Honyock

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

“It ain't the six minutes. It's what happens in those six minutes.”

At this point, small schools aren't even playing the same sport as the big schools. South Adams has to balance putting the work in for wrestling while having nearly every single member of our roster playing three sports, all while wrestling in the cafeteria. Next year we might not have a heavy weight because there's only 3-4 kids in the entire school that I could identify as even being the right weight, not even getting to those kids already playing basketball, or not wanting to wrestle. Brownsburg has a million dollar facility filled with year round wrestlers and all the resources they need, in an area surrounded by other talented big school wrestling programs and big city clubs and about 1000 kids to recruit in the school. But sure, we can just outwork them. 
 
I would love to see South Adams have a state champ at some point in my life, but that is going to be highly unlikely with the current state of wrestling in Indiana. Last year, the state finals looked like a Crown Point-Brownsburg-Center Grove dual meet, and that isn't changing any time soon. Last year the 1A wrestler of the year topped out at 5th place, couldn't even get one 1A wrestler in the semis. 

By Anna Kayser
 
I guess the best way to start this off is with a story – my favorite wrestling story to tell, actually, and one that tells you all you need to know about where I came from and why I’m here.
 
There’s no pretty table-setting for this story, except that I’m an Iowa Hawkeye through-and-through. I’ve been attending Iowa football games at Kinnick Stadium since I was a kid, attracted to the sports world from a young age. Wrestling, however, wasn’t on my radar. Not even as I moved up to one of the biggest wrestling high schools in the state of Iowa.
 
Fast forward to college, my junior year in Iowa City. I don’t remember what the weather was that day in October or how I felt as I walked into Carver-Hawkeye Arena for my second ever experience with Iowa wrestling. I was blissfully unaware of what the next year or two of my life would hold for me.
 
My introduction to the Hawkeye program had come just a few weeks earlier – yes, two and a half years into my college career, roughly 20 years into growing up in the middle of wrestling country – but that one’s not important. I was informally introduced to Hawkeye head coach Tom Brands, it was chill.
 
It was less chill on media day as I sat facing the press conference podium at CHA, watching in fear as Brands tore apart – for lack of a better term – a reporter sitting on the other side of the room. I don’t remember what question was asked, I don’t remember the exact response. All I remember was feeling VERY in over my head.
 
I wasn’t a fan of the sport. The opposite, in fact, bored and completely unaware of the rules in high school. So, when my editor approached me about covering Iowa wrestling a year prior, I wanted none of it.
 
Thankfully, I changed my mind. But as I sat in that room, I couldn’t help but wonder if I made the wrong decision.
 
Following the press conference in which I doubt I dared to even think about speaking, the cohort of Iowa media made its way downstairs to the “Room that Gable Built” for interviews with athletes.
 
As I attempted to get my bearings on the room, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned, and there was Tom Brands: The guy that just barked at a reporter not more than 10 minutes ago.
 
He asked me how I was doing and if everyone was treating me okay – a complete 180 in demeanor from what I had witnessed upstairs. I felt… at home.
 
The first Iowa dual I went to was the nail in the coffin. I have no idea who they wrestled (UT-Chattanooga, maybe?) or what the score was (I wouldn’t be surprised if they shut their opponent out completely). All I remember was feeling in complete awe of the spectacle, the lone mat in the middle of thunderous applause and the deep rumble of 15 thousand fans yelling “TWOOOO” in unison.
 
I covered Spencer Lee’s second NCAA championship, traveling out to Pittsburgh by myself with one photographer to survive only on midnight IHOP and press meals. I felt CHA rumble as Michael Kemerer defeated No. 1 Mark Hall to lead the Hawkeyes to a win over Penn State in early 2020.
 
So, why am I here now? Because there’s nothing I love more than being able to tell the stories of tremendous athletes and what it takes to stand atop a field of excellence – and I believe Indiana is full of these stories.
 
Wrestling is growing here, exponentially. The first dual meet I attended in Indiana blew me away, from the invested crowd to the spotlight highlighting all of the action. The State Finals, my first experience of finals action in Indiana, brought a number of separate communities together in a way that celebrated each athlete’s achievements.
 
I saw Jake Hockaday look unbeatable as an on-paper underdog in the 120-pound state finals. I witnessed future Hawkeye Leighton Jones finally tackle (nice use of a football pun here, don’t ya think?) the walls in his mind and stand atop the heavyweight podium in February. Spending my first year covering wrestling in Indiana immersed in the Brownsburg program opened my eyes to the tight-knit community this state never fails to disappoint.
 
The IHSAA State Finals showcase the best the state has to offer in the best way – center stage, on a single mat with a lone light on the middle circle. It’s a best-of-the-best battle. The fans are enthralled.
 
But there’s room for growth, as there always is from youth to professional sports, and Indiana’s wrestling community has the chance foster it. The more wrestlers that have their chance at a state title – hell, even just a chance to wrestle in that arena – the more will crave that experience. The more families that come out, the more siblings, cousins or friends will want to try their hand at wrestling.
 
As the sport grows, so do the number of powerhouses. No longer is there one powerhouse for the state of Indiana, but multiple at different levels of competition and school size, growing the sport exponentially and the exposure to smaller schools often overshadowed.
 
And as the years progress, as the word spreads about how Indiana puts on a show for its wrestlers, the more will pack that house year after year in anticipation for the greatest spectacle in amateur sports.
 
Those stories are here. Those kids are here. The opportunity is here. Trust me – I’ve grown in my wrestling career surrounded by the best fans, the best environment wrestling has to offer. It’s time to emulate that in the state of Indiana.

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After final approval from our athletic department to open up gym space. 

Chatard is committed to hosting 2A Wildcard weekend on 12/9. 

We are putting together a 6-way tournament and hoping to pull as many of the teams that are in the hunt for the last 2 spots as possible. 

I have sent invites to:
Garrett
Rensselaer Central ❌
Peru ✅ 
Angola ✅ 
Glenn❌
South Ridge
Owen Valley ✅ 
Monrovia ❌ 
Bishop Dwenger ❌ 
Norwell
Oak Hill ❌ 
 
My hope is to make the voting committee's job a little easier come the 3rd week of December. 
Obviously, this will require shifts in some schedules but we are trying to help schools build the best possible case. (And put together a strong case for our guys)
 
If teams are unable to attend I will open it up to other teams on the list. 

Is that because a southern team has won it the last four years?

Weird reading this, I was on a computer and pretty much got right in and had no issues. 

Is that because a southern team has won it the last four years?

Is that because a southern team has won it the last four years?

Is that because a southern team has won it the last four years?

Is that because a southern team has won it the last four years?

Great words. As the kids say...IYKYK!

Great words. As the kids say...IYKYK!

Great words. As the kids say...IYKYK!

Is that because a southern team has won it the last four years?

Great words. As the kids say...IYKYK!

Great words. As the kids say...IYKYK!

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

Maybe they are both right... Lower weights in Evansville, upper weights in Fort Wayne. 

1A should have their own venue.  Two years in a row we have been in a field house with not a lot of seating.  Causes a lot of issues between fans and it takes away from team seating as well.  Rochester could have hosted and we offered...never even got a sniff.
 
Stop using Track Wrestling.  Use Flo Arena.  It's easier to use and it won't crash.  Every tourney we have attended this year has had problems with TW.  
 
@PMURPH505 Our spotlight is awesome and our kids love it!  We had 1,000 people come to the Western Dual and probably 600+ at the Huntington Dual.  I think it creates a little more than an "alright atmosphere".
 
Congrats to the Marksmen.  Very good team and they had some hammers.  I knew they'd be the 4th seed but they shouldn't have been...at worst they should have been the 2 seed but IMO they should have been #1.  2x defending champs and lost no one...still can't wrap my head around it.  Anyway, I also knew we'd have to wrestle our best to beat them no matter when we wrestled them.  We had our chances but made little mistakes that you can't make against their team.  Our guys battled hard and gave themselves a chance to win, that's all I can ask for.  I was also proud of how our guys responded and wrestled back for 3rd.  Cascade has some hammers and we wrestled well.  One of the hardest things to do in wrestling is wrestle back for an award you didn't want.  Our guys responded! 
 
We love Team State and we are looking forward to coming back next year but we got a lot of work to do to make that happen.
 
 

Amazing day of wrestling. Congrats to Tell City on an amazing run! Also congrats to Adams Central and Rochester and everyone else in the 1A field! It was a great day of wrestling and everyone brought their best with what they had. 
 
Hope to see you all back at this great event next season, but until then, the Cadets are getting back to work!
 
364 days until Team State 2024!

Thank you to all the folks responsible for such a great day of wrestling yesterday. 
 
Whether you are the folks that provide individual rankings, team rankings, team seeding, event organization, or the REFEREES, coaches and wrestlers, days like yesterday reward all those growing this sport in Indiana. 
 
Thank you to the IHSWCA for creating this event and not only continuing the team state opportunities for all these teams, but also showing a better use for “basketball” courts . . . 😉
 
 

I'm pretty sure that was decided at the end of last year so most people already know. Another lesson learned on Indianamat...don't let your friends drink and post.