleep on…. Big Ben Land, dude is a throwing machine and never stops wrestling. In his earlier season 16-5 loss to (11/3) Justin Brown from Floyd, Land just kept coming and coming and giving up points to try to score points. He’s not a boring wrestler at all! FORD Tough Lock: Nate Johnson Center Grove Ford Fab 4 - Nate Johnson Center Grove, Justin Brown Floyd Central, Oluwagbenga Orisadare Avon, Hayden Smith Heritage Hills Man we made it…….let’s end w my favorite - food recommendations Hilltop Inn - Fried Brain sandwiches. 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 St, 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 used to be Stoll’s Country Diner (RIP). We’ll end w/ this unreleased track…. I love the Ford! An homage to the best Wrestling Semi-State in the Indiana! We got winners We got losers Dippers and boozers We got WildCats We got Bulldogs We got angry fathers And the moms all dressed up in their glitter Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD We got Trojans We got Olympians Broken-hearted wrestlers and seniors And we got state placers We got fighters Early-pinners and over-timers And the old timers in letter jackets talk about their battle scars Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD I love THE FORD It's my kind of place Just walkin' through the front door Puts a big smile on my face It’s actually pretty far Come as you are Hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, I love the FORD See everybody Saturday!!!