E-ville Spectator

I think a lot of weight classes have the best two on the same side...

Everyone keeps saying that Bethel over B. Lee was the biggest upset of the tournament. But I say the refs were mine poor officiating. I'm sorry to say it but they messed up major yesterday. I am not even talking about the bad calls of what is and isn't a takedown. Or how they awarded takedown and then almost a minute later take it away. But how an 18 year old almost got paralyzed had he went down at a slightly worse angle then he already did. I don't believe Joe Lee did anything with evil intentions against Todrank in that match but people in the stand were yelling potentially dangerous well before it even got to that point and the ref didn't stop it until after he got hurt. There has to be away for refs to be held a countable for their calls some times. Or have we forgot these are just kids in High School?

Now #1-#2-#3 all on the same side. Works out good for Penn and Yorktown

This completely screwed the 152 bracket! swindlers!

The changes set up some unfavorable semi finals

138 lbs. - Dixon (Ev. Reitz) #4 seed took out Weddle in first round and then Crowl in the second round. He is state bound!

138 lbs. - Dixon (Ev. Reitz) #4 seed took out Weddle in first round and then Crowl in the second round. He is state bound!

138 lbs. - Dixon (Ev. Reitz) #4 seed took out Weddle in first round and then Crowl in the second round. He is state bound!

^ Random draw I believe. There should be 4 Regional champs; two on each side of the bracket. Hudkins and Egli just randomly selected to share one side.
 
Same as State.
 
It would be nice to seed semi-state and state tournaments. Many state championship matches (between the best 2 wrestlers) have happened in the state semi-finals. Once saw it happen in semi-state in the the round to go (Rosbottom vs Jankowski).

106 - Annakin 1st, Miller
113 - Konrath 1st, Dilbeck
120 - Egli 1st, Ferguson
126 - Johnson 1st, Clopton
132 - Lee (nobody close), Bethel
138 - Lee 1st, Todrank
145 - Jourdan 1st, Schnell
152 - Kemper (nobody close), Farmer
160 - McDaniel 1st, Lockyear
170 - Forzley 1st, Jeffress
182 - Bassemier 1st, Dekemper
195 - Anslinger 1st, Lytle
220 - Clem 1st, Kyles
Hwt - Butler 1st, Shaw

Horty vs Willis @ Castle 113
McCormick vs Whoberry @Castle 145

good preview...can't wait.  I"ll be there middle section, lower level,  an hour before its starts. 
 
matches of the day that i really can't wait to see:
luigs vs. konrath vs. dilbeck
egli vs. ferguson
lee vs. todrank
lockyear and mcdaniel
kyles vs. klem

In the Evansville and Central sectionals, the big names rolled, while several upstarts made their presence known. The Castle regional--traditionally one of the toughest in the state--will feature a host of nail-biting first-round matches, semifinals and championship bouts.

106- Castle's Baxter Annakin bounded to a sectional title and is the favorite for a regional championship. In semifinal action, North Posey's Levi Miller will see the winner of the Harley Gorman (Mt. Vernon) and Kyler McKinney (Princeton) bout.

113- Southern Indiana wrestling fans breathed a sigh of relief when Mt. Vernon's Paul Konrath returned to action after a potential season-ending injury at the Big 8 championship. Konrath should see Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs in the semifinal. Logan Dilbeck of Gibson Southern will likely fill the other slot in the final. The trio also holds the top three rankings in the Evansville semi state. Don't be surprised to see them go at it again at the Ford Center.

120- After a two-month injury recovery, Reitz's Tyler Ferguson returned to action on Saturday. With only one match under his belt, Ferguson was sharp and mopped up the field. Mater Dei sophomore Will Egli has produced another stellar season and hopes to improve upon his fifth-place finish from the 2014 state tournament. Expect the duo to butt heads on the center mat.

126- Mater Dei's Alex Johnson looks to capture his third regional title. In order to do so, he will need to get past the winner of the Caleb Craig (Reitz) and Michael Polen (Gibson Southern) match. Craig and Polen are both very solid and will produce an interesting dust-up. The other side of the bracket will also be competitive, as Castle's 32-7 Braedon Clopton and North's 34-4 Nick Burke will meet for a title shot opportunity.

132- In his last six matches, Mater Dei's Nick Lee has spent less than six minutes on the mat. Ranked number-one in the state, expect Lee's rampage to continue. Mt. Vernon's Austin Bethel and Princeton's Chase Wilson should meet for a rematch of their Big 8 championship bout. The winner will meet Lee for the title.

138- A couple of weeks ago, southern Indiana 138-pounders began to re-think their weight class choice. There are five, top-shelf grapplers here; only four will advance. Gibson Southern's fifth-ranked Kyle Todrank will see Memorial's Johny Wargel in the first round. Both are seniors; one of them will see their high school career end here. Mater Dei's third-ranked freshman, Joe Lee, will likely meet Reitz's AJ Dixon in one semifinal. The Todrank/Wargel winner will meet Castle's ninth-ranked sectional champ, Austin Ramsey, in the other semifinal. Do not miss a match at 138!

145- Fifth-ranked Blake Jourdan of Mater Dei and Castle's tenth-ranked Patrick Schnell headline this very competitive weight class. Both are dynamic. Expect another exciting match. Memorial's Chance Williams, Central's Hunter McCormick and Mt. Vernon's Peyton Whoberry will fight it out to earn a semistate berth.

152- With a title this Saturday, Central's Isaiah Kemper will have earned three consecutive regional championships. Ranked second, Kemper will likely realize the accomplishment. On the other side of the bracket, Pike Central's Colton O'Neal and Castle's Jacob Farmer will meet. The winner gets Kemper in the final. Heritage Hills' Cordell Miller and Mater Dei's Mitch Lehman will also be in the medal hunt.

160- Populated by wrestlers who are defined by action, this class give the fans something for which to cheer. Castle's veteran senior Turner Lockyear has put up 37 wins on the season, in addition to SIAC and sectional titles. Lockyear's Warrick county rival, Tecumseh's Tristan McDaniel, scorched the field at Central. A senior, McDaniel looks poised for a post-season run. Do not overlook Tell City's Elliot Brown or Mater Dei's Nick Buedel, as both are capable of big wins and upsets.

170- 170 is a very balanced class, possessing three individuals with the potential to win. The toughest road belongs to Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley and Memorial's Noah Huelsing, as they will meet in the semifinal. Forzley, with a pair of state qualifications, is a big-match wrestler. Huelsing counters with a sizable gas tank and an early-season win over Forzley. Castle's Blake Jeffress, who finished second to Forzley at the SIAC meet, will inhabit the other slot in the final.

182- Mater Dei's 182-pound senior, Sam Bassemier, has wrestled a brutal schedule en route to a 26-1 record and continues to slide in the rankings, ending the season at 14th. On Saturday afternoon, expect to see him on the center mat. After this coming weekend, Tecumseh's Jeremy McKinley will no longer be off the radar. Expect him to give Mt. Vernon's Tyler DeKemper a very tough match. The winner earns a ticket to the final.

195- Beginning in the first round, when Central's Gabe Patterson meets the sectional champion, Jake LaMar of Castle, you will find many competitive matches at 195 pounds. Patterson, with his never-say-die attitude is likely the best fourth-place finisher in the field. Marcus Gahagen of Memorial will meet Tecumseh's Adam Lytle in another huge first round match. Gahagen has accumulated 21 wins against the backdrop of a tough schedule. Lytle suffered his first loss of the season at the Central sectional and will look for redemption. On the other side of the bracket, South Spencer's Keith Barclay will put his 38 wins against Vincennes Lincoln's Nic Dellion, the owner of 35 wins. The Barclay/Dellion winner will meet Mater Dei's Chase Anslinger in the semifinal. Try to pick 1-2-3-4!

220- If you have not seen Gibson Southern's Cory Klem, after Saturday, you will understand his sixth-ranking. Klem is up-tempo, strong and slick. He will be in the face off. Harrison's LaTerrance Kyles and Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman will dance in the bottom half of the bracket, in a rematch of their SIAC final. Mt. Vernon's Tristan Choate is formidable. He has spoiler potential and will look to maximize his regional performance.

285- Like 195, 285 has a number of potential champions. Mt. Vernon's Wade Ripple will square off with Tecumseh's Colton Dossett in the opening round. The duo has accounted for 53 wins against 12 losses. Pike Central's 24-2 Bryce Manning will meet Memorial's 27-11 Will Page, in another first-round barn burner. As sectional champs, Mater Dei's Adrian Butler and South Spencer's 42-7 RJ Shaw will also be in the hunt for a title.

Hook's Random Comments:

· Watch the Tecumseh fans. They are loud, rowdy and highly partisan. This tiny school provides the model of what wrestling fans should be!
· Hook's daugther, Hookticia, pointed out that Castle not only has huge slices of pizza, but offers baked potatoes "as big as your head."
· I love the intensity of Central's head coach, Mike Lapadat. How many calories does Lap burn on a typical Saturday? He is to coaching wrestling what James Brown was to show business.
· North Posey's coaches, Cody Moll and Sam Goebel, look lean and mean. I will wager, that with a week to cut, both could make weight.

I have been criticized for the fact that my previews are light on predictions. Since this is my last one of the year, I will go out on a limb.

These predictions are guaranteed.

· Mt Vernon's head coach, Tim Alcorn, will get very excited.
· At least once, in unison, the Mater Dei crowd will yell, "Two!"
· Castle will do an outstanding job of hosting.
· The Castle regional will produce a number of state placers...maybe a couple of champs.
· A Castle sectional vs. Central sectional post will be started on Indiana Mat.

"Your" welcome.

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Castle- Wargel vs todranks

central did an outstanding job of organizing and running the sectional.  no empty mats.
 
observations:
 
a bigger crowd than usual, this year.   tiny, 1a tecumseh was impressive.  their kids are in shape and wrestle hard.  they also had a number of fans that attended and were very loud.  in the semis, tecumseh won four in a row.  a couple of the matches were close.  their fans blew the roof off the place. isaiah kemper dominated.  sophomore colton o'neal from pike central did not know that a wrestler with 10 losses should be able to compete with kemper.  kemper ended up winning with a tech, but o'neal stayed with it.  i look for him to be on the radar, next year. two wrestlers are no longer unbeaten.  kyle todrank was defeated by md's joe lee.  md's chase anslinger handed tecumseh's adam lytle his first record blemish. gibson southern's cory klem is very tough. tecumseh's tristan mcdaniel also looked very good.  
all and all, a great day of wrestling.  many exciting semifinal and final matches.

Only one seed did not hold in what largely amounted to a Castle and Mater Dei dual.  With 13 entries in the final compared to Castle's 10, the Wildcats' depth carried the day.  Bob Harmon's Knights are also deep.  It's a shame they did not get a bid to Team State; Castle would have been in the mix.
 
If you see Larry Mattingly, give him a hug, a bandage and some aspirin.  All of the SIAC teams have been touched by illness/injury, but his Tigers seemed to have cornered the market. If Memorial hopes to defend their 2014 Castle sectional title next weekend, they had better get healthy in a hurry.
 
Central's Isaiah Kemper along with Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs, Alex Johnson, Nick Lee, Ashton Forzley, Sam Bassemier and Adrian Butler receive NO overtime pay, as all seven settled for nothing less than pins.  Lee may get his pay docked as he spent 1:52 on the mat...in three matches. 
 
Castle's wrestling community did their usual outstanding job of keeping things going, offering hospitality and running on time.  The gym was cleared by 3:30.
 
106-  Castle's Baxter Annakin carried the banner for the home team beating Mater Dei's Nolan Weidner 9-2, for the gold.  Annakin looked fit, strong and poised for a post-season run.
 
113-  If you like scrambles, booing/cheering referees, hating/loving Mater Dei fans, refs putting/taking points off the board, lead changes and ground and pound....then the final between Mater Dei's Kyle Luigs and Central's Carson Willis was for you.  This match had it all.  Luigs eventually came out on top, but I defy anyone to point to a match in which more things happened in 3:47.  Both are extremely dangerous.  Folks at the Central sectional might catch a rematch next weekend.
 
120-  Mater Dei's Will Egli was all business en route to a pair of technical falls and his second SIAC title.  As promised, North's Dawson Matherly and Castle's Kyle McBride delivered a doozy in the semifinal, with McBride prevailing, 2-1.
 
126-  Castle's Braedon Clopton was caught in an improvised throw by Alex Johnson that decided the title.  Reitz's Caleb Craig  beat Central's Connor Willis in a tight 3-2 match for third.
 
132-  Give North's Josh Elpers credit, he came for win and went after the Wildcats' Nick Lee hard.  At the end of the day, however, Lee owned his second SIAC bracket board.
 
138-  Mater Dei freshman Joe Lee came out on top in the Muscle & Fitness weight class.  Castle's Austin Ramsey beat Reitz's AJ Dixon, 4-2, in a tremendous semifinal match.  Dixon beat Memorial's Johny Wargel for third.  138 was ridiculous in Warrick county on January 24.
 
145-  Newspapers aside, Mater Dei's Blake Jourdan and Patrick Schnell of Castle delivered an exciting final.  Jourdan drew first blood with a quick takedown and back points and proceeded to hold Schell at bay for the balance of the match.  Two great athletes--and kids--offered a lot to the spectators. 
 
Who is a fan of Bosse's Nigel Buchannan?  I am!  Buchanan is a gamer and claimed a medal for the Bulldogs.
 
152-  Central's Isaiah Kemper was fit, fast, strong, technical and focused.  His number-two ranking looks justified.  Look for Castle's Jacob Farmer and Mater Dei's Mitch Lehman to find a seat at the table in the next couple of weeks.
 
160-  Castle's Turner Lockyear and Mater Dei's Nick Buedel delivered a match that will not be done justice in this space.  They got busy early as Buedel threw Lockyear to his back for a pi...No wait!  Buedel is getting, pinned, no, Lockyear.  Wait, wait, WAIT!  Watch a video of this match five days in a row and you will not score it the same way twice.  Lockyear reveled in holding the top spot of the podium in his home gym.
 
Lockyear/Buedel provided the wildest scramble I have seen this year, maybe ever.  I would pay a full ticket price to see a rematch tonight.  Wow! 
 
170-  When Castle's top-seeded Blake Jeffress toed the line across from MD's Ashton Forzley, I'm sure he expected a lot of scoring.  So, of course, the first period ended 0-0.  The crowd settled in for what looked to be a triple overtime chess match, when, out of nowhere, Forzley hit a spladle for a second period fall.  You will see these two again.  North's Justin Naylor beat Memorial's Chris Voegel, in overtime, for what was the premier first round bout.
 
182-  Mater Dei's Sam Bassemier beat Castle's Evan Dowell for the title on the center mat.  Both looked very good and could make a deep run in the State Tournament.
 
195-  It's white-knuckle time when Mater Dei's Chase Anslinger takes the mat.  Anslinger earned a razor-thin win over Central's Gabe Patterson in the semis, followed by a very tight match, that ended in a fall, over Castle's Jake LaMar in the final.  The trio are very close; you will likely see a round two.
 
220-  Harrison's Terrance Kyles, a standout defensive football player for the Warriors, got his prayers answered:  Six minutes alone on a mat with a quarterback.  Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman accepted the challenge and hit Kyles with everything he had.  Kyles claimed a victory in a match that left the audience applauding both grapplers.  This bout was non-stop action.  Note to any wrestler over 182 pounds:  Get a copy of a video of this match and live it.  This is what a wrestling match looks like.
 
285-  A very aggressive Adrian Butler showed up for the final against Memorial's Will Page, and Mater Dei's Greg Schaefer was happy about it.  Butler kept Page on his heels and walked away with his first SIAC title.  Reitz's Devin Reed nearly provided the upset of the tourney in the semifinal.  Up on Butler late in the third period, Reed got caught and gave up the fall.  Reed is only a sophomore.  Look for him to regroup next weekend.
 
Great crowd, good wrestling and a nice facility provided a wonderful day of wrestling in Paradise.

Surprised Central's Caleb Hart isn't given any consideration at 220.  The semi between him and Wilderman should be a good one.  Not sure if they wrestled during the regular season but with recent wins over Choate from Mt. Vernon I would think Hart could make a run for the title. 

The youth movement is real in the SIAC as five favorites are freshmen or sophomores. 15 wrestlers in the field boast state rankings and an additional 12 hold semi state rankings.

106- Freshman sensation Baxter Annakin has thrilled the folks in Paradise with his 12th state ranking and number one seed in the SIAC tourney. Annakin seems likely to begin the post-season with an SIAC title. In his path is Mater Dei's two-seed, Nolan Weidner.

113- Mater Dei's sophomore Kyle Luigs is no longer under radar. Beating three ranked opponents at team state vaulted Luigs to a state ranking of fourth. Memorial's Seth Horty and Central's Carson Willis should battle it out for the other slot in the final. 

120- Luig's classmate, Will Egli, begins his post season quest looking for a second SIAC championship. Ranked seventh, Egli has another year of seasoning under his belt and looks to be the best in the field. Kyle McBride (6th SS) and North's Dawson Matherly will lock horns for the other spot in the final.

126- The "Nick Lee Effect" is on display at 126. A 2014 SSQ, Central's Conner Willis could muster no better than a fourth-seed in this deep class. This has the attention of Mater Dei's top-seed, senior Alex Johnson. Willis always wrestles Johnson tough and will do so again in the semi final. Last Saturday, Castle's Braedon Clopton and Reitz's Caleb Craig had a barnburner; expect a semifinal of the same magnitude on January 24.

132- Mater Dei's top-ranked sophomore, Nick Lee, has not been scored upon this year and brings his 18-0 record to the table. Expect him to meet North's Josh Elpers in the final.

138- Joe Lee gets the other end of big brother's effect, competing in the deepest weight class in the field. Leading Mater Dei in takedowns, Lee has built an impressive freshman portfolio, culminating with the top SIAC seed. Memorial's Johny Wargel has drifted in and out of the state rankings and should meet Lee in the semi final. Reitz's AJ Dixon and Castle's Austin Ramsey went to war last Saturday; seven days later, they will do it again in Paradise. The winner gets a slot in the final.

145- Returning SIAC champ, junior Blake Jourdan, is midway through a tremendous junior season with a 15-2 record. Bosse's four-seed, Nigel Buchannan meets Reitz's Tyler Kloenhamer in an interesting first-round bout. The winner will get Jourdan in the semi final. On the other side of the bracket is Castle senior Patrick Schnell and Central senior, Hunter McCormick. Schnell is the favorite to prevail in his semi final match-up with McCormick. Schnell is a proven veteran and is bent on evening the score after dropping an early-season decision to Jourdan. 

152- Starting at running back last fall, Central's Isaiah Kemper ran the ball over 50 times against Reitz's vaunted defense. One-on-one on the wrestling mat is no big deal; Kemper will be in the final. Only a sophomore, Castle's Jacob Farmer (5th SS) is already a tested veteran. He will have a showdown with Mater Dei junior Mitch Lehman (7th SS) in the semifinal for the right to face Kemper for an SIAC title.

160- Turner Lockyear has met expectations and delivered a stellar senior campaign, rolling up 30 wins against only two setbacks. Mater Dei's Nick Buedel is a first-year starter. At the end of the day, expect Buedel and Lockyear to mix it up on the center mat.

170- Castle's Blake Jeffress has quietly put together at 22-win season resulting in his top seed. A 2x state qualifier, Mater Dei's Ashton Forzley should meet him in the final. This is my pick for the second-best championship match. North's Justin Naylor meets Memorial's Chris Voegel in the first round, in what should be a good race.

182- Mater Dei senior Sam Bassemier returns to this weight class and looks to a likely rematch of last year's final with Castle's Evan Dowell. This should be a humdinger as Bassemier puts his 12th state ranking on the line against Dowell's 4th SS ranking. 

195- Chase Anslinger get the nod for the top-seed at 195. The Mater Dei senior will likely meet Memorial's Marcus Gahagen or Castle's Jake Lamar in the final. Lamar will need to be on his toes the first round. Reitz's Blake Huggins knows how to control the tempo and presents a formidable opponent.

220- LaTerrance Kyles is this year's standard-bearer for Coach Mark Mastison's Harrison Warriors. Kyles leads the entire field in wins with 43. Reitz's Adam Auten and North's Cody Smith will meet in the first round for a very competitive bout. Look for Mater Dei's Kurtis Wilderman to compete with Kyles for the top spot on the podium, my pick for the third-best final.

285- Mater Dei's Adrian Butler (7th SS) get the nod for the top-seed. Danger lurks, as Butler will likely meet Memorial's Will Page in the semi final. Page is very solid and quite capable of an upset. Central's Jordan Libby and Castle's Jake Kough will meet in the other semifinal in what should also be a very good match.

Best First Round Matches: 113 pounds, Reitz's Alec McNeely vs. Castle's Bailey Anderson. McNeely is better than his 13-15 record reflects and is capable of an upset. 145 pounds, Nigel Buchannan of Bosse vs. Tyler Kloenhamer of Reitz. Buchannan has put together a solid season, defeating Reitz's Jacob Pace before he moved to 152. Buchannan/Kloenhamer should be a good one!

Best Semifinal Match: 120 pounds, Castle's Kyle McBride vs. North's Dawson Matherly. McBride has put together a solid freshman campaign and seems poised for a break-out performance. Matherly brings a lot of athleticism, 28 wins and an early-season, 2-0 win over McBride. This one is a coin toss.

Best Final: 160 will be a study in contrast. Castle's Turner Lockyear is calculating and rock-solid.
Mater Dei's Nick Buedel is unpredictable and can be wild. Look for a high-scoring, very entertaining affair. 

Team- Mater Dei will place a large percentage of their roster en route to a team title, followed closely by Castle. Central and Memorial will battle for third. Reitz is in a position for some upsets. If they perform, they can crack the top four.

Hook and Half's Recommendations: #1- Castle's parking lot can be cold and windy, so park on the south side of the building. It is a short walk to an entrance door. #2- Castle gets an A plus for serving up pizza slices as big as your face. #3- Thank the Castle folks for hosting. They know what they are doing and keep things moving. #4- If you are a Reitz, Central, Mater Dei or North fan, do not be at the intersection of Highway 41 and the Lloyd. I realize it is Saturday; do not chance it. #5- Find WrestleMan or BlueBolt and engage them in an insane wrestling conversation. No, wait. I recommend that you DO NOT do that.

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So, is he out with an injury or what? Does anyone know of why he hasn't wrestled thus far

Ferguson sighting: Confirmed
 
Hanging out at the concession stand in street clothes with a young lady. 

Isaiah kemper is at 152 now and believe me when I tell you he should be ranked 1. He is very very good.id be suprised if he wasn't under the lights with Forte.

#5 Kemper fall over #10 Lynch 5:34 @ 152 finals of Old Capital Tourney

Where are brackets

No brackets still??

This week