RAJR

So IU cans their basketball coach and their football coach for performance and issues, yet their wrestling coach who has not won in years is employeed

As many of you know, I have been in the corner for many Lefever matches. I made the trip to Lacrosse to witness history. It is a surreal feeling seeing Riley accomplish this feat that very few at any level have every achieved. 
 
The Lefever family came into my life about 10 years ago when the twins came to a camp at Garrett. Since then I have traveled all over the country to coach and watch these kids wrestle. Just to type that I am proud of these three guys doesn't do them justice. They are extreme competitors on the mat, but as Gregg Doyel stated, when they step on the mat they flip the switch. These three are the types of kids you'd want your daughter to marry. It starts with great parents and a great support system at home. Congrats not only to the Lefever family, but the Wabash family, the Carroll Charger family, but even beyond that the Indiana wrestling family. This is something as wrestling fans that we can be immensely proud of.
 
Thanks for the great ride Lefevers, the stories, the trips, the fun times will always be something I cherish. I thank you guys for letting me be a part of the process and trusting me with your sons. It was a great ride and these are the types of people that make coaching so worthwhile.

Congratulations to all of the award winners
 
State Coach of the Year
Gary Black, Shenandoah
 
 
Randy Helfrich Assistant Coach of the Year-
Keith Davison, Chesterton
 
 
Calumet
Leroy Vega (Portage)
Crown Point
Chris Joll (Chesterton)
Rochester
Bob Read (Plymouth High School)
Logansport
Scott Van Der Aa (Harrison) and Tom Miller (Lafayette Jefferson)
Goshen
Brett Smith (Prairie Heights)
Carroll
John Tone- Bishop Dwenger
Peru
Andrew King, Oak Hill
Jay County
Trent McCormick (Yorktown) and Eric Myers (Jay County)
North Montgomery
Maurice Swain (North Montgomery)
Pendleton Heights
Courtney Duncan (Frankton)
Perry Meridian
Matt Schoettle (Perry Meridian)
Richmond
Doug Deters-Franklin County & Gary Black-Shenandoah
Mooresville
Kevin Blundell (Monrovia)
Bloomington South
Mark Friz (Terre Haute North)
Jeffersonville
Chris Cooper (Columbus East)
Castle
Greg Schaefer (EVMD) Cody Moll (North Posey) Matt Collins (Vincennes Lincoln)

Wrestling 45 matches in a season without a defeat is an impressive feat. What about also adding in 38 pins including 27 in the first period? Let’s also add in only three matches going into the third period, with only ONE, yes one, match that went the full six minutes. When you add all that up you get this year’s Mr. Gorilla, Andrew Davison of Chesterton.
 
Davison put together one of the most dominating seasons the state has ever seen this year. The future Michigan Wolverine already had a laundry list of accomplishments highlighted by national titles in folkstyle and Greco-roman before capturing his first state title this year. Davison’s career record was 121-4 with 79 career falls. On top of his accolades on the mat Davison has also been academic all-state based on stellar work in the classroom.
 
Andrew Davison’s Resume
http://indianamat.co...ew-davison-r518
 
National
2016 187 UWW Cadet Freestyle Nationals 6th
2016 187 UWW Cadet Greco Nationals 5th[
2016 195 Junior Greco Nationals 7th
2016 195 Junior Freestyle Nationals 7th
2016 195 Junior Folkstyle Nationals 1st
2016 195 Super 32 3rd
2015 182 Cadet Folkstyle Nationals 1st
2015 182 Cadet Freestyle Nationals 3rd
2015 182 Cadet Greco Nationals 1st
 
State
2017 195 State 1st
2016 182 State Qualifier
2015 182 State 5th
 
Awards and Honors
2017 Academic All-State Senior
2016 Academic All-State Junior
 
Mr. Gorilla Voting Results(1st place votes)
1st- Andrew Davison(18)
2nd- Breyden Bailey(8)
3rd- Alec White(2)
 
Others with 1st place votes
Alston Bane(2)
Eli Stock(2)
Colton Cummings(1)
 
Past Mr. Gorilla Award Winners
2016- Chad Red of New Palestine
2015- Tommy Forte of Mishawaka
 
About Mr. Gorilla Award
The Mr. Gorilla award was starting 2015 as a way to recognize the top senior each year. Voting is done after the state finals is completed. Voters are from around the state include coaches, administrators, and state and national media members that cover wrestling. The award has been designed to give recognition for the hard work and dedication it takes to be a top wrestler.
 
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It's very difficult to compare wrestlers from different eras, but David Palmer was at least as dominant in his time as those mentioned are dominant now, and so was Bloomington South's Randy May.

I am not trying to start a political war on here its a wrestling website for damn sake. I will agree to disagree on this topic. That being said I do want to commend everyone for their level of respect on the issue like I said the transgender and LGBT community hits home for me a little harder than most and everyone here while maybe not in agreement has been very respectful towards the issue while defending their point. Another reason why I love this community so much.

The decision of the athlete and family includes the ramifications of the decision made. This is an unfair advantage and there is likely more to why the state association has this rule. What happens when a male says their gender identity is female, should they compete n the women's tournament? Look at the trackwrestling info, interesting, not seeing a strong desire to compete against males. Regardless, looks like Texas has women's and class wrestling, Indiana is slacking, ought ohh... :-)

Bracketology 101 just got a whole lot more interesting.

A wild semi-state Saturday in all four locations, with plenty of upsets, made for some very interesting early matchups between top wrestlers. The most talked about is, of course, the battle between two time state champion, Colton Cummings of Lowell, and two time placer from New Palestine, Alec White. Cummings has signed to wrestle for Army this year and White will don the black and gold for the Purdue Boilers next year. Have two division one signees ever met up on a Friday night?

As you go through the brackets, it seems like nearly every weight class has some tougher than usual first round fights.

First Round Fights
106
You might want to “get sick” at work Friday afternoon so you can get to Banker’s Life on time for this match up on Mat 3. It will begin right at 6pm. Have your popcorn and soda pop read and buckle up for the battle between:

#1 Brayden Curtis of Yorktown vs. #3 Brendan Mattingly of Carmel

The New Castle semi-state was obviously brutal to put the freshman Mattingly in this spot on Friday night. That semi-state contained the second, third, fourth and fifth ranked flyweights in the state. Mattingly drew the short straw and got hooked up with the state’s top ranked wrestler in the sophomore Curtis. The Fieldhouse should be rocking early with this one.

113
The top Friday night tilt will pit seventh ranked Gavin Rose of Greenfield Central versus ninth ranked Seth Horty of Evansville Memorial. Horty is in his last go round as he is a senior, whereas Rose navigated a bracket with the #2 and #3 ranked kids in the state. This should make for a nice Friday night battle to see who gets to wrestle for hardware on Saturday morning.

120
This weight class is extremely deep and features several grapplers with loads of state level experience. Two veteran, highly ranked studs, facing off on Friday night attest to talent in this bracket.

#5 Colin Poynter of Portage vs. #6 Jabin Wright of Kokomo
Wright is a two time state streeter looking for his first state medal. He will be matched up with Poynter, who came on strong last year to qualify for state and made another big step this year to put himself among the state’s elite. Wright comes at you from angles with speed whereas Poynter has an in your face, grinding style. Should make for an interesting style contrast

126
Wow! Wow!! WOW!!! Three, count ‘em three, awesome Friday night fights will leave the fans with sore necks if they all happen to be simultaneously contested. Leading off this trio at the top of the bracket is Fort Wayne semi-state champ Matt Gimson of Jimtown versus Evansville Mater Dei’s super frosh Matt Lee. The sophomore Gimson is a bona fide stud who made huge gains between his first and second seasons. However, most would not be surprised if the 12th ranked Jimmie was toppled by the 4th place finisher from Evansville. The 7th ranked Lee finishing fourth behind Graham Rooks, Blake Mulkey, and Noah Hunt is nothing to be ashamed of.

The second nasty battle pits Indy Cathedral’s 6th ranked Jordan Slivka against Valparaiso’s underappreciated and 11th ranked Ian Dembowski. Slivka was a third place finisher last year at 113. Dembowski has been on the verge of breaking out statewide and a win over the established Slivka would do just that.

Finally, the match up that has been getting the most notice is the Friday night tussle between two time state champion and 3rd ranked Colton Cummings of Lowell versus two time medal winner and three time state finalist Alec White of New Palestine. Two seniors with stellar resumes and one will be without a state medal after this weekend. The downside of not having wrestle backs has never been so evident. The one positive is that both young men seem to have their future well planned.

132
Fifteen of sixteen wrestlers in the 132 pound bracket are state ranked so the probability of some nasty first round scuffles was going to be high. Amazingly, the same two schools involved in one of the 126 first round rumbles are also involved here.

#3 Kyle Luigs – Mater Dei vs. #6 Conner Gimson – Jimtown

Even though these two schools are over 300 miles apart, they do have a common opponent in Columbus East’s Dalton Combest. Gimson beat Combest at the Al Smith meet in late December and Luigs just suffered his first lost of the season to Combest in the semifinals at semi-state. Gimson has lost each of the last two weeks to Central Noble’s Austin Moore and Yorktown’s Christian Hunt. Both will be on point trying to scratch and claw to get to Saturday.

138
The best first rounder in this weight class matches up two blue blood programs and two wrestlers with something to prove.

#3 Kris Rumph – Portage vs. #11 Grant Gutierrez – Bellmont

Rumph has had a great junior season highlighted by an Al Smith championship and one of the state’s best rivalries with #1 Brendan Black of Hobart. The rivalry had a little hiccup in the semi state finals where Black put it on Rumph, 17-1. Most believe that Rumph wasn’t “right” but no one is making excuses. Whatever the case may be, Rumph can erase the bad memories with a Friday night win.
Gutierrez struggled somewhat early but has had a nice run late in the season where he avenged many of his earlier losses. The senior Brave will look to win on Friday night for himself and to become the first Bellmont state placer in a four years.

145
The middleweights always give us some of the best action overall and the 145 class should provide some great early round action this Friday. Three first round battles between highly ranked wrestlers should provide some fireworks.

Leading off is a match that looks like it should be in the semis between #2 ranked Kasper McIntosh of Portage and #5 Joel Arney of Fort Wayne Carroll. Both had minor stumbles last week and they will pay for that mistake by having to meet up in a sudden death situation on Friday night. Good for the fans but bad for the loser who will be a fan for the rest of the weekend.

Next up on the Friday night list is a match up between schools that are less then 15 miles from each other but as far as I know, they don’t face each other during the regular season and go in different directions once the season begins. Center Grove senior, #8 ranked Logan Coyle has only lost to #1 Brayton Lee at 145. He will do battle with #9 ranked senior Kain Rust of Perry Meridian. Rust has been around the block and is making his first trip to state. Both southsiders will be intense Friday night.

The final Friday flap will pit Crown Point junior #10 Mario Traficanti against Jay County’s #7 Mason Winner. Winner was having an outstanding freshman campaign that most thought would end last Saturday. He then shocked most of northeast Indiana by taking out the third and fifth ranked kids in the state on the way to an improbable semi-state title. Don’t be fooled by Traficanti’s fourth place finish. He can and has wrestled the state’s best very tough. These two have similar styles. The might not light up the scoreboard but it should still be an exciting show.

152
This bracket has some of the state’s most exciting wrestlers. The type of guys that will throw caution to the wind and let the fur fly. I see two Friday night fur flying possibilities. The first involves seniors Kassius Breathitt from South Bend Riley and Jacob Clark of Avon. The 6th ranked Clark has a state medal on his resume and a fine 29-5 record. Breathitt has been on the state radar but this is his first Indy trip. The 8th ranked Wildcat will be looking for a fowl meal on Friday night.

The second intriguing opening round tilt is at the bottom of the bracket where giant slayer Austin Bethel of Mount Vernon will put his #4 ranking on the line against Crown Point’s #12th ranked Noah Lamore. Bethel looks to finish matches early while Lamore likes to take his prey into the deep water.

160
The best candidate to provide excitement in the 160 class on Friday night is probably the tilt between Princeton’s 11th ranked junior, Chase Wilson and Bellmont’s 12th ranked senior, Tony Busse. Both of these proud programs have not had a state medalist in some time and Busse will be looking to avenge his loss to Wilson at the Al Smith.

170
At 170 the last match on the bracket looks to be the best match up for Friday night. Senior Jake Ruberg of Lawrenceburg qualified as a freshman and has yet to be back. The 9th ranked Tiger will be hungry for state hardware. Another Tiger, Jordan Rader will be his foe. Rader is from Peru, is a state qualifier from two seasons ago and is ranked 15th in the state. Should be some fireworks to see who will be on the podium.

182
As we enter the land of the big boys, the great first round matches continue. Don’t leave early, you might regret the decision. At 182, a battle between two grapplers ranked in the top 8 should peak your interest. Prairie Heights’ program has received some state wide attention the past couple of years. Most of us have heard of the Rasler and Levitz families. However, 8th ranked senior, Joey Blakely, is a important to their program as any kid. He already has state hardware and would be very disappointed if he were to go home empty handed. Trying to do just that is, Lebanon’s senior stud, Evan Stambaugh. Stambaugh is ranked 6th and is rolling this year. Both kids have confidence and are willing to brawl.

195
A Friday night fight that is seemingly under the radar is a clash between two football studs as well as top five ranked wrestlers. Cathedral’s Ben Stewart is a beast on the football field (Boston College recruit) as well as on the mat. He is ranked 2nd in the state and was third in this weight class a year ago. He will be match up against Evansville Mater Dei’s Kurtis Wilderman. Wilderman was the QB for the always tough Wildcat football team and that toughness carries over to the mat where he finished 6th a year ago and is ranked 5th this year. This has the making for an instant classic.

220
The featured matchup at 220 might not be that close on the scoreboard but it needs be talked about regardless. Third ranked Clayton Scroggs of Martinsville is a three time state finalist who placed fifth a year ago. By the luck of the draw, Scroggs got paired with Mason Parris, maybe the most dominant upper weight Indiana has produced since Mitch Sliga. Some will say he should have done better at semi-state to avoid the bad draw and they have a point but that will still not prevent me from feeling bad for kids who are clearly deserving of top 8 recognition but are denied by tournament system virtually no one else in the world uses.

285
Two BIG BIG men with a history will be the Friday night feature at heavyweight. Brownsburg will be looking to capture a team state title and they need a placer at 285 to bolster their score. Slick Rick Clark is a load and ranked 7th in the state. He will be paired with the massive Jessie Lawson of Fort Wayne Carroll. Lawson has taken a loss from Clark but he has also slayed the Purple big man once. Lawson is ranked #14th and put together a phenomenal run to get an Al Smith crown back in December. It’s the last match of Friday night, I will be watching…..will you??

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opinions, everyone has them, especially on coaching. No reason to disparage a coaching staff or program! Frankton had a good day overall sending 2 to state. Dru seemed off today, was up 2-1 at the time and am sure he will be back, sharper than ever.
 
Thanks to all the wrestlers today for a great, exciting day of wrestling!

Very tough day as a former athlete and a dad. Seeing your son experience a pain you can only console and not remove is heartbreaking. Especially when it's a 14yr old who's defied the odds all season, but fell a little short today. Yes, the equivalent of salt in the wounds is seeing athletes who your wrestler has beaten advance.......but as dads, if we can boast in the glory of our children's success......then we better be humble enough to not run from the reality of small failures.
With that said......The Allred's want to congratulate the Mazero family and specifically Joe for being the better wrestler today. Good luck at the Finals and continue to make your great Hamilton Southeastern program proud young man.
We also want to congratulate Jake Ruberg for bouncing back in a big way this week.
Awesome job done today by our Shenandoah squad by advancing 4 wrestlers to next week. 106-Black....126-Pugsley....138-Surguy & 160-Gee. Continued success to all these deserving young men.

New Castle 2017: New blood at the top
 
Another grind of a regular season in central Indiana is in the record books, and 224 state-hopefuls will compete for coveted Golden Tickets in the Trojan Horse Thunderdome that is Chrysler Arena. Last year's team champs, Warren Central, will almost certainly be dethroned by one of the following teams: Carmel, Cathedral or Perry Meridian, who brings a semistate-high 12 athletes to the mat on Saturday. That number is 12 and not 13 due to the gruesome injury sustained by returning state placer Sammy Fair. The Falcons are still loaded and, along with the Irish, have to be considered the front-runners. Three nationally ranked studs will lace 'em up on Saturday: 132 lb standout Breyden Bailey (Cathedral)--3X state semifinalist, 195 lb Tristen Tonte (Warren Central)--2X state runner-up and 3X state qualifier, and all-world 220 lb Mason Parris (Lawrenceburg)--defending state champ and twice a high state placer. Aside from these three big names, there are fewer state-ranked athletes than in recent years, but that doesn't mean that each weight isn't pretty loaded. With the team parity at this year's semistate, each match could potentially have championship ramifications.106
 
Six state-ranked competitors will do battle in the opening weight, including #2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. The other ranked wrestler is Al Smith champ, #12 Gabe Smith of Lawrence Central. Smith will have to find a way to get past #5 Brayden Lowery of PM to punch his ticket. Perhaps even nastier is the bottom portion of the bracket, where #6 Logan Bailey of Cathedral and #2 Seth Johnson of North Montgomery should meet in the ticket round. #3 Brendan Mattingly of Carmel and #4 Andrew Black of Shenandoah have slightly less brutal potential paths to the state finals. This is one of the most loaded weights at New Castle. Legitimately, 5 or 6 different wrestlers could stand atop the podium at the end of the day.
 
Last year's champ: Keyuan Murphy, Warren Central
 
Potential matchups:
#5 Lowery vs. #12 Smith (Ticket round) – A couple of stud freshmen should vie for state advancement. Lowery beat Smith comfortably earlier in the year.
#4 Black vs. Josh Vaughn, Franklin Central(Ticket round) – Black is clearly one of the favorites at this weight, but he still must get by a tough senior and returning semistate qualifier.
#2 Johnson vs. #6 Bailey (Ticket round) – This could be one of the early matches of the day, as Johnson was unbeaten until regionals and the baby-faced assassin Bailey is peaking and looking better and better each week.
#3 Mattingly/ #5 Lowery vs. #4 Black/ #2 Johnson/ #6 Bailey (Finals) – There are several combinations of these 5 who could wind up competing for the coveted #1 seed at state. Quite obviously, the semifinals and 3rd place match will be huge for the individuals and a handful of teams.
 
1st round picks:
Mattingly over Slivka
Hadley over Lonneman
Lowery over Luhmann
Smith over Lee
Black over Harshbarger
Vaughn over Eldred
Bailey over Vredeveld
Johnson over Stewart
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Mattingly, Bailey, Lowery, Black
 
The Alpha Dog:
Brendan Mattingly
 
113
 
Five more state-ranked athletes will lace 'em up at 113. Despite the big loss of #5 Sammy Fair, this is still a very tough and deep weight. #3 Skylour Turner of Warren Central--3X state placer, #2 Alec Viduya of Roncalli--0 losses to anyone he will face going forward, and #7 Gavin Rose of Greenfield-Central--returning state qualifier, are joined by tough seniors #13 Nick Brady of Noblesville and #16 Kody Conaway of Beech Grove. Viduya appears to be improving as the season progresses, and has to be considered the favorite.
 
Last year's champ: Alec White, New Palestine
 
Feature matchups:
 
#13 Brady vs. #3 Turner (Ticket round) – Assuming Turner gets by 3X semistate qualifier Reid Hutson of Westfield, he should face a big, strong 113 lber who has been nearly flawless in the postseason thus far. While it's hard to bet against the Millers senior, it's even harder to bet against Turner booking another weekend date at Banker's Life.
Kyle Holman, Carmel vs. #16 Conaway (Opening round) – Holman initially looked to face #7 Rose, and then Pike freshman KeShon Edmunds, and finally wound up with a ranked senior in Conaway. The winner of this match should be in the driver's seat in the ticket round.
#7 Rose vs. #3 Turner (Semifinal round) – These two faced off in the 3rd place match of regionals, with the senior Turner winning a squeaker 4-3.
 
1st round picks:
Owens over Williams
Rose over Surber
Brady over Condo
Turner over Hutson
Viduya over Moseley
Seymour over Sollars
Holman over Conaway
Oliver over Joya
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Viduya, Turner, Rose, Holman
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alec Viduya
 
120
 
One of the most wide open weights of the day features 4 ranked wrestlers. Only #13 Lukasz Walendzak has advanced beyond semistate among this group. #12 Sunny Nier of Perry Meridian is a hungry senior and returning ticket-rounder. Regional champ #15 Carter Noehre of Greenfield-Central has had an outstanding season and has a convincing win over likely ticket round opponent Reid Seymour of Chatard. #18 Tyce Freije is another nasty Roncalli freshman, and looks to join Viduya at BLF.
 
Last year's champ: Dylan Culp, Warren Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
#13 Walendzak vs. #12 Nier (Ticket round) – This is just one of those unfortunate matches that we see at each semistate every year. Nier majored Walendzak earlier this season. Walendzak's teammate Slivka edged Nier in the ticket round last year. Will Irish eyes be smiling at 120? Or will the Falcon reach the crest in the form of a state advancement? Tune in.
 
#15 Noehre / Dominic Pecoraro, Carmel vs. #18 Frieje / #13 Walendzak / #12 Nier (Semifinals, Finals)– There isn't a lot of consensus regarding a favorite at this weight, and any of these 5 could be competing in the finals.
 
1st round picks:
Noehre over Boggs
Seymour over Hall
Ragle over Wilkerson
Pecoraro over Pettiford
Greene over Vaughn
Freije over Walsh
Walendzak over Forbes
Nier over Taylor
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Noehre, Freije, Walendzak, Pecoraro
 
The Alpha Dog:
Carter Noehre
 
126
 
Five ranked athletes grace this weight class, including 2X state placer and 3X qualifier #5 Alec White of New Palestine, the defending semistate champion at 113. Right behind him is #6 Jordan Slivka of Cathedral, 3rd place state finisher last season and runner-up in OT to White at semistate last year. #9 Adam Jerde of Carmel has been close to breaking through, but this is his last and best shot. #17 Dylan Culp of Warren Central is a returning state placer and semistate champ, but will have to get by Slivka for a chance at returning to BLF. Lastly, #13 Dallas Pugsley of Shenandoah has had an outstanding season and comes into New Castle with a regional crown. Pugsley was a ticket-rounder last year and should have a date with former state qualifier Alexander Strueder of Fishers in the ticket round.
 
Last year's champ: Breyden Bailey, Cathedral
 
Feature matchups:
 
#6 Slivka vs. #17 Culp (Ticket round) – Two returning state placewinners should meet in the ticket round. Culp really put it all together at semistate last year, besting another state placer in Ethan Smiley in the championship match. He will need to do it again this year to get past the tough Irish sophomore, and he appears to be heating up, as he took White to OT at regionals. First things first for Culp--he has to get by returning ticket rounder Garrett Walton of South Dearborn.
 
#13 Pugsley vs. Alexander Strueder (Ticket round) – Strueder very nearly made a return trip to The Fieldhouse last year, losing in UTB to Gavin Rose in the ticket round. He'll have his work cut out for him again this year, as Pugsley has a number of big wins this season.
 
#6 Slivka vs. #5 White (Finals) – This could be a repeat of last year's 113 championship, won by the Purdue recruit White in OT. If they each navigate the minefield in front of them to meet again, look for a tight match that could go either way.
 
1st round picks:
Slivka over Garcia
Culp over Walton
Jerde over Miles
McMillan over Negangard
Pugsley over Evans
Strueder over Long
White over Deal
Harrington over Gobeyn
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
White, Slivka, Jerde, Pugsley
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alec White
 
132
 
132 is a deep weight class, led by 6 ranked wrestlers including Cathedral's #2 Breyden Bailey (#12 nationally, 3X state 3rd place finisher). Returning state placer #5 Ethan Smiley of Beech Grove and former state qualifier and semistate champion #9 Cainan Schaefer of South Dearborn bring unbeaten records into this weekend. #10 Zak Bowling of Lebanon won a solid regional last week and seeks to finish his HS career with a bang. #14 Jack Servies of Perry Meridian is one of many Falcons with a great shot to advance to state. Servies was denied in the ticket round last year by Bailey, by a mere 3-0 decision. #15 Hayden Lohrey of Shenandoah is yet another returning state qualifier, but he has the misfortune of drawing Bailey in the ticket round. Last year's 132 competition featured All-World Chad Red, Jr. winning another semistate title, but perhaps more importantly, DJ Brookbank of Perry Meridian caught fire and upset Zach Melloh in the ticket round. Could that be an omen of upsets to come this year at 132?
 
Last year's champ: Chad Red, Jr., New Palestine
 
Feature matchups:
 
#5 Smiley vs. Azariah Ellis, Zionsville / Elijah Phillips, Centerville (Ticket round) – While Smiley is a strong favorite to advance, he gets an experienced, long and crafty Dheontae Unseld of LN in his opening match. Should he win that match, either a tough senior in Ellis or a returning semistate qualifier in Phillips awaits.
 
#10 Bowling/ Stevie Browning, Franklin County vs. Chris Loy, Hamilton Heights/ #14 Servies, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Bowling has had a very strong season and enters the fray as a regional champion. Bowling beat Loy in the opening round of semistate last year before dropping a ticket match to state place Joel McGhee of Warren Central by 8-4 decision. Browning was also a ticket rounder, pinning LC's Jesus Mancera before losing to Red. Loy and Servies could provide fireworks, with Servies coming in hot, losing to Smiley by a razor thin margin in OT at regionals. Bowling and Servies is likely a 50/50 match.
 
1st round picks:
Bailey over Hiatt
Lohrey over Douglass
Smiley over Unseld
Ellis over Phillips
Bowling over Browning
Servies over Loy
Schaefer over Tunstill
Wright over Avey
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bailey, Schaefer, Smiley, Bowling
 
The Alpha Dog:
Breyden Bailey
 
138
 
Another 6 ranked athletes populate another tough bracket. Leading the charge is former 4th place state finisher #2 Zach Melloh of Cathedral. The tough Irish junior has wins this year over a relative who's who at 138. #6 Riley White also has some very impressive wins this season and has a very solid shot at advancing to state this year. #10 Brooks Davis of Perry Meridian also has some nice wins, and has been competitive with some of the best in the state at 138. #13 Kody Wagner of Zionsville was a semistate qualifier last year and is part of an impressive group of Eagles grapplers competing this weekend. #17 Jesus Mancera of Lawrence Central is as battle-tested as they come and is capable of surprising this weekend. Rounding out the ranked wrestlers is #18 Bailey Moore, Connersville champion this year and ticket rounder last year. While Melloh is a fairly prohibitive favorite, the battle for positions 2-4 should be ferocious and possibly unexpected.
 
Last year's champ: Evan Eldred, Westfield
 
Feature matchups:
 
#13 Wagner vs. #10 Davis (Ticket round) – Wagner's reward for winning his regional is a ticket round match with Davis. Zionsville wrestles a very tough schedule, but it's unlikely that any team in central Indiana has had a more difficult schedule than Perry. Davis is the slight favorite, but Wagners at Zionsville have had a lot of success in past postseasons.
#18 Moore vs. #17 Mancera (Ticket round) – Mancera owns a win over Moore this season, but this one is anyone's match. The winner has a solid shot at a 2 seed at state.
Ryan Surguy, Shenandoah vs. #6 White (Ticket round) – While White is a solid favorite on paper, Surguy is a strong sleeper pick at this weight and in this potential match. The Shenandoah senior is a returning semistate qualifier, and White is a returning ticket rounder.
 
1st round picks:
Wagner over Gardfrey
Davis over Redd
Melloh over Lowe
Humbert over Noehre
Moore over Otto
Mancera over Estes
Surguy over Keener
White over Ball
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Melloh, Surguy, Wagner, Mancera
 
The Alpha Dog:
Zach Melloh
 
145
 
This is another relatively wide open weight class, lacking a consensus favorite. #4 Clayton Cowan of Hamilton Heights, a returning state qualifier, faces a particularly nasty potential ticket match. Waiting for him is #9 Kain Rust of Perry Meridian, a semistate qualifier last year. Rust has had a particularly impressive senior campaign thus far, with numerous wins against 'name' opponents. #13 Antwaun Graves of Warren Central beat Rust in the regional finals, avenging an earlier loss to the Falcons' 145. He's a sly pick to win this weight. Rounding out the ranked competitors is returning state qualifier and undefeated regional champion #15 Boone Welliever of Southmont.
 
Last year's champ: Jordan Vaughn, Franklin Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
Mike Humbert, Franklin County vs. Darian Padgett, North Central / Beau Wilbrandt, Fishers (Ticket round) – Humbert, a returning semistate qualifier, could have his hands full with Chad Rothwell of Southport, a semistate qualifier last year at 160!, in his opening round match. If he gets by Rothwell, the winner of Wilbrandt and Padgett awaits. Both are seniors with 10 losses, but each is dangerous and capable of advancing. Wilbrandt is also a returning semistate qualifier.
 
#4 Cowan vs. #9 Rust (Ticket round) – Certainly one of the rougher ticket matches of the day, each senior will be ready to brawl when the whistle blows. This could be one of the best matches of the day and could greatly impact the team race.
 
#13 Graves vs. #4 Cowan / #9 Rust or #15 Welliever (Finals) – While Graves appears to have a slightly less treacherous path to the finals, the survivor of Cowan/Rust/Welliever may be pretty tired upon reaching the finals. This is a hard one to handicap.
 
1st round picks:
Humbert over Rothwell
Padgett over Wilbrandt
Graves over Wills
Rodgers over Sauder
Cowan over Williamson
Rust over Roth
Welliever over Lane
Gosnell over Fletcher
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Welliever, Graves, Rust, Padgett
 
The Alpha Dog:
Boone Welliever, Southmont
 
152
 
Returning 7th place state finisher #2 Noah Warren of Perry Meridian leads a solid group at 152. #7 Jack Eiteljorge of Carmel is a returning ticket rounder and has just one loss all season, to 160 lb Gleason Mappes of Center Grove. He can go with the big boys. #11 Andrew Negangard of East Central was a ticket rounder last year as well. This year, he's a one-loss senior with a favorable draw. #18 Cody Klettheimer of Frankton and #19 Tucker Coffman of Union County meet in one of the roughest opening round matches of the day. The winner likely faces Eiteljorge. There are no free lunches at semistate, unless you're allowed in the hospitality room. Last year, regional runner-up Trent Pruitt parlayed a hot day at semistate into a state title the following weekend.
 
Last year's champ: Trent Pruitt, Warren Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
#18 Klettheimer vs. #19 Coffman (Opening round) – Each is a returning semistate qualifier and precocious sophomore. As mentioned earlier, the winner must get through Eiteljorge to advance.
#11 Negangard vs. Walter Ballinger, Beech Grove (Ticket round) – Negangard comes in as a solid favorite, but Ballinger won't be a pushover. Negangard must also get by senior Alex Johnson of Pendleton Heights to advance to a potential match with the game senior Ballinger.
David Kitko, Noblesville vs. Sam Gobeyn, Zionsville (Ticket round) – While the win/loss record of each wrestler doesn't jump off the page, the reality is that one of the two will likely advance to BLF. Kitko, like many Noblesville wrestlers under Coach Knotts, is formidable with Greco throws. Gobeyn, like his fellow Eagles, has been through the gauntlet all season.
#7 Eiteljorge vs. #2 Warren (Semifinals round) – Both should punch a golden ticket, but each has designs on a top seed at state, which means this match takes on extreme importance individually, as well as for the team race. Warren is the favorite, but Coaches Pendowski and Geter will have a solid gameplan at the ready for Eye-tul-hor-hay.
#2 Warren / #7 Eiteljorge vs. #11 Negangard (Finals) – Each member of this trio is capable of a tough run at Banker's Life. Warren is the favorite, but Negangard could be a fly in the Perry ointment.
 
1st round picks:
Warren over Bischoff
Despain over Hines
Eiteljorge over Rebein
Coffman over Klettheimer
Negangard over Johnson
Ballinger over Wagner
Kitko over Webster
Gobeyn over Smith
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Warren, Negangard, Eiteljorge, Gobeyn
 
The Alpha Dog:
Noah Warren
 
160
 
This stacked weight is led by 2X state placer #2 Alston Bane of Richmond, an undefeated senior. However, he's far from alone at the top, as #3 Laine Frazee of Fountain Central, an 8th place finisher last year, #4 Christian Warren of Perry, another undefeated senior, and #9 Dru Berkebile of Frankton, a 2X state qualifier and former 5th place state finisher, lead the field. #19 Elijah Mahan of Roncalli is one of three sophomores in the bracket, and has been impressive all season long. Expect a tight match between Mahan and Bane if Mahan can get by the gritty Sam Hauke of North Central in his opening match. There are 4 grapplers here with a legit shot at the strap on Saturday.
 
Last year's champ: Noah Warren, Perry Meridian
 
Feature matchups:
 
#4 Warren vs. #3 Frazee (Ticket round) – Just brutal. Frazee was upset by Westfield's Justin Miller in UTB at regionals, which led to this draw of death. Warren has done nothing but win in this, his final season. Frazee's only loss at semistate last year was a one point decision to Bane. This is essentially a pick 'em, and the winner is fully capable of winning the weight.
 
#9 Berkebile vs. Justin Miller, Westfield (Ticket round) – Ignore Miller's record, as he has shown throughout his career that he has the ability to elevate his game when necessary. Berkebile is a proven commodity, but he could have his hands full with Miller, who is solid in all aspects and positions. Berkebile had better not overlook Southport's senior Brett Wright in his opening match.
 
#2 Bane vs. #19 Mahan (Ticket round) – It's tough to bet against the highly proven Bane, unless the opponent is Batman. Mahan will be a force the next two years, and he could give the senior all he wants.
 
Matthew Wertz, Zionsville / Ryan Mitts, East Central vs. JT Lazzara, Guerin / Drake Tackett, Mount Vernon (Ticket round) – No rankings to speak of among this group, but Wertz comes in with momentum as the regional champ. All 4 are seniors and will be fighting tooth and nail.
 
1st round picks:
Warren over Booker
Frazee over Gee
Berkebile over Wright
Miller over Massey
Bane over Davis
Mahan over Hauke
Wertz over Mitts
Lazzara over Tackett
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Bane, Warren, Berkebile, Wertz
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alston Bane
 
170
 
While just four ranked wrestlers will be competing at 170 on Saturday, among them are a returning state placer, a former state qualifier, an Al Smith champ and a freshman wunderkind. #2 Tanner Webster of North Montgomery was a 6th place finisher at state last season, but was defeated at regional by #3 Thomas Penola of Zionsville, an impressive Al Smith champ earlier this season. Snake-bitten #9 Jake Ruberg of Lawrenceburg impressed the state with a state qualification as a freshman, but has battled injuries and tough semistate draws since then. The freshman everyone is buzzing about is #4 Silas Allred, the undefeated stud from Shenandoah. Some folks think he's going to keep a clean sheet through semistate, but nothing will come easy for him or any of the other favorites.
 
Last year's champ: Ricky Samuels, Lawrence North
 
Feature matchups:
 
#4 Allred vs. Joe Mazero, HSE / Cameron Amos, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Allred's first real test at semistate should come in his ticket match. Mazero is perpetually underrated and was a ticket rounder last year. He's wrestled a high level of competition. The same is true of Amos.
#3 Penola vs. #9 Ruberg (Ticket round) – This is another of the ticket round matches that screams for wrestlebacks. Tough draw for both--the loser could easily place at state. Penola has been on the roll of all rolls this season. He has wins over #2, #5, #6 and #7 this year, among many more game opponents.
#2 Webster / #4 Allred vs. #3 Penola / #9 Ruberg (Finals) – There are a lot of different ways this could play out. Will Webster avenge his loss to Penola after besting the stout freshman in the semis? Will the stout freshman show the rest of the state that he is a legitimate state title threat by knocking off the #2 and #3 wrestlers in the state? Will Penola continue his unearthly momentum and head to BLF as a top seed? Or will the unlucky senior Ruberg spoil Penola's plans en route to a finals matchup with Webster or Allred?
 
1st round picks:
Murry over Simmons
Webster over Acevedo
Allred over Todd
Mazero over Amos
Penola over Willis
Ruberg over Najem
Lowe over Hart
Miller over Orschell
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Webster, Penola, Allred, Lowe
 
The Alpha Dog:
Tanner Webster
 
182
 
With just 3 ranked wrestlers, this is probably the most wide open weight class at New Castle. Leading the way is former state qualifier #6 Evan Stambaugh of Lebanon, who comes in with just one loss all year. #9 Alec Jessop of HSE brings an impressive 20-2 record into the mix. #10 Cameron Simmons of Lawrence Central was a semistate qualifier last year. There are plenty of sleepers in the group, including Josue Hill of Zionsville, Jalen Allen of Perry Meridian, Sam Hansen of Roncalli and Jonah Rolfes of Lawrenceburg.
 
Last year's champ: Blake Rypel, Cathedral
 
Feature matchups:
 
#10 Simmons vs. Josue Hill, Zionsville (Ticket round) – Both grapplers were semistate qualifiers last year and, despite the ranking difference, there probably isn't much of a separation between these two battle-tested seniors. If Zionsville is going to figure in the team race, they need to win matches like this one.
#9 Jessop vs. Jalen Allen, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Allen is unranked despite a 34-4 senior campaign, and Jessop is a big, strong 182 generating a lot of buzz from knowledgeable spectators. Consider this one of the big team scoring matches of the ticket round.
#6 Stambaugh vs. Sam Hansen, Roncalli (Ticket round) – Like Allen, Hansen has an oustanding record at 37-4. Stambaugh was upended last year in the ticket round and had better not overlook the tough Rebels' junior.
Jonah Rolfes, Lawrenceburg vs. Bryce Sharp, Carmel (Opening round) – Sharp's 21-7 record isn't as spectacular as Rolfes' 41-4 record, but Carmel's schedule is much, much tougher. This is a 50/50 match.
#9 Jessop / Allen vs. #10 Simmons / Hill (Semifinals) – On paper, this should be Jessop vs. Simmons, but it's far from a lead pipe lock. All 4 seniors are hungry and capable. The winner of this nasty pool should face Stambaugh for the semistate title.
 
1st round picks:
Simmons over Sterrett
Hill over Bohman
Allen over Mills
Jessop over Thorp
Stambaugh over Mitts
Hansen over Morgan
Rolfes over Sharp
Baker over Keesee
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Jessop, Stambaugh, Simmons, Rolfes
 
The Alpha Dog:
Alec Jessop
 
195
 
This weight has to qualify as New Castle's main event. Warren Central's #1 in the state and 2X state runner-up Tristen Tonte (#17 in the USA per Intermat) and #2 Ben Stewart of Cathedral will almost certainly do battle, yet again, this time in the finals. This could be a preview of the state finals the following weekend. Stewart and Tonte were both beaten by decision by eventual state champ Jake Kleimola. Tonte is a 3X qualifier, and had a hand in Stewart's status of 1X state qualifier, as they met in the ticket round as freshmen (Stewart got Mason Parris in the ticket round the following year). Tonte got him again in the finals of last year's semistate, winning 1-0. Stewart is absolutely gigantic this season. Tonte is long and as slick as the day is long. This should be an incredible finals matchup. Joining the elite two as ranked competitors are #10 Liam Jagow of Westfield, who has had an incredible season, #11 Cole Slavens of North Montgomery, who has the misfortune of drawing Stewart in the ticket round (for the 2nd year in a row!), #12 Drew Williamson of Zionsville, who has just 3 losses and a regional title under his belt, and #14 John Owensby, who finished 4th at regionals, setting up a dynamic first round match with Williamson. Additionally, unranked David Delph of Frankton is 37-2 on the season and has some excellent upper weight practice partners in the Eagles' room.
 
Last year's champ: Tristen Tonte, Warren Central
 
Feature matchups:
 
#12 Williamson vs. #14 Owensby (Opening round) – Williamson got a big win over Jagow at regionals, giving him great momentum heading into his first match of the day. The Franklin Central senior had a rough regional experience, but was a semistate qualifier last year at 220, so he will be plenty dangerous. The winner will face the winner of Delp and John Rorig of Milan, both of whom have impressive records.
 
#2 Stewart vs. #11 Slavens (Ticket round) – This is one of those strange phenomena that happens at New Castle. For the 2nd year in a row, Slavens must beat Stewart to advance, which is a tall order for anyone. Stewart, who will attend Boston College on a football scholarship, absolutely manhandled his regional opponents. This is man-strength on display.
 
#1 Tonte vs. #2 Stewart (Finals) – The loser will likely get another crack at the victor next weekend at BLF. To this point, Tonte has a significant edge in the head-to-head series, but Stewart looks primed to execute a crackback. They don't come much bigger and better than this matchup.
 
1st round picks:
Williamson over Owensby
Delph over Rohrig
Tonte over Pigg
Sturm over Bynum
Stewart over Snipes
Slavens over Kenney
Tibbetts over Snyder
Jagow over Ruhana
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Tonte, Stewart, Jagow, Williamson
 
The Alpha Dog:
Tristen Tonte
 
220
 
Four ranked athletes, none of whom are seniors, will compete at 220 on Saturday. Leading the way is returning state champ and #1 Mason Parris of Lawrenceburg, a 2X state semifinalist and #3 in the country per Intermat. Parris is the biggest lock of the semistate, and might be the biggest lock at state as well. He's a unique, rare talent, as evidenced by his tremendous accomplishments in multiple sports. Joining Parris in the rankings are: #7 Jacob McClaine of Lebanon, who hasn't been beaten this year after falling in the ticket round last year, #10 Kyle Cornwell of Elwood, who has just one loss on the season and was also a ticket rounder last year, and #19 Landon Burton of New Palestine, who was a semistate qualifier at 195 last year. Watch out for sleepers Rilee Miller of Perry, Ryan Leslie of Noblesville, Darrione Gregory of LC, Joe Myren of HSE, Andy Guhl of Cathedral and Blake Ripperger of Franklin County. Yes, that's nearly the entire bracket.
 
Last year's champ: Mason Parris, Lawrenceburg
 
Feature matchups:
 
#10 Cornwell vs. Joe Myren, HSE (Ticket round) – Cornwell was impressive at regionals and already has two wins over Myren this year. That said, semistate produces upsets and Myren is very dangerous.
 
#19 Burton vs. Andy Guhl, Cathedral (Opening round) – It was a different Guhl last year that stormed through the semistate to take 2nd, but the similarities are obvious. The elder and younger Guhl are both large, athletic 220s and are as battle-tested as they come. The winner likely gets regional runner-up Blake Ripperger of Franklin County, a semistate qualifier last season.
 
1st round picks:
McClaine over Thomas
Miller over Leslie
Parris over Boleman
Gregory over Greene
Cornwell over Laws
Myren over Dick
Burton over Guhl
Ripperger over Mata
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Parris, Cornwell, McClaine, Burton
 
The Alpha Dog:
Mason Parris
 
285
 
Three ranked wrestlers, as well as a former state qualifier, lead the field at heavyweight in New Castle. Defending state runner-up #9 Robert Samuels of Lawrence North was a semistate champion last year and a state qualifier the year before. He is one of the smallest, most physically vascular and ripped heavyweights you will ever see. Strangely, he has struggled somewhat this year, dropping 5 matches and losing at regionals. Still, he was a two seed last year as well, and it worked out pretty well for him. He is still a strong candidate to finish high at state. #10 Elijah Bailey of North Central has had a phenomenal season, which includes a couple of impressive wins over Samuels. Look for them to lock horns yet again, this time in the semistate finals. #17 Peyton Wuerch of Mount Vernon faces returning state qualifier Austin Dollens of Westfield in the opening round for the 2nd year in a row. Dollens got him 3-0 last year and rolled all the way to state. Wuerch will be looking for payback. Unfortunately for each, the winner gets Samuels in the ticket round. Clark Minges of East Central is a former three time ticket rounder for Union County.
 
Last year's champ: Robert Samuels, Lawrence North
 
Feature matchups:
 
#17 Wuerch vs. Austin Dollens, Westfield (Opening round) – Dollens used his large frame and nimble feet to win a lot of close matches last year. He'll be seeking to repeat his performance from last year against Wuerch, and it will be interesting to see if Dollens holds an advantage with the big win last year, or if Wuerch is hungry and looking for payback. Again, it's slightly moot, as the winner gets Samuels to advance to BLF.
 
Jaden Powell, Speedway vs. Juggernaut Williams, Carmel (Opening round) – Both were semistate qualifiers last season, with Powell making it to the ticket round. Powell has the superior record, while Williams has the superior schedule.
 
Clark Minges, East Central / Marcus Stone, Elwood vs. Connor Bettis, Rockville / Steve Woolbright, Perry Meridian (Ticket round) – Minges, Bettis and Woolbright are all seniors with strong records and Stone is a big, agile heavyweight who could surprise. Look for Minges or Woolbright to lock up for a ticket.
 
#9 Samuels vs. #10 Bailey (Finals) – They met at sectionals and regionals, as well as during the regular season. They are both on the smaller, more agile side, although neither seems to be overpowered during matches against larger opponents. Each is capable of a strong state run, but each is also capable of getting knocked off by a beefier opponent on Friday night as well.
 
1st round picks:
Dollens over Wuerch
Samuels over Robinson
Powell over Williams
Selm over Obst
Minges over Stone
Woolbright over Bettis
Bailey over Wisner
Kunkelman over Roland
 
Dingo's picks to advance, in order:
Samuels, Bailey, Powell, Woolbright
 
The Alpha Dog:
Robert Samuels
 
Click here to view the article

By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
When Gary Black Jr. interviewed for the head wrestling coach at Shenandoah, his goals were clear. He didn’t want to maintain the status quo for the Raiders. He wasn’t content with getting a few kids through to semistate. He wanted to put Shenandoah on the wrestling map, and he wanted the small Henry County school to compete, and win against the state’s best programs.
 
His vision for the program landed him the job, and now, seven years later, he has done exactly what he said he would.
 
Shenandoah won the school’s first sectional two weeks ago. The Raiders dominated larger schools such as New Castle and Richmond in the process.
 
Last week the Raiders fell 1.5 points shy of winning the school’s first regional title.
 
“We had to get a mentality change,” Black said. “We had to understand the physicality of wrestling. We reached out to the elementary school. We implemented a club to get young kids invested in the sport at an early age. It took us a few years, but when we had an opening for the middle school job and I had John Slivka and my dad (Gary) take over, we really started developing our feeder system.”
 
Shenandoah has seven wrestlers competing at the New Castle semistate Saturday. Sophomores A.J. Black (106) and Dallas Pugsley (126), senior Ryan Surguy (138) and freshman Silas Allred (170) were all Richmond regional champions. Sophomore Hayden Lohrey (132) lost a close match to undefeated Cainan Schaefer in the championship round. Josh Gee (senior, 160) lost to No. 2-ranked Alston Bane 1-0 in the championship and sophomore Jake Webster placed fourth in the 152-pound class.
 
The Raider success story is one of heartache, determination and a coach that refuses to give up on his kids.
 
The Heartache
 
Coach Black’s younger brother Levi was perhaps the most talented grappler on the Raider team. He had an insane dedication to the sport and a work ethic that was unrivaled. Levi was well liked by everyone he came in contact with. But, despite all the positives he had going for him, Levi struggled with a mental illness that eventually led him to take his own life, at the high school, in November of 2015.
 
The death rocked the tiny Shenandoah community, as well as much of the surrounding area. Levi’s funeral brought together wrestlers from around the state. Many wrestlers, such as Bane at Richmond, have shown support of the Black family and helped raised awareness of mental illness by having a green streak (symbolic of Levi’s fight with the disease) dyed in his hair.
 
The Shenandoah team needed strength during this time. They needed someone to help them cope with the emotional gravity of the situation. The Black family was there to provide it.
 
“Both coaches (Gary Jr. and Sr.) are my heroes,” Gee said. “After all they went through, they still took care of us – even over themselves. Through their pain they never let us down. They helped us cope and really turned us into a wrestling brotherhood. We are a family.”
 
For Gary Jr., he knew he needed to find a way to honor Levi, yet move forward.
 
“The last 16 months have been a huge learning curve for a lot of us,” Black said. “Not only are you dealing with the daily grind of being a wrestler at a high level, but these kids already battle a lot of things daily. That was one more added struggle for all of us. There are days for me, my dad and I‘m sure the kids – being at that exact same place where everything happened – that make it very difficult. All of our lives have been changed.”
 
The Determination
 
Last year A.J. Black, Levi and Gary Jr’s youngest brother, tried doing everything he could to honor Levi. At times, the pressure got to him. He didn’t want to let his family down. When he lost in the ticket round to go to state, you could see that built up emotion boil over as tears streamed down his face.
 
“The weight of trying to accomplish a goal for the memory of his brother took its toll on A.J. and just mentally wore him down,” coach Black said. “We talked about it. He had to make a shift in how he honors his brother. He needs to start doing things for himself.
 
“I ask him before every match, who he is wrestling for. He now will say ‘Me’ and then give me a hug and go wrestle. He still honors Levi, but by working his hardest and doing his best. That’s all Levi would have wanted.”
 
The hard work mantra extends past A.J. To a man, the Raiders pride themselves on outworking other teams. The guys have bought into the system and have dedicated their summers to the sport.
 
“Levi was the hardest worker in the room,” A.J. said. “Everyone wants to make him proud by working as hard as they can, every day.”
 
Take Allred for example. He is a 14-year old freshman that won’t turn 15 until May 28. He’s wrestling in one of the most physically demanding classes (170). Yet he’s undefeated.
 
“We believe success is a mindset,” Allred said. “I constantly train and constantly push myself to get better. If you want to be the best, you have to work to be the best. You can get better, or worse every single day.”
 
Surguy and Gee are two examples of the dividends of that work ethic.
 
As a sophomore Gee was pinned by Bane in the sectional final in 36 seconds. Last year he lost 5-1 to Bane in the sectional final. This year, Gee has dropped two matches to Bane, but both were by the score of 1-0.
 
Surguy is another senior that struggled early, but has blossomed due to the work he puts in. This year Surguy is 42-2 with a sectional and regional title.
 
The Coach
 
Gary has built the Raider program to be one of the state’s best. The Raiders finished No. 2 in the Class A team state, and have higher aspirations down the road.
 
For Gary, the key to success has been making the wrestlers buy into the fact that the only way to improve, is to outwork the opposition. He also makes sure the wrestlers feel like a family.
 
“We see each other at our worst, and we see each other at our best,” said Allred, who has a 4.0 GPA and is ranked third in his class. “When one of us has a down day, the rest of us try and pick him up. This is more than a wrestling team. We’re all friends. We’re all brothers.”
 
The leader of the Raider family is undoubtedly the young coach Black. His passion for the team is evident in every match he coaches.
 
“On Sundays I’m exhausted,” Black said “It’s hard for me to be on the sideline when I just want to go to war with them. I don’t want to be the general just telling them to go into battle. I want to battle with them. I’ll be the intense guy on the sideline.
 
“I want these kids to win as bad as they do. I get extremely emotionally involved in their success. I’d like to think they appreciate it, even though I look ridiculous. I love wrestling and I love watching those kids compete.”
 
Last year only Lohrey punched his ticket to the state meet for the Raiders. This year Shenandoah has high hopes to have more than one kid represented. They know how hard the road is to get to state, but they’ve prepared themselves to complete the journey – just like a young coach interviewing for his first head coaching job seven years ago said they would.
 
Click here to view the article

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

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

The following PSA is brought to you by Markio:

Ford Arena info:
Parking and general information about the arena can be found at www.thefordcenter.com Wrestlers can enter the arena at 7:30am for weigh ins. Wrestlers and coaches will enter at the interior ticket office lobby (to the far right of the main lobby doors) to check in and head back. You will pick up your credentials here. The only coolers allowed are for wrestlers and must enter at the check in table through the interior ticket lobby. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK for anyone else is allowed inside unfortunately. Not my rules, just standard building policy. Public doors open at 8:00am CST. Enter on Main Street through the main lobby. We will look to create a separate door/entrance for those that already have tickets. 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. Thanks Markio!

Our next celebrity is Evansville owns HookandHalf and his better half Hookticia:

Introduction

Republic Aviation built the P-47 Thunderbolt—terror of America’s enemies—in Evansville, Indiana to support the allies’ WWII effort. 224 Thunderbolts will find their way to the mats at the Ford Center, this Saturday…

Hook's Recommendations:

Friday night- Hit historic Franklin Street; this one is a no-brainer. Tie on the feed bag at the Gerst Haus and enjoy 50 beers on tap. Smitty’s is an authentic Italian steakhouse. Sportsman’s Billiards is a 1920’s style pool hall with great bar food. The Tinman, Lamasco, Leroy’s….the list goes on and on.
Saturday morning- Go to Rosie’s Diner! You will not be impressed with the neighborhood; you will be impressed with the wait staff and food.
Saturday night- Angelo’s is two blocks from the Ford Center. You can thank me later. Enjoy Chicago-style pizza at Franklin Street Pizza.
And, as always, when attending ANYTHING at the Ford Center—bring your wallet. You will need it.

Hook’s Dirty South All-Name Team

106
Logan “Sport” Stephenson, Owen “Wilson” Sego, Sam “I am” Owen,
Camden “Oops, I Did It Again” Spears, Will “Purple” Hays, Drake “Soup” Campbell
Ray “De Janiero” Rioux, Dayton “Deer” Hunter, Devon “Lightning” Casebolt
Logan Boe “A Constrictor”, “Captain” Morgan Smith , Noah “The Vegetable” Gardner
113
Asa “Andy” Garcia, Brooks “Achy Breaky” Hartz, Joey “Flash” Gordon, Jay “Bird” Orman
Kane “Scrambled” Egli, Aaron Adkins “Diet”, Jake “The Snake” Wilson,
Camden Rose “Has Its Thorn”, Victor “Goes the Spoils” Antunez, Alex “High Octane” Petro
Seth “Rogen” Rohrbach, Keandre “Elementary” Watson, Evan “Breakin’ The” Lawhead
Seth Horty “Hears a Who”
120
“R” Cayden Rooks, Brycen “Grand Slam” Denny, Hunter “Uncle Ben” Rice, Ty “Sugar” Mills
Justin “Time” Ruddick, Neal “The Real Deal” Bealmear, Zane “E” Sullivan,
Eric “Harpen Yes” Harpeneau, Steven “Duck” Weddle, Trenton “Richie” Cunningham
Eli “Whitney” Dickens, Justice “League” Cash, Lane “Wishing” Wells, Alex “Willie” Mosconi
126
“Welcome” Matt Lee, Zach “Turning” Lane, Gabe “Arm” Pitzulo, Dalton “007” Craig
Noah “Rabbit” Hunt, Cameron “Bass” Fisher, Jonathan “Straightnen” Kervin
Peyton “Manning” Pruett, Austin “Fry” Cook, “Peter” Parker McNeely, “Teddy” Graham Rooks
Carson “Whatchu Talkin Bout” Willis
132
“Sweet” Kyle Luigs, Noah “Jim” Morrison, Carson “Black &” Deckard, Mason Miranda “Rights”
David Teague “Of Their Own”, Ethan “Rooster” Hensley, Brett “Michaels” Smith, LJ “Heavy” Burdon
Matt “Johnny” Kincaid, Noah “Ben” Franklin, Donald “Duck” Campbell, Tristen Dowell “Rod”
138
Derek “Red Ball” Blubaugh, Nolan “Double” Weidner, Jake “Arnold” Schoenegge,
Levi “Strauss” Miller, Drew “N” Dearing, Brandon “Pencil &” Penegar, Ryan “Bam Bam” Bigelow
Tristan “Buy Less” Sellmer, Dexter “Lab” Grubb, Colten “Bananas” Foster, Adam “Sapple” Anderson
Robert “The Jeweler” Deters
145
Curtis “Tom” Collins, Brayton “Bruce” Lee, Austin “Texas” Heckman, Corban “Bernson” Pollitt
Tony “Bologna” Mosconi, Luke “What The” Fleck, Harley “Race” Gorman,
Joe “Don’t Worry B” Happe, Ethan “Hair Beginning” Wigand, Sam “Oh No” Osho
Brooks “Trout” Wathen, Blake “Spider” Webb, Evan “No” Bullock, Logan “Spring” Coyle
152
Josh “Anderson” Cooper, Timmy “& Lassie” Burton, Zach “Michael” Myers,
Austin Bethel “I Hear You Callin”, Tucker “Shaw” Schank, Zach “Fig” Newton,
Clay “Almond Joy” McNutt, “Notta” Trace Thomas, Kye “Cabinet” Fehrenbacher
Wyatt “Earp” Dalton, Andy “Harley” Davidson, Denver “Colorado” Aydelott
160
Zane “Meineke” Beineke, Shawn “P Diddy” Coane, Ethan “Beef” Stock
“Car” Chase Wilson, Carson “Master” Brewer, Elliston Ross “Geller”
“Jackie” Gleason Mappes, “Umbilical” Korde Weber, Macartney “Band on the Run” Parkinson
Devon “Yikes” Stikes, DeShawn “Walking Tall” Buford, “Blue” Jaylen Adkins
Jesse “James” Hunter, Jacob “Old MacDonald” Farmer
170
Conner “Moreno” Brown, Anthony “Fusilli” Cicciarelli, Andrew “Dice” Chapman
“I Like” Ike Murrell, Burk “Enstock” Vanhorn, Wyatt “Field Marshall Bernard” Montgomery
Joe “Folded” Creasey, Chris “Tipper” Spiller, Carson “Cougar” Mohler “Camp”
Jonah “And The Whale” Hays, Kameron Fuller “House”, Eli Stock “Market”
Micah “Rock” Keller
182
Jeremy “Mount” McKinley, Sam “Hungry Like The” Woolf, Eyan “Smoldering” Coldren
Jake “Gimme Some” Moore, Jaden “Here Comes The” Sonner, Andrew “Dean” Koonce
Camryn “Was in Egypt’s Land” Smith, Jacob “Jimi” Hendrich, Thomas “Sharpie” Dull
Danny “Zuko” Reams, Will “Priestly” Nunn, Brigham “Young” Kleinhenz
Nathan “Bill” Walton, “Tail” Gunner Williams, Karl “Shed” Hauser
Kiave Guerrier “& Ives”
195
Jack “Russell” Michel, Luke “I’m Your Father” Smith, Grant Goforth “& Prosper”,
Will “Rockin” Rolley, Bradley “Empty Pan” Philpot, Destin “Florida” Hardy
Holden “On” Abshier, Ryan “Green Eggs &” Hammond
Kurtis “Call Of The” Widerman, William “Iphone” Seri, Greg “Brady” Brown
Aaron Breivogel “Electric”, Deion “Sanders” Cooper, Chris Barclay “Center”
220
Abel “Geraldo” Rivera, Clayton “Flat &” Scroggs, Dalton “Pencil Ground” Pinaire
Brennan “Stormin” Norman, Gunnar “Bayonet” Larson, Aaron “Amsterdam” Hollen
Payton “Place” Halbig, Josh “Wine” McCorkle, Michael Boots “Are Made For Walkin”
Tyler “It’s” Allgood, Austin “Powers” Scheckles, Tanner “Hide” Christenberry
Isaac “Spice” McCormick
285
Harley “Von” Hillenburg, Cory “Reef” Heinrichs, Alex “Trebeck” Lichlyter, “Mai” Ty Sorg
Jordan Headdy “Lamar”, Silas Goff “Club”, Rickie “You’re So Fine You Blow My Mind” Clark
Bryce “Is Right” Biddle, Brycen “Tiger” Woods, Dylan “Dean” Cain, “Hip” Wade “R” Ripple
Brett “Gus” Henson, Nathan Long “Jump”,Kody “Love Shack” Moshak

Wow, thanks HookandHalf and Hookticia

How can I be expected to follow that?? 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 Jerkerss - Best first round matches!

Ford Fab 4 - I assemble a regional rep from each regional, myself, and this year a special guest voter (BacktotheMat) and they make their picks and I tally up the votes to assemble our Ford Fab 4.

[The Built Ford Tough Locks - The rare of the rare, a Ford Tough Lock is a wrestler who garners first place votes from all 6 voters. This year we had an amazing and record setting 7 Ford Tough Locks, and was just a few votes away from having 9.

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

Without further ado...UNLEASH THE PREVIEW!!

Edit - I just got done with this and I realized that this year is the year of the semi-finals, holy smokes there will be some doozies! This will set up some murder’s row matches next Friday night in Indy!

106: Don’t be late, be sure to get to Stoll’s Country Inn early Saturday morning and leave yourself plenty of time to get settled in. “The” Drake Campbell and “There’s something about” Ray Rioux have waged war this year, with Rioux finally grabbing a win last week. Can Devon Casebolt bring drop a lightning bolt on this rivalry or do we see the next battle this weekend? Owen Sego spent a big chunk of the year at 113, he’s been behind Rioux and Campbell, can the Indian Creek Frosh take a big step this weekend?

This weight features 4 state ranked wrestlers and 2 great Barry Horowitz Curtain Jerkers!!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Regionals isn’t the best time to have an off day and Mater Dei senior Kaleb Hinderliter might see the light close on his career if he’s not ready right off the bat Saturday. Hinderliter and Rioux will mix it up right off the bat, the team race will also start to develop here as well. Unranked, Contender trained Logan Boe looks to go big early as he takes on Castle Knight Devon Casebolt. Boe has flown under radar this year, can he pull off the first early upset?

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Nothing here really sticks out outside of the aforementioned Hinderliter/Rioux first round matchup.

The Dab - Terre Haute Senior Logan Stephenson got some love but not enough to get out, but matches happen on the mat, not on the internet!

Ford Fab 4 - Campbell, Rioux, and Casebolt all got first place votes… but when the dust settled:
1st - Drake Campbell, Brownsburg. 2nd - Devon Casebolt, Castle. 3rd - Ray Rioux, Avon. 4th - Owen Sego, Indian Creek.

113: It’s Asa’s world at 113, and everybody else is just squirrels! Defending State Champ and Avon’s Asa Garcia is our first Ford Tough Lock and he’s repping #TheCounty and #AvonYoungGunz. After Garcia 4 other state ranked wrestlers fill the brackets at 113. That means at least 1 state ranked wrestler isn’t getting out, and the voters think another isn’t getting out either

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - This is turrrrible first round draw and definitely deserves a Baker BOOOOO!! Two state ranked wrestlers, two top four ranked SS kids will be going at it right off the bat; Evansville Memorial senior Seth Horty and Brownsburg Sophomore Evan Lawhead won’t waste time in bringing the fun to the Ford Center. The loser goes home, the winner more than likely punches his ticket to the finals.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Not a terrible draw on paper, but #19 (#4 SS) Victor Antunez has had a marvelous season, but the voters like Center Grove’s Alex Petro. The votes were razor thin, this match could be a great one!

The Dab - See above, don’t be surprised if Antunez is in the finals.
Built Ford Tough Lock: Asa Garcia, Avon, #TheCounty #AvonYoungGunz

Ford Fab 4 -
1 - Asa Garcia Avon. 2 - Seth Horty, Evansville Memorial. 3 - Kane Egli, Evansville Mater Dei. 4 - Alex Petro, Center Grove.

120: Let’s get this out of the way, no Lock at 120, okay let’s proceed. Team Dark Horses have to be the Columbus East Olympians. Injuries and bad first rd draws could cancel out some Wildcats, Bulldogs, and Orioles. Does that mean Columbus East Hammers can slip through to a very surprising team title? If so Cayden Rooks will need to get the ball rolling at 120. Brownsburg Sophomore Ty Mills has spent 2 years ranked #1 and is returning SS Champ, he hopes to squash Olympic hopes early as him and #3 ranked Rooks should lock up in the semis. This weight class looks lights out on paper w/ 4 ranked and predicted podium placers in the brackets, but also our first true Turrrrrrible Draw!!!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - There are 2 quarter brackets in the whole semi state w/ no SS ranked wrestlers and 120 features one of those brackets. 3 of the four kids got votes and this quarter bracket should be a doozy, just hungry kids getting after it. Sullivan/Harpenau and Weddle/Cunningham start things off.

Also 2 Freshman Phenoms that are more like grizzled veterans will engage right off the bat. SS #3 and state #4 Eli Dickens and SS #7 Justice Cash will battle for the right to compete in a (see below)

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Two top 8 ranked kids going at it in the blood round?!?!?!?! Cash Me On the Mah, HowBow Dah??? Should Mater Dei’s Dickens survive some tough Justice in the first round, then he will get to dance w/ Indian Creek’s Alex Mascarpone Mosconi. Sir Charles is def not a fan of this….

The Dab - Mosconi, and the whole unranked quarter bracket all got some Dab, but not enough land in the Ford Fab 4

Ford Fab 4:
1st - Ty Mills, Brownsburg. 2nd - Eli Dickens, Evansville Mater Dei. 3rd - Cayden Rooks, Columbus East. 4th - Trenton Cunnigham, New Albany.

126: Blake Mulkey pulled a big semi state upset a year ago when he knocked off Graham Rooks, he then followed that up by showing everybody it wasn’t an upset when he beat him again in the third place match at state. 2 more wins in the off season has Mulkey now 4-0 against Rooks. They are now ranked 1st and 2nd in the state, can Mulkey pull out 5 and 6 over the next two weeks? The voters were split and we had to go to a tiebreaker to determine a winner. 126 features 3 former state qualifiers and some kid from Evansville named Lee, not really familiar w/ that name but hear he’s okay.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - No SS ranked opponents square off, grab some drink, stretch your legs, and get ready for some Turrrrible draws.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Another Panther, another Turrible draw, Dalton Craig is a returning state qualifier who’s battled tested from his matches against Rooks and Schoenegge a year ago. Mater Dei’s freshman Matt Lee has gotten better and better as the season as progressed. Now they meet for a shot at Bankers Life. Also SS #3 Carson Willis got nipped last weekend by Lee, and for that he gets Rooks in the ticket round. Rooks has been money in ticket round matches, but coach Bob Harmon will have his Castle Knight ready!

The Dab - Dalton Craig, and Center Grove’s Peyton Pruett both got some love.

Ford Fab 4:
1st - Graham Rooks, Columbus East. 2nd - Matt Lee, Evansville Mater Dei. 3rd - Blake Mulkey, Brownsburg. 4th - Noah Hunt, Bloomington South.

132: Our second Lock comes in at 132, Evansville’s own Kyle Luigs is undefeated and ranked #3 in the state. Outside of Luigs, this weight features 6 other state ranked kids and is one of the deepest weights at the Ford Center. #7 and returning state medalist Dawson Combest, #11 Mason Miranda, #16 The California Kid Brett Smith, #17 Donald Campbell, #19 Noah Franklin, and #20 Caleb Craig all highlight this field.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Well luckily the 7 guys are spread out, no real Curtain jerkers here, Barry can rest. However, that does lead to some…...

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - I mean if there are 7 ranked kids, is there really a terrible draw? Well Combest and Luigs on same side is turrrrrrible but this has been and will be a recurring theme throughout the brackets. I guess if I had to pick one it would be Luigs and Miranda, both are returning qualifiers and only one will be punching their ticket to BLF.

The Dab - Trips likes both Caleb Craig and Noah Franklin to punch tickets, but I was way, and I mean waaaaaay in the minority.

Ford Tough Lock - Sweet Kyle Luigs is our next lock, the Wildcat has punched his ticket twice and has one medal to show. He hopes to break through a tough weight class this year to finish as a state champ.

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Kyle Luigs, Evansville Mater Dei. 2nd - Brett Smith, Bloomington North. 3rd - Dawson Combest, Columbus East. 4th - Donald Campbell

138: This weight class could be dubbed the Revenge of the Wrestlers. 3 of the 4 favored wrestlers left Evansville last year with sour tastes in their mouths. Tristan Sellmer leads this group off, he’s now a 3 time regional champ but was a victim of the worse draw ever 2 years ago and was upset last year. This year Sellmer will look to get through the blood round. Jake Schoenegge (officially pronounced Shun-uhh-gee) suffered a tough loss at last year's regionals to nemesis Dalton Craig and got to watch Craig advance. 2 year's ago Levi Miller of North Posey tasted greatness by making it to Bankers Life, but last year he was sent packing early. All 3 will look to join Nathan Conley from Avon on the podium Saturday.

I’ll also go on record to say that one of those top 3 kids will ruin the Rumph/Black feud. I think we see Schoenegge and Sellmer under the lights next week in Indianapolis.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Nolan Weidner has been a name that’s bounced around the Mater Dei line up now for a few years. Can the Wildcat play spoiler to Regional champ Derek Blubaugh?!?!?!?

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - #19 Ryan Bigelow vs. Levi Miller. Let’s just say this, Levi Miller should be ranked. He’s certainly flown under the radar and with former Wildcat Cody Moll as his coach, he’ll be game. Ryan Bigelow has had a phenomenal year for Darrick Snyder’s Bulldogs, are the 8 losses deceiving? Not the worse of draws, but this should be a great ticket round match on Saturday. Also Derek Blubaugh vs. Jake Schoenegge, Blubaugh is solid, don’t discount him on sneaking one past Schoenegge.

The Dab - Ryan Bigelow got some votes and is state ranked, but Levi Miller slides by in a tight one.

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Tristen Sellmer, Floyd Central. 2nd - Jake Shun-uhh-gee, Columbus East. 3rd - Nathan Conley, Avon. 4th - Levi Miller, North Posey.

145: Brayton Lee has been involved in one of the most exciting matches in Evansville Semi-State history and one of the most hyped matches in Evansville Semi-State history, what does he do to top that? Become a Ford Tough Lock and absolutely dominate the field at 145. After Lee, this weight class is literally wide open, expect great matches, upsets and our picks to be waaaay off as 7 other wrestlers garnered votes after Lee.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Both guys were ticket rounders a year ago, this year one of them will be done after round 1. Indian Creek’s Tony Mosconi took 4th in a tough Mooresville Regional last weekend, Columbus East’s Corbin Pollitt showed the magic that he’s starting to get a name for by knocking off season long rival Brooks Wathen. Now they meet for the right to just get to the ticket round!! Insane!!

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Bloominton South’s Blake Webb has had a great senior season, w/ 36 wins and only 4 losses. This regional champ is #14 in the state and will probably have a ticket round match w/ #8 Logan Coyle who has also had a stellar senior year. These guys probably punch their tickets in any other bracket minus Brayton Lees. Unfortunately one will go home Saturday.

The Dab - Arms will get tired w/ all The Dabs being given out here - Blake Webb, Joe Happe, Sam Osho Fo’Sho, and Tony Mosconi all got votes to get through and will be looking to crash some brackets.

Ford Tough Lock - Brayton Lee, Browsnburg, no drama, no excitement, the Bulldog will take care of business.

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Brayton Lee, Brownsburg. 2nd - Logan Coyle, Center Grove. 3rd - Brooks Wathen, Jennings County. 4th - Corban Pollitt, Columbus East.

152: Our next Lock is a familiar name in the Evansville area Joe Lee, the only question at this weight is will this be the last time we Joe Lee at Semi-State, say it ain’t so Joe! The exciting part of this weight is the last quarter bracket w/ no ranked wrestlers. Keep an eye out for the 2nd quarter bracket featuring Tucker Schank, Zach Newton, Clay McNutt, and Trace Thomas. I say FIREWORKS!!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Outside of the FIREWORK bracket, look out for Josh Foster of Floyd Central and #16 Denver Aydelott of Edgewood, the winner gets Lee, but this should be a great first round match.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Josh Cooper of Jeffersonville congrats on your Regional title, you get …… Austin Bethel in the ticket round!!! Boooooooooooo…..

The Dab - Tucker Schank, Zach Newton, and Clay McNutt take some dab, bc the voters like Trace Thomas

Ford Tough Lock - Joe Lee… Please don’t go!!!

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Joe Lee, Evansville Mater Dei. 2nd - Austin Bethel, Mt. Vernon. 3rd - Jacob Clark, Avon. 4th - Trace Thomas, Greencastle

160: Our next Lock is at 160, Center Grove Junior Gleason Mappes brings a 35-1 record into Evansville. This weight features 4 other state ranked grapplers who hope to break this lock; Monrovia’s Ethan Stock, Princeton’s Chase Wilson, Avon’s Carson Brewer, and Castle’s Jacob Farmer will be in line looking for a SS title.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Jaylen Adkins is a 3x SSQ, his last two trips he’s ran into eventual SS champs. That’s either a really good sign for DeShawn Buford, or a real bad sign for Buford. This has us on a 4 over 1 upset alert.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Chase Wilson appeared to be on his way to State a year ago when his ticket round match went south at the hands of Floyd Central’s Tyler Crowl. Wilson lost and exciting 12-8 match. This year he will have Carson Brewer, 5 losses between the 2. Does Wilson, coached by former Madison Cub Mike Duckworth (cheap plug) use that loss to get him over the top or does Brewer’s year's of experience propel him? Regardless Charles is none too happy… Turrrrriiibbbllleeee

The Dab - Chase Wilson, get some dab son, you got some votes but just not enough

Ford Tough Lock - Gleason Mappes continues this middleweight run of LOCKS!!

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Gleason Mappes, Center Grove. 2nd - Ethan Stock, Monrovia. 3rd - Carson Brewer, Avon. 4th Jacob “Hasn’t he been around forever” Farmer

170: Loaded, 7 ranked studs here. Burk Vanhorn, returning state runner up was on a tear and seemed destined to be a lock then he ran into a Stock. Eli Stock put Indiana 170lbers on notice at Sectionals when he defeated Vanhorn. Last week at regionals Vanhorn pulled a victory out in OT and now he’s been named a LOCK in a field full of ranked wrestlers.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - #18 Stock vs. #20 Micah Keller will get this weight class going early. They have 4 losses between them and the winner probably gets Greco City’s Kameron Fuller. Man that sounds like a

Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Kameron Fuller and Aaron Mosley has had a great series this year and with them both being juniors hopefully for us we will get to see them go at it for another year, unfortunately both are victims of some terrible draws. Mosley will get Vanhorn and Fuller will get Stock. Mosley could be the true odd man out here as his loss last week had New Albany fans in an uproar. This draw won’t help calm them down at all.

The Dab - Kameron Fuller, Conner Brown, and Joe Creasy will be looking to prove the voters wrong as they all received votes to advance to Bankers Life.

Ford Tough Lock - Burk Vanhorn of Franklin will look to navigate a tough field and bring Bob Hasseman’s Franklin squad another SS championship

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Burk Vanhorn, Franklin. 2nd - Jonah Hays, Center Grove. 3rd - Eli Stock, Monrovia. 4th - Tony “Nick’s kid” Cicciarelli

182: Brownsburg’s Nathan Walton is ranked #1 in the state, defending SS champ, and a 2 time state medalists. He certainly has the credentials to be a lock, but NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND! In a match dubbed - The ChinWhip vs. The HeadLock on the IndianaMat hangout this rematch of last year’s SS semi final match ( won by Walton 3-0) has some saying Terre Haute’s Thomas Dull could get the win. This bracket is another great one with 7 (including the #1, #2, and #5 ranked wrestlers) ranked grapplers vying for 4 tickets to Indianapolis!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Keep an eye out for Camryn Smith vs. #12 Jacob Hendrich. Also Floyd Central’s Karl Hauser and #11 Kiave Guerrier of Evansville Central should be a great match.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Both Tecumseh’s Jeremy McKinley and Franklin’s Jake Moore has had great seasons, but only one can advance come Saturday. Also #12 and returning state qualifer will take on New Albany’s #5 Jaden Sonner. Sonner was a victim of turrrrrible draw a year ago, can the Bulldog punch that ticket or will Hendrich’s experience in ticket round matches be enough for the Northview Knight?

The Dab: While Hendrich and McKinley have the tools to advance, the voters settled on their opponents.

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Nathan Walton, Brownsburg. 2nd - Jaden Sonner, New Albany. 3rd - Thomas Dull, Terre Haute North. 4th - Jake Moore, Franklin.

195: In the following 3 weights the Mooresville Regional will attempt to apply a strangle hold and advance all 12 wrestlers. Will any other wrestler be able to rep their schools and regionals? 4 returning state qualifiers shine at 195 and all are ranked 5-8th in the state. Can Evansville’s own Kurtis Wilderman break up the Mooresville Regionals dominance?

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Whiteland’s Ryan Hammond was a rare upper weight Freshman state qualifier 2 years ago, he sat out last year with an injury. Evansville Memorial’s Holden Abshier has quietly put together a solid year. They will meet first round in hopes of becoming a state qualifier.

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Floyd Central’s Brady Philpott will by far have the best mustache at Evansville, but he’s a victim of 2 years worth of turrrible draws. This year he will have Ryan Hammond, can the Highlander shake the bad draws off and advance? Also Southridge Senior Jack Michel has put together a stellar season at 44-2 and his reward is returning state qualifier Indian Creek’s Grant Goforth, not fair says Charles!

The Dab - Brady Philpott, this HHC fan will be rooting for you, but according to the voters Hammond gets the nod

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Kurtis Wilderman, Evansville Mater Dei. 2nd - Ryan Hammond, Whiteland. 3rd - Kyle Shaffer, South Putnam. 4th - Grant Goforth, Indian Creek

220: Avon’s Gunnar Larson has put together a stellar career. He’s currently a 3 State Qualifier w/ 2 medals and a 2x SS champ. The Oriole is our last Lock of the year as he looks to add a third SS championship to his impressive career. Mooresville Regional was pretty crazy at this weight and they will look to send all 4 to state.

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - How about winning regionals as a senior with hopes of going to state and then see your draw is the #3 wrestler in the state. Awful. Terre Haute South’s Abel Rivera and #3 Clayton Scroggs of Martinsville will lock up in rd 1. That’s a turrrrrrrrrrilbe draw!

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Monrovia’s Garrison Lee and Evansville Mater Dei’s Michael Boots both lost heart breakers last year in the ticket round. This year they have each other. While it’s the best draw either could have gotten, it’s still a turrrible draw!

The Dab - Regional Champ Austin Sheckles of Columbus East and Lee will look to punch their tickets Saturday but neither got great draws, best of luck!

Ford Tough Lock - #TheCounty will get to see Gunnar Larson ride off to Indy with one last SS championship!

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Gunnar Larson, Avon. 2nd - Michael Boots, Evansville Mater Dei. 3rd - Clayton Scroggs, Martinsville. 4th Isaac McCormick, Brownsburg.

285: What’s TripleB’s favorite weight?!?!? I can’t hear you?!?!?!?! The big boys, 2-8-5! Don’t you dare leave early! Like The New Days says “SHAME” if you cut out! Watch the top quarter bracket as 3 of the 4 wrestlers got votes, there will also be some great ticket round matches here also!

Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Here’s a great idea, let’s have the #3 and #4 state ranked guys go at it in the first round, said no one ever! Why?!?!? Avon’s Brett Henson appears banged up and he gets Mt. Vernon’s Wade Ripple. I guess Henson’s injury could have a Ripple effect on the entire weight class and team race? Bad joke?!?!?

Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - See above, really?!?!? Also Regional champ Harley Hillenburg from Bloomington South get’s a former state qualifier in Jennings County’s Brendan Sutton. The winner gets returning Center Grove grappler Cory Henrichs. Ouch.

The Dab - Floyd Central’s Ty Sorg (TripleB picked you btw), Center Grove’s Cory Heinrichs (another TripleB pick) and Evansville Memorial’s Alex Lichlyter all got votes.

Ford Fab 4 -
1st - Wade Ripple, Mt. Vernon. 2nd - Rickie “Juicy Lucy” Clark, Brownsburg. 3rd - Bryce Biddle (TripleB’s pick to win), Plainfield. 4th - Brendan Sutton, Jennings County.

Annnnnnnd that’s a wrap folks! Enjoy Evansville! As of now Trips will be missing is first semi-state in over 10 years!! But I’ll be at Bankers Life next week, feel free to buy me a cold one, or give me a sweet suite ticket. I take bribes!!!

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Ooohhh!  Somebody has been around awhile.  One, if I get my knees as high as his head anymore I need a surgeon.  Two, if he had not called me for stalling in OT it would have never happened.  I couldn't beat the guy I was wrestling, so I did a WWF move on the ref and it worked. For those of you who aren't sure yet... 1994 quarterfinals at 189#'s  You could ask him about it but he doesn't remember...

One of those guys has been reffing since Woody Hayes was a coach at Miami of Ohio.

Have to say the officiating at Elwood was outstanding. Had to be one of the best crews in the state. Well, except for 2 older guys with glasses that may need a trip to the eye doctor. :-). I kid, I kid! There weren't names in the program but recognized several and a few were new faces to me. Thank you gentlemen!

Have to say the officiating at Elwood was outstanding. Had to be one of the best crews in the state. Well, except for 2 older guys with glasses that may need a trip to the eye doctor. :-). I kid, I kid! There weren't names in the program but recognized several and a few were new faces to me. Thank you gentlemen!

I see now my iPad smiley didn't take. It was meant to be in good fun :-). Not meant to be a ding at all on the Avon coaches or program. The record speaks for itself. But, I would still take Kerry McCoy, you know he was an ok wrestler. LOL

Fact: All the LC wrestlers were originally seeded. 
Fact: IHSAA says they can't be seeded because LC wrestlers don't have 6 qualifying weigh ins. (Because of clerical error) Although we know darn well they weighed in. 
Fact: IHSAA decides not to punish the kids and imposes that all LC wrestlers are drawn into the 7 or 8 spot. Which in turn screws the entire sectional up and domino effects to the regional
Fact: The winter bulletin is worthless and contradicts itself. Wrestlers have to have 6 qualifying weigh ins in order to be entered in the tournament. Then later says wrestler without 6 qualifying weigh ins can't be seeded. 
Fact: The IHSAA will pick and choose which rules they want to follow. 
Fact: There isn't anyway to logically reason with the IHSAA. 

It really is embarrassing. Why is it so hard for everyone to have verifiable data in Track or something similar? It would be so much easier to then just have automatic sectional entry forms filled out and automatic seeding done based on specific criteria without all the haggling.

Something I say to the other referees I'm working with from time to time.
 
"We are going to start the day with 4 referees. The instant the first whistle blows everyone in the building becomes a referee. They will be able to see pins better than us, determine who is stalling and know the exact moment control is gained or lost. The only difference is they aren't going to step in and work a few matches for you when you need to use the restroom or get something to eat."

Good wrestlers for sure but Kerkhoff may not even been the best from Delta considering John Ginther and David Palmer. Palmer would get my vote in a tight one.

Guys it's time for me to step back. Between my job, my family, traveling more w little B and his wrestling adventures, and coaching Madison's youth wreslting I can no longer keep up with the Evansville Semi State rankings.
 
I've tried to hold on for selfish reasons. Joe and I started SS rankings years ago for fun. Others jumped on and now I believe our rankings are top notch. It's my baby, I love it. But Im not doing the south justice anymore.
 
I've made so many great friends all over the state that's it been unreal. I've had people approach me at wrestling tournies, it's really really been a blast!
 
Some thanks in my way out:
 
Joe Caprino - we haven't always seen eye to eye (I'm pretty sure I'm the only board admin to be suspended!) but our passion and love for the sport has made us friends. I talk to him almost everyday. Joe thanks for letting me rep the Dirty South and letting be apart of the #800lbGorilla.
 
Mrs. TripleB: She had no clue what she was getting into with me and wreslting when she said yes. But she's always worked around it. If there's a hangout and I need a room for some quiet, she made sure my heathens steared clear. If I needed to go to some random wrestling tourney that Madison wasn't even wrestling in, she rarely put up a fight. I love her!
 
All the Eville supporters - you all were the keys to accurate rankings. I had guys in each regional always keeping me up on the happenings. 10 years ago there was teams you could never find info on, now I feel I've made connections to get all the info.
 
Mike Reiser, Nick Weisjahn: Man I love you guys, thanks for all your help and information. Hangouts were always a blast!
 
Everybody, it's been real. I've suckered Nick into finishing the year. And I got a guy lined up to takeover in the fall. Maybe Y2 can find me something else to do w IndianaMat. Maybe I can still do my Eville SS Preview Spectacular!
 
IndianaMat, Stay Classy My Friends!
 
#MicDrop
 
#TripsOut

He could compete D1 or be a Hammer D2-D3 kid.
 
Either way getting that piece of paper is always the end goal...everything else is just gravy.