Y2CJ41

Kind of interesting that someone posting from the area of the Fort Wayne semi-state is trolling about this. I'm curious what Mr. Old Region Fan's point of this all is.

I was there in the 80s and 90s

Obviously 

1. Your memory is bad

or

2. You are trolling

WRONG! Apparently you have forgotten the entire 80's and early 90's

I'm trying to forget my hair styles in that era!

As recent as 1999 Fort Wayne had 4 champs and 3 runner-ups, in 1998 there were 3 champs and 3 runner-ups.

It hasn't ALWAYS been that way.

Weakest  Semi Sate   always has been !

Not really, in the 1990's you had SAC powers like Snider, Northrop, Dwenger, etc. 

Who

Are

Your

Losses

2

By local elementary schools I assume you mean THEIR feeder schools?

Yes, even if they are in their feeder schools there is no guarantee they will go to high school there.

P.S. I corrected it in the original post.

With Indiana's new open door policy on schools they all recruit. The public school closest to Madison has billboards up in Madison recruiting and offer bus routes in Madison. 

Not all are open enrollment, Carroll and Homestead are not in this area.

Mater Dei recruits, plain and simple.

Now before the torches are outside my house, let me explain. In order for MD to exist and pay their bills they must recruit students into the school. If they don't have a good product, meaning education and extracurricular activities it makes it harder to get those students. It is exponentially easier to get students when you have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc that went through the school and had great experiences. Don't think for a second they aren't sending info the local (feeder)elementary schools and churches about the benefits of going to MD.

Hamilton Heights will be your bracket busters. I am coach Myers and I approve of this message.

Fort Wayne is quickly becoming the wrestling hub in Indiana and the War Memorial Coliseum plays host to three of the big events. This weekend the friendly confines will hold the all-important semi-state wrestling tournament. With that comes 56 golden tickets to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

This year’s semi-state will provide a great day of wrestling with some very good entertainment from start to finish. At both ends, 106 and 285 you have weights that have many close competitors that will battle it out from the first whistle. Look for some hot and heavy action from all the weights as this might be the most unpredictable year in recent memory for this semi state.

On the team side you have the regulars vying for the title with Yorktown looking like a slight favorite over regional foes Bellmont and Delta, along with Carroll and Elkhart Memorial in the mix. On paper Yorktown has the horses and enough ponies to out distance the field, however that is on paper. Never count out Bellmont in big matches, nor look past a solid Carroll squad. Elkhart Memorial and Delta have the potential for a couple champs and could get a few others through to score some points. Overall with about eight weights that are total toss-ups, the team race will also be fun to watch.

As a friendly reminder all you men out there make sure you get your Valentine’s Day cards, flowers, and chocolate on Friday so you aren’t getting the “draw of death” from your lady on Sunday.

As with last year, due to many wrestlers from Carroll at the event I will refrain from mostly biased picks on the weight classes.

106lbs

Don’t sleep in on Saturday, get to the Coliseum early because if you don’t you’ll miss some of the best wrestling of the day. Returning State Streeter…Ben Streeter was a semi state finalist last year, but he’ll be pushed early on by a couple freshmen in Hunter Watts and Kade Zadylak. Brayden Curtis of Yorktown has come on strong this year. Curtis will have to manage a solid quarter bracket to punch his first ticket to state. The mighty little Panther Tanner DeMien is as tough as they come and was on the podium at state last year. The top of the bottom half has some interesting matches with JC Herring of Oak Hill sporting only one blemish on his record, but he can’t overlook the firepower of the Starfire Wyatt Miller, nor the Cougar little man Tanner Schoeff.

#WAYL2

Curtis- Jordan Slivka, Seth Horty, Christian Mejia(113)

DeMien- Cayden Rooks, Christian Mejia(113)

Zadylak- Brayden Curtis, Wyatt Miller

Herring- Brycen Denny

Streeter- Gavis Rose, Goeffrey Davis(113), KeeghanOverton

Schoeff- Brayden Shearer, Kade Zadylak, Hunter Watts(2 times)

Miller- Geoffrey Davis(113), Kade Zadylak, Brayden Curtis, Chris Schuller

Early #SlobberKnockers

Tanner Schoeff- Central Noble vs. Wyatt Miller- South Adams

Kade Zadylak- Norwell vs. Hunter Watts- Jimtown

Ticket Round Tussles

JC Herring- Oak Hill vs. Schoeff/Miller winner

Ben Streeter- North Side vs. Zadylak/Watts winner

113lbs

Moving up to 113lbs we have another SAC favorite in the heralded General Geoffrey Davis. Last year he was the semi state champ and brought back a 4^th place medal to the south side of Fort Wayne. The other big name to watch for is the Wildkat Jabin Wright. He was at state last year and comes in with expectations of going back this year. Others to watch are #9 Josh Stephenson and #20 Christian Mejia who both come in as regional champions. Some guys to watch that had a blemish last week include Zach Johnson, Trevor Boyce, and Hunter Whitman.

#WAYL2

Mejia- Colin Poynter, Jake Schoennegge, Austin Slates

Johnson- Geoffrey Davis(2 times), Owen Krider, Donavon Johnson

Wright- Jordan Slivka, Donavon Johnson(2 times), Jack Franklin(126), Blake Glogouski(120)

Davis- Skylour Turner, Jordan Slivka

Stephenson- Alec White, Nick Weaver, Matt Gimson, Noah Hunt

Summers- Jabin Wright(3 times), Geoffrey Davis, Alex DeLuna

Whitman- Austin Slates(2 times), Christian Mejia(3 times)

Early #SlobberKnockers

Andrew Wertman- Garrett vs. Nick Liter- Adams Central

Garrett Summers- Marion vs. Trevor Boyce- Dekalb

Ticket Round Tussles

Geoffrey Davis- Wayne vs. Trevor Boyce- Dekalb

Josh Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Hunter Whitman- Jimtown

120lbs

This weight will feature three wrestlers with state medals along with another one that has state experience. Unfortunately the bracket gods did not separate them all and one will be sent to the showers early. Both Christian Hunt and Blake Glogouski finished 5^th last year in the state finals at 106lbs and 120lbs respectively. Hunter Langeloh has had a great senior campaign after placing as a sophomore and qualifying for state last season. Flying Jet Anthony Mosser caught fire last year and made his way to Banker’s Life at 113lbs, but this year he’ll have to punch his ticket by going through Glogouski. This weight should be one of the more open weights with lots of great matches from start to finish.

#WAYL2

Langeloh- Michael Higley(Michigan)

Moore- Blake Glogouski(2 times)

Hunt- Breyden Bailey, Blake Mulkey, Marcus Mejia(126)

Glogouski- Hunter Langeloh

Mendez- Christian Hunt, Graham Rooks, Noah Hunt, David Clayton, Kyle Davis, Dylan Culp

Early #SlobberKnockers

Anthony Mosser- Adams Central vs. Joel Byman- Carroll

Ticket Round Tussles

Austin Moore- Central Noble vs. Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City

Blake Glogouski- Fairfield vs. Mosser/Byman winner

126lbs

Jon Becker of Bellmont is the only wrestler in this weight with state experience, however it was in 2014. Past him you have a lot of guys with good records and solid resumes, which will make for a very eventful weight to watch. At the top you have a very solid senior in Oak Hill’s Travis Davenport. He has been to semi-state what it seems like about 14 times, this year could be his year to punch his ticket to state. Marcus Mejia is a tough wrestler from Elkhart that was painstakingly close to punching his ticket last year. At the bottom you’ll have the favorite in Homestead’s Jack Franklin, but he can’t overlook a pair of seniors that will want one more week of wrestling in Brock House and Chad Elmore.

#WAYL2

Mejia-Brock Hudkins, Blake Glogouski(120)

Davenport- Chris Loy, Jayce Meyer

Franklin- Breyden Bailey, Isaac Gomez, Blake Glogouski(120)

Becker- Michael DeLaPena, Ryan Hardesty,

Standridge- Jack Franklin, Ryan Bigelow, Ryan Hardesty, Michael DeLaPena, Dawson Combest, Drake Rhodes

Early #SlobberKnockers

Brock House- Delta vs. Chad Elmore- Taylor

Ticket Round Tussles

Travis Davenport- Oak Hill vs. Zane Standridge- Carroll

Jack Franklin- Homestead vs. House/Elmore winner

132lbs

This weight has been one that people have been talking about all season long. This was probably the first weight most fans clicked on when the brackets came out to see the draws. Starting off you had four returning state qualifiers and another that has been knocking on the door. Unfortunately one of the state qualifiers Kobe Raypole has pulled out of the weight, but that still leaves a lot of great matches on Saturday. The top bracket could be interesting to say the least, Drake Rhodes has been on fire this year until he was upended the past two weeks by Owen Doster. Rhodes will be pushed by Delta’s Noah Richardson and Northwestern’s Hunter Kellogg who is having a very good post season run. Fernando Luevano returns to this weight after qualifying last year for the Chargers. He has yet to be defeated and is one that is very exciting to watch. Returning state qualifiers Daniel Gunsett and Owen Doster are both the favorites in their quarter brackets. Gunsett could face one of two wrestlers with only 6 losses in Kaleb Mooney and Drew Clark. Doster will have the winner of Devin Maggard and Dillon Yoder, both who have good wins on their resume.

#WAYL2

Rhodes- Doster(2 times)

Doster- Drake Rhodes, Zach Melloh, Chris Donovan(Ohio)

Gunsett- Owen Doster(2 times), Brendan Black

Maggard- Drew Clark, Dallas Dudelston, ???

Kellog- Hunter Haynes, Caleb Archibald, ???, ???

Early #SlobberKnockers

Chase Hissong- Leo vs. Dallas Dudelston- Jay County

Drew Clark- Northfield vs. Kaleb Mooney- Central Noble

Devin Maggard- Marion vs. Dillon Yoder- Fairfield

Ticket Round Tussles

Daniel Gunsett- Bellmont vs. Clark/Mooney winner

Owen Doster- New Haven vs. Yoder/Maggard winner

138lbs

Last year at 132lbs it was the Sage Coy show, this year seems to be more of the same up at 138lbs. Coy finished a fantastic junior campaign with a 3^rd place medal and is eyeing the top step of the podium this year. Others to watch include Riley Rasler who has had a very good year for the Panthers and comes in with only one loss. Joel Arney has come on strong for the Super Chargers the past few weeks after taking some lumps during the regular season. He will have the winner of a tough match between Blade Corpe and Colt Rutter. In the bottom bracket you will have four seniors duking it out for their state ticket. This one is a pick’em and your guess is as good as mine on who advances.

#WAYL2

Rasler- Kris Rumph, Jason Crary, Drake Rhodes

Hall- Joel Arney, TT Allen, Brad Smith

Woenker- Joel Arney, Devin Maggard(132), Austin Ochoa, ???

Corpe- Dillon Humbert, Jason Crary, Trace Manspeaker, Kyle Hatch, Nathan Housholder

Arney- Anthony Williams, Kris Rumph, Sage Coy, Cale McCory, Evan Eldred, Nick Ellis, Kody Wagner

Rutter- Sage Coy(2 times), Brooks Wathen, Austin Ramsey, Riley Rasler, James Pritchett, Jaycob Bechtol(Michigan)

Brown- Sage Coy(3 times), Colt Rutter(2 times), ???

Early #SlobberKnockers

Colt Rutter- Yorktown vs. Blade Corpe- Elkhart Memorial

Nathan Housholder- East Noble vs. Exuse Brown- Muncie Central

Ticket Round Tussles

Riley Rasler- Prairie Heights vs. Skyler Hall- Wabash

Joel Arney- Carroll vs. Corpe/Rutter winner

TT Allen- Kokomo vs. Brown/Householder winner

145lbs

I’m wiping the drool off my screen just looking at this bracket. First you start with two state placers in Isaac Eicher and Brad Laughlin at this weight. Let’s throw in another state placer in Nathan Weimer for some added spice. What? You say you want MORE spice…well here goes, let’s add a little Kerrn, Kenny Kernn that is! This weight is going to be F-U-N to watch. Even the ticket round matches will be interesting with Eicher having a tough Christian Bratcher or NE8 rival Grant Gutierrez. Kerrn will have a very game Corbin Hetzner of Eastern. Ohhh Laughlin will have Weimer in the ticket round most likely. The bottom quarter bracket lacks the drama, but will be one to watch as there is no clear cut favorite.

#WAYL2

Laughlin- Cayden Whitaker(160)

Bratcher- TC Perry, Szhantrayle Roberson

Kerrn- Denzyl Prentice, Triston Rodriguez(2 times)

Capps- Corbin Hetzner, Isaac Eicher, Alberto Solis, Tucker Coffman, Nate Weimer

Weimer - Jamal Scott, Isaac Eicher, Jack Eiteljorge(2 times), Patrick Waugh, ???

Early #SlobberKnockers

Vince Prescott- Winchester vs. Corbin Hetzner- Eastern

Jamal Scott- Elkhart Central vs. Ethan Hicks- Carroll

Ticket Round Tussles

Brad Laughlin- Yorktown vs. Nathan Weimer- East Noble

Szhantrayl Roberson- Kokomo vs. Scott/Hicks winner

Isaac Eicher- Leo vs. Christian Bratcher- Eastbrook

152lbs

Three returning state qualifiers highlight this weight at Fort Wayne. The head of the class is probably Cael McCormick of Yorktown who has two state medals, but he cannot look past Doug Levitz or Peyton Sturgill on his way to another semi-state title. Levitz will have the toughest route to qualify for state as he will need to avenge a mid-season loss to Hunter Bates. Sturgill will be pushed by a tough Nick Miller of Snider. In the middle you have a very interesting bracket with Cross Dietrich who has two losses to out of state competition as the regional champ. He will have the winner of Brody Hardcastle and Tyler Leonard to punch his ticket.

#WAYL2

Dietrich- Kohle Clellan(Ohio), Quintin Smith(Michigan)

Levitz- Steven Lawrence, Hunter Bates, Brad Laughlin(160)

Sturgill- Tavris Evans, Denzyl Prentice, Micah Calhoun, Kassius Breathitt

Bates- Cael McCormick(2 times), Tyler Leonhard, Ethan Stock, Trent Pruitt

Miller- Elijah Dunn, TC Perry(160), Cross Dietrich, ???, ???

Griffin- Doug Levitz, Micah Calhoun, Nick Miller

Early #SlobberKnockers

Tyler Leonard- Jay County vs. Brody Harcastle- Oak Hill

Ticket Round Tussles

Doug Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. Hunter Bates- Adams Central

Nick Miller- Snider vs. Peyton Sturgill- Peru

Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. Garrett Griffin- Northwood

Cross Dietrich- Columbia City vs. Leonard/Hardcastle winner

160lbs

This weight is one that will probably have much less drama than most. The favorite is state qualifier Josh Garman of Carroll. After him it looks as if anyone can beat anyone at this weight. One loss Blaney Harrison is the wildcard as he has come on strong this year. Don’t overlook Tony Busse of Bellmont either, he has been battle tested throughout the season. One of the most intriguing matches in the ticket round will be Nick Potter against Jed Levitz. Potter won round one, but this round has much more at stake.

#WAYL2

Garman- Jacob Gray(170)

Harrison- Will Bratcher

Levitz- Jordan Rader(2 times), Nick Potter, Cael McCormick(152), Gage Delong

Perry- Tony Busse, Brad Laughlin(145), Hunter Bates, Cody Widner, Doug Levitz

Busse- Jordan Rader, Tavonte Malone, TC Perry, Blake Dager, Noah Warren

Early #SlobberKnockers

Ronnie Longbrake- Elkhart Memorial vs. TC Perry- Southern Wells

Ticket Round Tussles

Blaney Harrison- Oak Hill vs. Longbrake/Perry winner

Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. Nick Potter- New Haven

170lbs

As we get to the upper weights the action will heat up with a lot of intriguing matches. You’ll likely see round two of Baumgartner and Gray as long as they navigate the semi state minefield. There are some very good wrestlers including one loss Quentin Moore, returning state qualifier Zach Davis amongst others that they will need to beat in order to meet again. Seven wrestlers sport five or less losses with most of them at the hands of another semi state competitor. Nick Ritchie could be a surprise wrestler as his only losses were at the Al Smith.

#WAYL2

Baumgartner- Drew Hughes

Moore- Amere Dozier

Gray- Bryce Baumgartner

Ritchie- Coy Park, Eli Pokorney

Burns- Caleb Partin, Zach Davis, Robbie Bowers(Ohio)

Davis- Caleb Partin, Noah Cressell, ???

Partin- Tate Burns(2), Tykease Baker, Hunter Mote, Zach Davis

Early #SlobberKnockers

Noah Cressell- Wabash vs. Brady Johnson- Prairie Heights

Tykease Baker- Elkhart Central vs. DaShaun Barbary- Kokomo

Caleb Partin- Churubusco vs. Jacob Gray- Delta

Ticket Round Tussles

Zach Davis- Concordia vs. Cressell/Johnson winner

Quentin Moore- Manchester vs. Partin/Gray winner

Nick Ritchie- Elkhart Memorial vs. Tate Burns- Eastside

182lbs

Before sectional this weight was looking to be really nasty. Even with a couple guys moving up this weight still is going to be one to watch. The bracket gods separated the better guys with no killer ticket round matches. Probably the most intriguing early match will be a rematch of last year’s ticket round between Andy Kohler and Wyatt Clem. Kohler was a state qualifier at this weight last year, while #800lbGorilla David Eli placed 7^th. Look for some great matches in the semi-finals and finals at this weight.

#WAYL2

Kohler- Caleb Hankenson

Blakeley- David Eli(2 times), Isaac James

Eli- Cam Jones(2 times), Alejandro Castro

Hankenson- Andy Kohler, Rhett Mappes, David Eli, Joey Blakely

Ault- Stephen Nix(2 times), Caleb Blevins, Stephen Possell, Sam Moon

Clem- Andy Kohler, CJ Damler, Hunter Dalton, DaShaun Barbary, Joey Blakely, Stephen Nix

Graber- Jeremy Splix(2 times), David Eli, Joey Blakely, Wyatt Clem, ???

Early #SlobberKnockers

Stephen Nix- Bishop Dwenger vs. Conner Graber- Northridge

Heath Ault- Northrop vs. Joey Blakeley- Prairie Heights

Ticket Round Tussles

Caleb Hankenson- Bellmont vs. Nix/Graber winner

Andy Kohler- Jay County vs. Wyatt Clem- Homestead

Aaron Sedwick- Maconaquah vs. Ault/Blakeley winner

195lbs

Both Corbin Maddox and Luke Elliott wrestled most of the season at 182lbs and made a late jump to this weight even though they both only had one loss during the regular season. Those two added quite a bit of spice to an already wide open weight. Delta’s Scottie Evans is the only returning state qualifier at this weight and will need to navigate a solid quarter-bracket to punch another ticket to Banker’s Life. At the top you’ll have the last(thankfully for most in this area) of the Davis brothers from Garrett against Austin Evans of Lakeland. The two NECC rivals are 1-1 against eachother with Evans getting the win just three weeks ago. Going down the bracket Corbin Maddox has come on strong, but he’ll be pushed by two Al Smith placers in Nate Williams and runner-up Erik Hobbs. Jarod Hayes won regional last week…his reward is a potential pre-Valentine date with state qualifier Scottie Evans. In the bottom bracket you have one loss Elliott with a couple up and comes Isaiah Baumgartner and Tyson Whitner.

#WAYL2

Elliott- Corbin Maddox

Maddox- Andy Kohler(182)

Davis- Erik Hobbs, Michael Leonard, Nick Fox, Austin Evans,

Austin Evans- Jennigns Nickolson, Anthony Neal(Michigan), Beck Davis, Jarod Hayes

Baumgartner- Scottie Evans, Andy Kohler, ???

Hobbs- Luke Elliott, Scottie Evans, Cole Slavens, Chris Kidwell, Jake Kleimola

Eckrote 5- Michael Leonard, Erik Hobbs, Luke Elliott, ???, ???

Scottie Evans 5- Corbin Maddox(2 times), Landon Burton, David Delph, ???

Early #SlobberKnockers

Lane Eckrote- North Miami vs. Austin Evans- Lakeland

Nate Williams- Elkhart Memorial vs. Erik Hobbs- Peru

Tyson Whitner- North Side vs. Isaiah Baumgartner- South Adams

Ticket Round Tussles

Beck Davis- Garrett vs. Eckrote/Evans winner

Corbin Maddox- Daleville vs. Williams/Hobbs winner

Jarod Hayes- Jimtown vs. Scottie Evans- Delta

Luke Elliott- Eastbrook vs. Whitner/Baumgartner winner

220lbs

All season long this weight has seemed to have three competitors that are ahead of the field. With that said it leaves open a 4^th spot that is ripe for the taking. Returning semi state runner-up Evan Ellis comes in undefeated, while Blake Davis is the only other wrestler with state experience in the field. Goshen RedHAWK Derek Paz is as tough as they come and will look to punch his first ticket to state. The bottom of the top bracket will be the interesting one with three wrestlers who can all get to state in Joey Pier, Max Clark, and JT Kilgore. Davis and Ellis should navigate their brackets to setup a semi-finals match.

#WAYL2

Paz- Kobe Woods, Trent Bixler, Evan Ellis

Isaacson- Jacob McClaine, Blake Davis, JT Kilgore

Asher- JT Kilgore, PJ Ernst, John Isaacson, Blake Davis

Davis- Braxton Amos(285), Derek Paz, Sam Hipple, Tyler McKeever

Kilgore- Blake Davis(3 times), Tyler McKeever, PJ Ernst

Clark- Trevor Brown, Nick Fox, Tyler Moser, Evan Ellis, ???

Early #SlobberKnockers

JT Kilgore- Churubusco vs. Max Clark- Northwestern

Evan Ellis- Eastern vs. Noah Asher- Concordia

Ticket Round Tussles

Derek Paz- Goshen vs. John Isaacson- Leo

Joey Pier- Yorktown vs. Clark/Kilgore winner

285lbs

Much like 195, this weight is one that is a pick’em from start to finish. If you wrestle this weight 10 times you’ll get 10 different outcomes. As Coach P said on Tuesday, it will come down to who manages risks the best. Two surprise regional champs are at the top half in Bellmont’s Braiden Shaw and Dwenger’s Landon Campbell. Shaw will be pushed by Braxton Amos in the ticket round while Campbell will have a good one with the winner of Jose Montanez and DeAndre Hodge. In the bottom half Owen Perkins qualified for state in 2014 and will have to go through Carroll’s Jessie Lawson to get another ticket to state. Nick Mammolenti of Jimtown had a great regional and will have to get through a tough Ryan George in the quarters. In a weight usually dominated by seniors, we only have five in the field this year. This could be very interesting not only this year, but next!

#WAYL2

Perkins- Garrett Clark

Hodge- Owen Perkins(2 times), Jordan Rogers, ???

George- Jessie Lawson, Braiden Shaw(2 times), Ethan Heffernan

Lawson- Robert Samuels(2 times), Nick Mammolenti, Sean Galligar, Landon Campbell

Amos- Blake Davis(220), Givoni Murillo, Sean Galligar, Ethan Bunce, Nick Mammolenti, ???

Mammolenti- Landon Campbell, Isaiah McWilliams, Givoni Murillo, Scott Fuller, William Vakalahi, Blake Davis(220), Braxton Amos

Campbell- Jessie Lawson, Dakota Ault(2 times), Jordan Libby, Jacob Obst, Nick Conner,William Vakalahi

Shaw- Jessie Lawson, Dylan Schumm, Nick Mammolenti, Sean Galligar, Dan Cutter, Chris Ridle

Early #SlobberKnockers

DeAndre Hodge- Marion vs. Jose Montanez- Goshen

Ticket Round Tussles

Braiden Shaw- Bellmont vs. Braxton Amos- Prairie Heights

Landon Campbell- Bishop Dwenger vs. Montanez/Hodge winner

Owen Perkins- Oak Hill vs. Jessie Lawson- Carroll

Nick Mammolenti- Jimtown vs. Ryan George- Delta

Click here to view the article

I got stuck working are replays available on these?

They are all on our YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLY2EeRkVjHGF1mK8YMIeTw

Also the infamous shaking hands question, don't forget that.

Brought to you by EI Sports

By JEREMY HINES

Thehines7@gmail.com

Two wrestlers. That is all Monrovia’s high school team had competing in the first meet of the season. A few months later the Bulldogs were claiming third place at Team State, with 22 wrestlers on the roster.

That is typical for wrestling at Monrovia, a powerhouse football school. The Bulldogs highly encourage wrestlers to play football, and football players to wrestle. They believe the two sports go hand-in-hand.

Monrovia won the class 2A football state championship on November 28. That was one week after the school’s first wrestling meet.

“We went from two kids to 22 after football was over,” Monrovia coach Kevin Blundell said. “I get a lot of freshmen and sophomores that have never wrestled before. The kids that wrestle are really good on the football field. They say wrestling helps them. The football coach pushes all the linemen, especially, to wrestle.”

Monrovia is used to early struggles in wrestling. Kids come in after football in football shape, not in wrestling shape.

“It’s harder than what you think to get these guys in wrestling shape,” Blundell said. “A lot of people see a running back and think he’s in shape. But wrestling is a totally different thing. It’s challenging. A lot of these kids come in way over weight. We focus initially on getting in shape, and then we start to hit the technique side in practice.”

Junior Garrison Lee, the team’s only returning state qualifier, is a prime example. Lee was the starting fullback on the football team. Any time the Bulldogs needed five yards on the ground, Lee was their go-to-guy. But he came in to wrestling quite a bit over weight and not at all ready to go three long periods on the mat with an opponent.

“He was a monster,” Blundell said. “I didn’t think he would make 195. I think I talked to him at football regionals and asked him what he was weighing, and he just told me that I didn’t want to know.”

Eventually the Monrovia wrestlers settled in to their weight classes, and then the successes started rolling. The team had three champions at the Mooresville sectional, and sent six to regional. Lee won regional, with sophomore Brycen Denny finishing third at 106 pounds and 220 pounder Dristin McCubbins, a senior, finishing second.

“Brycen (39-2) has worked very hard to get to where he’s at,” Blundell said. “He’s been in football forever, but he’s only 106 pounds so he decided this season he’s just going to wrestle. Then the team wins state. But he’s still happy with the decision he made. It was what was best for him.

“Garrison was our only qualifier last year. He knows what he needs to do. He’s been there and lost a really close match last year. He has had that lingering in his mind. He’s has a motor on him and he’s mentally tough.”

Also advancing for the Bulldogs is Dristin’s younger brother Riley, a 29-11 sophomore heavyweight.

“When Riley qualified I was very happy to see that,” Dristin said. “We became the first brothers in Monrovia history to both qualify for semistate at the same time.”

For Blundell, those early days with just two wrestlers competing seem like a distant memory. He knows that will probably always be the case at Monrovia, where football reigns supreme. But he’s fine with that. He knows, once football is over, wrestling really begins.

“This is a school where the parents are really great,” Blundell said. “They don’t want their kids sitting around doing nothing, so they put them in a lot of sports. They push their kids to do their best and they give me a green light to do whatever we need to do. This is a football school, but we’re becoming a wrestling school as well.”

Click here to view the article

Much like the IHSWCA meeting minutes, let's keep everything secret from the fans and parents.

Welcome to TripleB’s annual Evansville Semi-State Wrestling Preview Spectacular!!

Before we get into the good stuff, let’s cover what’s important:

Ford Arena info, provided by Markio:

• 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.
• 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.
• Tickets are $10 cash at the door. Premium loge seats are available for purchase now and on event day. They are $40 pre-event and $30 if you show up and want them day of. They include a $15 concessions voucher.There is an ATM in the lobby if you need to get some cash out.
• 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.

We’ll preview all 14 weights. Each weight will feature:

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 - Traditionally this is the most stingiest honor to earn. This year though we will name 7, yes half the weight classes, BFTL’s!

Ford Fab 4 - After picks were gathered, points distributed, and the dust settled, we’ll have the Ford Fab 4.

And new this year:

The Cam Newton Dabs: Wrestlers who got points, but not enough to make the Fab 4, we’ll give them some Dab!

Hooks Picks and All Semi-State Name Team - Hook and Half brings you a travel guide for things to do and places to eat in Evansville, along with his all name team!

Without further ado...UNLEASH THE PREVIEW!!

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. 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 - Hook and Half

106: Last year I dubbed 106 the future stars, this year why not go with #StudShow. 4 of the top 10 ranked wrestlers in the state, including the #1 and #2 ranked guys. Wow, the south got some love in the state rankings!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - No first round matches really jump off the page. I’ll single in on Hunter Rice of Evansville Memorial and Victor Antunez of Jennings County. Both guys have double digit losses and this scrappy match should be fun to watch.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - #1 vs. # 8 in the state….in THE TICKET ROUND!! Cayden Rooks, one part of the 4 horsemen of the Olympians takes on Asa Garcia of Avon. Garcia got no love from the pickers, can he #GrindItOut and #ProveUsWrong?

The Dab - Paul Pinkham, Bloomington South. Frosh Senstation Devon Casebolt got the nod to get through. But Pinkham will be looking to get revenge from an early season loss!

Ford Fab 4 - The Pickers didn’t like the #1 ranked Rooks (well this picker did), Returning State-Runner Up Ty Mills gets the nod.
#1 Ty Mills, Brownsburg #2 Cayden Rooks, Columbus East #3 Clay Egli, Evansville Mater Dei #4 Devon Casebolt, Castle
113: All 8 Semi State wrestlers here, including a whopping 6 state ranked kids makes 113 a great weight class on Saturday. Last year Nick Weaver was left as a bridesmaid in a rough ticket round draw with Paul (The Magician) Konrath. This year he hopes to join his running mate Ty Mills, and few more Bulldogs, at the top of podium.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - I got nothing, again. All 8 guys all in different first round matches, it will run status quo.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw -While no repeats of last year, the ticket round should be good. Semi-State 2 vs 7, 1 vs 5, 8 vs 3, and 4 vs 6 will make it a great round.

The Dab - At one point Columbus East Frosh Jake Schoenegge seemed like a lock to join his Olympian teammates. Then nemesis Dalton Craig rolled into town. Now the Schonegge will have to get through a ticket round match w/ Weaver to get to the Bank. Speaking of Craig, Horty and Craig was almost too close to call. Horty got the nod, but don’t be surprised to see Craig, a ticket round shocker a year ago, punch that ticket. Bloomington South Junior Luke Stull got some love also, but a ticket round match date w/ Marscapone could be too much for the Panther junior.

Ford Fab 4 - Look for Weaver to get a stiff match from Indian Creek Freshman Alex Mosconi, but experience will drive Weaver to the tile.
#1 Nick Weaver Brownsburg, #2 Alex Mosconi, Indian Creek #3 Baxter Annakin, Castle #4 Seth Horty, Evansville Memorial


120: Graham Rooks is pretty good, currently ranked 3rd in the state, took 3rd a year ago, returning Semi State champ, and not the favorite the win Saturday, wait….WHAT??!?!?! Kyle Luigs looks to bring the Wildcats their first of a few SS champs here.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Finally something we can sink our teeth into. Grab your coffee, grab me a coffee, head to section 113 and let’s go! Zak Siddiqui has been in and out of the rankings all year, Castle super frosh Neal Bealmear has been another solid young super Knight for Bob Harmon. This match should deliver! Levi Miller is a returning state qualifier, he’s had a rough adjustment at 120 and he’ll have tough Martinsville junior Keaton Fisher. Congrats to the winner, they get Graham Rooks! I love guys with double digit losses hooking horns, usually they let it all go, so watch for Edgewood’s Daniel Bradburn and Columbus North’s Isaac Peetz.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - While not Turrible draws, nobody likes to see 2 SQ’s going at it in ticket round and more than likely we’ll see Miller vs. Rooks. Also Austin Cook of Northview was a ticket rounder a year ago dropping a match to Will (another magician) Egli. This year he gets Luigs in ticket round. Bealmear and Hunt should be another fun Ticket round match.

The Dab - Nada, zero, zip, zilch. The pickers were unanimous in the Fab 4

Ford Fab 4: I couldn’t calm the pickers, they demanded Luigi Luigs. It was tight, but he gets the nod.
#1 Kyle Luigs, Evansville Mater Dei #2 Graham Rooks, Columbus East #3 Blake Mulkey, Brownsburg #4 Noah Hunt, Bloomington South

126: Brock Hudkins becomes the first Built Ford Tough Lock. He’s a returning state champ and he headlines the deepest field in the Semi-State. 8, yes 8 state ranked wrestlers will go at it here. All 8 Semi-State ranked wrestlers are here and they aren’t the same as the 8 state ranked. Take out Hud the Stud and this weight will be fireworks!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - 4 first round matches that should be good, yes 4! Kicking things off are two state ranked wrestlers and a potential #4 over #1, #10 James Pritchett and #19 Dawson Combest. The pickers say the winner goes to the Bank. Next up Tony Mosconi and Nick South, Mosconi was upset by Panther Dalton Craig a year ago. This year he has Panther frosh Nick South. Does he get revenge to set up a match w/ Logan Dilbeck? Another potential #4 over #1 Mater Dei Junior Joe Happe has 11 losses, but a win over Regional champ and first round opponent Bloomington South Super Freshman Derek Blubaugh. Blubaugh has had a phenomenal second half of the season, does the Panther get revenge? The winner doesn’t get much time to celebrate as they have a date in the ticket round w/ the winner of the 2 state qualifiers, #17 Noah Franklin and #6 Isaac Gomez. Holy smokes what a bracket!

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - First round matches Combest/Pritchett and Franklin/Gomez make Sir Charles head sweat, come on man, turrible, turrible, turrible.

The Dab - Joe Happe and James Pritchett are both #4’s looking to pull upsets, some say they will be on the podium come Saturday!

Built Ford Tough Lock - The first of 7, returning state champ Brock Hudkins

Ford Fab 4: While Hud is head and shoulders above this group, not physically, but yeah you get it, Dilbeck and Gomez caused an uproar, Dilbeck barely gets the nod here.
#1 Brock Hudkins, Danville #2 Logan Dilbeck, Gibson Southern #3 Isaac Gomez, Plainfield #4 Dawson Combest, Columbus East


132: Lots of intriguing stories here. The Return of Nick Lee at Team-State sent shock waves through the state, then he disappeared off into the Western sunset, many assumed going the way of Egli and Konrath...Chatter then started again, he’s shooting for Red, he’s coming back for Red, the day of sectional seeding meetings many sat w/ nervous anticipation. Was it happening? Nothing like this has happened in Indiana. Angel and Hump was on a collision course but ended up at different weights. Dolly/Maurer had tons of hype and lived up to it, but Red and Lee, 2 Big Ten signees going at it! Also Elliott Molloy becomes the second returning semi state champ to not be a favorite. Then the bottom half of the bracket is bananas with 5 of the 8 guys receiving votes. Finally I’ll say don’t sleep on Molloy/Lee, it has potential to be good.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Castle’s SS #6 ranked Braedon Clopton and SS #5 ranked Avon’s Nathan Conley, both received votes to be on the podium. Conley was slightly favored here and actually is deadlocked w/ #4 Floyd Central’s Tristan Sellmer, this quarter bracket should be a blast. #17 Josh Elpers is the favorite in his quarter bracket, but a tough first round match w/ upset minded Bulldog Connor Allen will be a good match.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - The only real travesty is Molloy and Lee being on the same side of the bracket. This weight will be decided before face offs.
The Dab - The quarter bracket w/ #4, #5, #6 ranked wrestlers will deliver, so let’s throw some dab at Clopton and Conley, either of those guys can be on the podium. Also some dab thrown to Connor Allen, some people (hint he’s short) thinks Allan can punch that ticket!

Built Ford Tough Lock - Returning state champ Nick Lee, he looks to dominate a competitive field.

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Nick Lee, Evansville Mater Dei #2 Tristan Sellmer Floyd Central #3 Elliott Molloy, Danville #4 Josh Elpers Evansville North


138: Last year people were shocked when Nick Lee wasn’t a BFTL, some thought Brayton Lee could pull the upset. He was in fact upset in the ticket round. Well fast forward, Brayton Lee has been dominate enough to be a BFTL, but indeed some people think state ranked and returning state medalists Blake Jourdan can rain on Lee’s parade in the ticket round again. This will be match of the day. On the opposite side of the bracket Castle senior Austin Ramsey will look to slide into the finalist position and await the winner of Jourdan/Lee.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - #17 (#7 in SS) ranked Blake Webb vs #5 in SS Trevor Reese, the pickers actually like unranked Reese to beat 2 state ranked grapplers and punch his ticket, but this is another quarter bracket where 3 kids got votes, wide open! Also Tristin Dowell vs. Blake Jourdan. Dowell just returned in time for state tourney is still knocking the rust off, he was a ticket rounder a year ago and dropped a close ticket round match. He can beat Jourdan is Jourdan is looking to Brayton Lee. Don’t be surprised to see Dowell spoil that match.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - 2 top 5 state ranked kids in the ticket round, really? reeeeeallly?? Turrible! Turrible! Turrible! This makes Sir Charles eat Rolaids like candy, not good at all!!!!

The Dab - Jennings County Frosh Brooks Wathen got some love, but not enough to get a Ford Fab 4 pick. Blake Jourdan also got some love, but not enough grab a golden ticket either.

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Brayton Lee, Brownsburg #2 Austin Ramsey, Castle #3 Cale McCoy, Northview #4 Trevor Reese, Franklin

145: Joe Lee rounds out a group of stellar wrestlers. They almost sound like a law office: Hudkins, Lee, Lee, and Lee! If they are a law firm then Austin Bethel is that pain in backside defense attorney. Little Lee has shown a propensity to give up falls in big matches, Bethel got a huge win over a Lee a year ago and collected another huge win over a Lee at sectionals. Can Bethel slam this case shut?? The jury has spoken…..and no Joe Lee joins his brother in the Built Ford Tough Lock group. The pickers like the Castle 4 to roll here.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Stephen Gibson vs Nicholas Burke has #4 over a #1 written all over it, other than that not a lot going on in the first round.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Center Grove’s Logan Coyle is ranked #12 in the state and #4 in the Semi-State, but the depth of Castle could be too much. Austin Bethel is #10 in state and #2 in SS. This match features 2 state caliber juniors w/ one going home early. #19 ranked Tyler Crowl seemed poised to break through this year, but has #9 ranked Chase Wilson from Princeton in the ticket round, another state ranked stud going home early.

Tbe Dab - No love here if you aren’t from the deep South!

Ford Tough Lock - Joe Lee, Evansville Mater Dei

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Joe Lee, Evansville Mater Dei #2 Austin Bethel, Mt. Vernon #3 Chase Wilson, Princeton #4 Nicholas Burke


152: Another weight, another returning SS champ not favored. Indian Creek’s Elijah Dunn stormed on the scene last year. He had an exciting match with Isaiah Kemper at Semi State and battled to 4th place finish at State. Andrew Herrin shocked the field and grabbed a Semi State title for the Panthers of Jennings County. This year these two grapplers appear to be on a collision course in the Semi finals. Can the 5th ranked Dunn get it done or will the 7th ranked Herrin grab his second semi-state crown? Mater Dei’s Mitch Lehman will look to spoil both their parties and grab a SS championship.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Regional champ Denver Aydelott will get some Dab but he’ll have to put away Mount Vernon’s Micah Keller first. SS ranked Connor Dean will find himself in a battle with Max Hauser of Floyd Central.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - The Round Mound of Takedowns seems happy with 152, no real complaints

The Dab - Unranked Regional Champ Denver Aydelott would like to cap his senior season with a trip to the Bank, but the pickers favor Avon junior Jacob Clark.

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Elijah Dunn, Indian Creek #2 Mitch Lehman, Evansville Mater Dei, #3 Andrew Herrin, Jennings County #4 Jacob Clark, Avon

160: This weight class was almost a lock from #1 - #4, Cayden Whitaker seems to be the favorite w/ nemesis Burk Van Horn closely following. Castle junior Jacob Farmer also was unanimous, and Colton O’Neal was almost the unanimous choice for fourth but Arkee Glover from Brownsburg got some Dab to prevent that. I say don’t forget about Southridge senior Mitchell Mundy. He was hurt all year and came back just for the state tourney. He’s undefeated, can an undefeated senior be a sleeper? We shall see!!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - We’ll start at the top, Mundy vs. Glover could be a battle. 2 hungry seniors going at it! Next is Jeff Red Devil Donovan Smith, a surprise ticket rounder from a year ago and the quarter bracket favorite Colton O’Neal from Pike Central. Can Smith surprise again? Next up is the marquee matchup of the first round 160lb bracket returning state qualifier Gleason Mappes and Conor Hay of Bloomington South. This one could also be a doozy!

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - 14th ranked Cole Chandler of Jennings County has had a great year, but he draws 7th ranked Burk Van Horn in the ticket round. Both guys are ranked top 4 in the Semi-State but only one can advance. Turrible draw for the Panther!

The Dab - Arkee Glover of Brownsburg another cog in the wheel of the state champ Bulldogs might be the surprise of the bracket!

Built Ford Tough Lock - Cayden Whitaker, Martinsville

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Cayden Whitaker, Martinsville #2 Burk Van Horn, Franklin #3 Jacob Farmer, Castle #4 Colton O’Neal, Pike Central

170: Another Ford Tough Lock at 170 as Brownsburg’s Nathan Walton is a clear cut favorite here. Ticket round excitement here as 3 of the 4 matches have been highlighted as matches to watch. With 6 state ranked wrestlers and all 8 semi-state ranked wrestlers accounted for the battle for second could be intense!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - #17 (#6 SS) ranked Evan Dowell from Castle will have his hands full right off the bat as he battles #7 SS ranked Jake Moore of Franklin. The other highlight curtain jerker is #16 ranked Jaylon Owens of Pike Central vs #5 SS ranked Ethan Runyan from Martinsville. The Artesian looks for another 4 over 1 upset here.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - While there are no Turrible draws, there will be some exciting ticket round matches: Jacob Hendrich vs. #10 Jonah Hays, #12 Kameron Fuller vs. #17 Evan Dowell, and the winner of Runyan/Owens vs. #9 Thomas Dull of Terre Haute North

The Dab - Jonah Hays, Evan Dowell, and Ethan Runyan all got some love but not enough to get on the podium

Built Ford Tough Lock - Nathan Walton, Brownsburg

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Nathan Walton, Brownsburg #2 Kameron Fuller, Jeffersonville #3 Thomas Dull Terre Haute North, #4 Jacob Hendrich Northview

182: Brownsburg Senior CJ Damler looks to put a cap on the Bulldogs semi-state championship bid here. He’s another Built Ford Tough Lock and like other weights, after the Lock the weight class will be fun to watch. 4 state ranked and 7 semi-state ranked wrestlers will go to battle here for spots at the Bank. Bristen Dial of Brown County vs. Ike Murrell of Terre Haute North and #13 Hunter Dalton vs. # 11 Jaden Sonner should provide ticket round fun.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - #7 ss ranked Carson Mohler and #8 ss ranked Marcus Duregger will battle it out to see who gets Damler in the ticket round.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - #2 SS Jaden Sonner vs. #3 SS Hunter Dalton will be a ticket round match of two state ranked wrestlers battling for the golden ticket. Bristen Dial’s win over Sonner last week at regionals set this party up.

The Dab - Jaden Sonner of New Albany and Ike Murrell of Terre Haute North both look to spoil some brackets and extend their seasons by one more week.

Built Ford Tough Lock - CJ Damler, Brownsburg

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 CJ Damler, Brownsburg #2 Jeremy McKinley Tecumseh #3 Hunter Dalton, Bloomington North #4 Bristen Dial, Brown County

195: Kurtis Wilderman of Evansville Mater Dei has had a tremendous year, he’s undefeated in the state. Some are saying state title for the Wildcat. But the pickers say hold up, he’s not a lock in weight class featuring 5 state ranked wrestlers and all 8 semi state ranked guys.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Nothing here makes Barry pat himself….wait...a 14 loss Bam Bam Newbolt might knock off heavily favored Ty Robinson of Edgewood and throw that quarter bracket into wildness!! Yes some pickers said so!

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Jennings County Senior Christian Redmond rode the overtime train to victories last year over Isaac McCormick and Mater Dei’s Chase Anslinger all the way to the podium at Bankers Life. This year him and McCormick will hook up in the ticket round, both are state ranked. Turrible says Sir Charles, Turrible.

The Dab - The aforementioned Redmond pulled more votes than other state qualifiers but not enough to make the Fab 4. Jeff’s Darion Newbolt also got some love, but not enough.

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Kurtis Wilderman, Evansville Mater Dei #2 Isaac McCormick, Brownsburg #3 Garrison Lee, Monrovia #4 Ty Robinson Edgewood

220: Usually the big guys get no love. But with 11 state ranked and 15 semi state ranked big dudes in the last 2 weights we hope everybody sticks around for some big guy love! Avon’s Gunnar Larson is the last of the Ford Tough Locks. The defending semi-state champ looks to repeat but will have a stiff challenge from Martinsville’s Clayton Scroggs.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Dakota Short vs. Dristin McCubbins features 2 seniors with stellar records. This whole quarter bracket will be amazing - #18 (#7ss) Chase Dixon will hook horns with #6 ss ranked Cory Heinrichs of Center Grove. #15 (#4ss) Tristin Choate goes to battle with #8 ss ranked Nathan Long.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Dristin McCubbins is ranked #6 in the state, but the pickers went with Michael Boots of Evansville Mater Dei. Were we suffering from pickers fatigue? #18 Chase Dixon vs. #15 Tristin Choate is another match where the pickers went with the underdog. Choate is a returning State Qualifier, evidently we had too much moonshine by 220.

The Dab - As mentioned above McCubbins and Choate are both favorites on paper, but didn’t get enough votes to get to the Fab 4.

Built Ford Tough Lock - Gunnar Larson, Avon

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Gunnar Larson, Avon #2 Clayton Scroggs, Martinsville #3 Chase Dixon, Bloomington South #4 Michael Boots, Evansville Mater Dei

285: Don’t head to Stoll’s Country Inn just yet (but do go afterwards, awesome food!), the big guys are bringing the bang! 7 ranked studs (6 in the top 10) and all 8 ranked semi-state grapplers will be duking it out. This one caused the pickers the most headaches!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - #7 (#6ss) Brett Henson and #7 ss ranked Austin Fleck will look to do battle. This is a rematch as Fleck upended Henson 3-2 in their first meeting. This match kicks off this exciting weight class!

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - #3 state ranked Wade Ripple and #5 state ranked Sean Galligar will go at it for a spot in the Fab 4. Also state ranked #4 Quinn York and state ranked #8 Brendan Sutton will do battle. They wrestled for a 3rd place last year, this year they will wrestle for a spot in the Fab 4!

The Dab - While this weight class is loaded, the pickers were almost unanimous in the Fab 4 (not so much in the order though), the only heavy getting dab is EMD’s Austin Fleck. The unranked Wildcat will look to push through a heavily ranked field.

Ford Fab 4 -
#1 Quinn York, Franklin #2 Sean Galligar, Columbus East #3 Corey Klem, Gibson Southern, #4 Brett Henson, Avon

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Hook’s picks and Hook’s all semi-state name team:

All Name Team:

Baxter "Embrace the Dark Side" Annakin
Hunter "Tote That" Baehl
Dylan "Raising" Cain
Carson "Black &" Deckard
Conor "Washer &" Dwyer
Asa "La Machina" Garcia
Grant Goforth "& Prosper"
Max "Brick" Hauser
Cody "Nikon" Kammerer
Tony "Willie" Mosconi
Mitchell "Saturday Sunday" Mundy
Ike "The Mushroom" Murrell
Jeb "Hanky" Pankow
Camden "Wild Irish" Rose
Burk "Gabriel's" Van Horn

We’ll end this article with Hook’s Picks:

-Do not come early, or stay late, to view the Evansville Icemen, the soon-to-be-departed minor league hockey team. The Icemen had tremendous local support before owner Ron Geary produced three seasons of losing, bad hockey. The coffers have dried up and he is moving them to Owensboro. Boo!
-Dinner- Turoni's has two Evansville locations and a microbrewery. Their pizza is special. DiLegge's is a locally-owned Italian restaurant whose food is out of this world. Visit theHilltop Inn, recently voted theManliest Bar in America+. The adventurous should order a brain sandwich. Non-adventurers will be safe and happy with a bowl of Burgoo (trust me). Mrs. Hook loves their chicken livers. I am a Stromboli fiend, accordingly, I have eaten them everywhere. Nobody beats Pizza King for Stroms. Nobody. The Gerst Haus serves authentic German cuisine and has over 30 varieties of beer on tap. Get ready for a carbohydrate and protein load up!
· Franklin Street has a vibrant night life featuring restaurants, bars, taverns and a night club. Park your car, as the city offers shuttle service for the Mardi Gras pub crawl taking place this weekend.
· Get your ticket early. There is only one door to enter the Ford Center and it is going to be cold and windy on Saturday morning.
· Bring money. The Ford Center is one of Indiana's premier venues; it comes at a price. They get NBA-style prices for the concessions. Methinks that the good people of Castle should take over food duties...
· Bring a hoodie. An ice rink is beneath the mats. The place is fa-rosty.
· 70 years ago, 130,000 Americans hit Normandy's beaches, liberated Europe and altered the course of western civilization. Many of our boys caught a ride to the shoreline on the LST, built right here in Evans-Vegas. The LST 325 is downtown and available for tours. You will not regret it.
· John Reitz was a 19th-century lumber baron along the magnitude of a Bill Gates or Donald Trump. His son is the namesake of FJ Reitz High School and Reitz Memorial High School. The Reitz home is open for tours. The Mrs. and the kids will enjoy this.
· The Children's Museum of Evansville (CMOE) is within walking distance of the Ford Center and is a grand slam. When my three children--Hooksly, Hookticia and PowerHalf--were tikes, it was one of their favorite things to do.

Thanks everybody! Travel safe and we’ll see you Saturday at The Ford!!!

Dustin Bentz “TripleB”

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There are numerous advantages that occur when your whole student body can pay $5-10,000 a year for schooling. That is why parochial and private schools excel in many extracurricular activities from band and academic teams to athletics.

There is an individual winner for each semi state and state, then overall winner for all five combined.

106 Curtis

120 Glogouski or Langeloh

138 Coy

145 Laughlin

152 McCormick

It looks liked the one coach and the school system has "mutually agreed" to suspend himself from the state dual tournament this weekend

http://highschoolsports.pennlive.com/news/article/6870743447486543142/cumberland-valleys-dave-heckard-announces-he-will-not-coach-at-piaa-team-championships/

I saw Garrett this weekend. Coach Goldman mad him cut the hair. No more Beiber.

I'm surprised he didn't quit the team!

nice. Sorry for not knowing the names well not so much the names but faces. 

It's more of a shame you didn't recognize Pepple's hair! 

Hildebrandt is just massaging Pepple's luscious locks. We don't call Pepple, Bieber for just ANY reason!

AC also has 8!

i do agree team race is a toss up. Only team I would count on having multiple champs is Yorktown. But EM and Belmont very well could as well.

Adams Central didn't get any love on the draws. I don't think they are in the talk to win semi-state. 

2-8-16.................2nd mistake of year