800lbs Gorilla Mama

I stay away from any type of dogs.  But we usually have a pretty good walking taco and nachos!!!

Avon crowd erupts as it appears Luke Rioux just secured his 100th high school victory. If that the case, congrats young man 

Avon. Larson 175. Nichols 165. Makyi Hines 190. Joe O at 285

Larson over Shapker 10-8 OT

Makyi Hines wrestled for Avon

Quinn, you did a great job at Cascade, we are proud of you!

Quinn, you did a great job at Cascade, we are proud of you!

Jobs open 
Technology Education  Athletic Director PE and Health Special Education Choir Band  
Interested candidates should contact Dr. Tara K. Jenkins, Principal, Sullivan High School, 902 N. Section Street, Sullivan, IN 47882, in writing, no later than 3:00 p.m., Friday, March 10, 2023. e-mail at tjenkins@swest.k12.in.us.
 
Sullivan has several youth wrestlers coming up that put in the work needed to be successful in high school. We have a great feeder club and middle school team. Last year the middle school team went undefeated. Sullivan is 25 miles south of Terre Haute and 40 miles North of Vincennes. Affordable housing! One of the assistant coaches is a realtor so he can get you in touch with housing. Rural farming community. GREAT SCHOOLS. Small town who loves sports.
 
 

Congratulations to Evan Tilton from Hamilton Heights for signing with Marian. Projected to wrestle 184.
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Well as @Y2CJ41  would say there is a website for that ... but I'll save everyone sometime. I liked the idea of a Final score that @purdue02 came up with. I kept this list to people who finished with a final of 30 or less. State Qualifier = 16
 
Starting with the Original best to not win
 
Ralph Clark- East Chicago Roosevelt 2,3,2,3 
final score (10)
 
Shannon Stout- Delta 6,5,2,3
Final score (16)
 
Damon Hummel- Rochester
SQ,2,2,3
Final score (23)
 
Mac Taylor- New Castle
6,5,3,3
Final score (17)
 
Tim Maldonado- 
East Chicago Central
4,SQ,6,2
Final score (28)
 
Robert Maldonado- 
East Chicago Central
4,SQ,2,3
Final score (25)
 
Randy Baker- Bellmont
3,3,6,7
Final score (19)
 
Andy Uhl- East Noble
SQ,4,3,2
Final score (25)
 
Matt Jaggers- New Castle
SQ,5,7,2
Final score (30)
 
Craig Macke- Evansville Mater Dei
4,2,2,3
Final score (11)
 
Tyler Goble- Bloomington South
4,5,5,SQ
Final score (30)
 
Kyle Mosier- Yorktown
SQ,4,4,3
Final score (27)
 
Justin Brooks- Warsaw 
5,4,4,5
Final score (18)
 
Derek Bevans- Yorktown
SQ,5,6,3
Final score (30)
 
Justin Kieffer- Roncalli
7,7,4,3
Final score (21)
 
Josh Kieffer- Roncalli
5,2,4,2
Final score (13)
 
John Sims- Evansville Mater Dei
6,4,5,2
Final score (17)
 
Tyler Willis- 
Indianapolis Cathedral
7,2,3,4
Final score (16)
 
Connor Mullins- New Castle
5,3,2,8
Final score (18)
 
Luke Welch- Castle
SQ,5,5,2
Final score (28)
 
Zachary Davis- Penn
SQ,6,2,2
Final score (26)
 
Vincent Corsaro- Indianapolis Cathedral
6,2,2,2
Final score (12)
 
Chandler Carroll- Yorktown
3,5,4,5
Final score (17)
 
Ben Harvey- Indianapolis Cathedral
7,3,SQ,2
Final score (28)
 
Brandon James- Perry Meridian
3,5,2,3
Final score (13)
 
Connor Knapp- East Noble
SQ,4,3,4
Final score (27)
 
Gunnar Larson- Avon
SQ,5,2,3
Final score (26)
 
Tristen Tonte- Warren Central
SQ,2,2,2
Final score (22)
 
Skylour Turner- Warren Central
8,7,5,5
Final score (25)
 
Gleason Mappes- Center Grove
SQ,4,4,2
Final score (26)
 
Kasper McIntosh- Portage
8,2,5,6
Final score (21)
 
Christian Hunt- Yorktown
6,SQ,2,2
Final score (26)
 
Ty Mills- Brownsburg
2,3,2,3
Final score (10)
 
Nathan Walton- Brownsburg
8,3,3,2
Final score (16)
 
Alex Mosconi- 
Indianapolis Cathedral
SQ,7,2,2
Final score (27)
 
Logan Boe- Danville
8,5,7,3
Final score (23)
 
Mason Winner- 
Jay County
7,8,5,5
Final score (25)
 
Drake Campbell- 
Brownsburg
5,5,6,5
Final score (21)
 
Raymond Rioux- Avon
6,3,2,2
Final score (13)
 
David Pierson- 
Warren Central
4,5,4,4
Final score (17)
 
Ian Heath- Leo
SQ,5,6,3
Final score (30)
 
Brock Ellis- Chesterton
SQ,4,5,2
Final score (27)
 
Aiden Warren- Perry Meridian
SQ,3,3,3
Final score (25)
 
Isaac Ruble- Bellmont
SQ,2,2,5
Final score (25)
 
Delaney Ruhlman- 
Bloomington South
SQ,2,2,2
Final score (22)
 
Cheaney Schoeff- Avon
2,2,3,3
Final score (10)
 
This list should (mathematically at least) bring some light to the conversation. I loved going through the old records and reliving some of these moments/ careers.

He’s the guy that stood out for me at state!! Heart, Gas Tank, and a burning 🔥 desire to win! Any college would be lucky to get him!!

Congratulations to Elijah Anthony from Frankfort for signing with Indiana Tech. Projected to wrestle 133, 141.
View full signing

It's unfair to not offer a "free" weigh-in on Saturday night. Parents shouldn't be forced to fork over money to weigh-in the night before. This is 100% a money grab.

Congrats to Christian Carroll, Hunter Whitenack, and Jayden Lewis for their showing at state. 1st time NP has had 3 qualifiers, 1st time for a state champion. 10th place team points. A lot of young talent coming up. Get used to the COUGARS!

Mooresville Regional
 
24 qualifiers 
17 place winners 
11 wrestlers in the top 4
6 in the finals 
 
106 1,6
113 2,8
120 SQ
126 2,6,SQ
132 3,5,SQ,SQ
138 4
145 1,8,SQ
152 5
160 3
170 
182 1,3
195 
220 SQ
Hwt 3,4,SQ
 
brownsburg, CG, Avon, whiteland, Franklin  all had wrestler(s) in the top 4. 

Just another example of how Tough Evansville SS is . Meat Grind continues next year . 
 
6 Champs 
10 Finalists 
20 Semi Finalist 
37 placers 

Placers:
Evansville 37
Fort Wayne 28
East Chicago 26
New Castle 21
 
Schools with a placer:
Fort Wayne 24
Evansville 17
East Chicago 13
New Castle 11
 
Semi-finalists:
Evansville 20
East Chicago 17
New Castle 14
Fort Wayne 5
 
Finalists:
East Chicago 11
Evansville 10
New Castle 5
Fort Wayne 2
 
Champs:
Evansville 6
East Chicago 5
New Castle 2
Fort Wayne 1
 
Team Points:
Evansville 476.5
East Chicago 394.5
New Castle 278
Fort Wayne 231

Avon Athletics pays for a State Championship Ring and a Runner Up Ring. Blue and Red. They are very nice. 

The intent of this post is to start a dialog about growing wrestling in Indiana.  I believe there's an opportunity to significantly increase participation in small schools.  There are currently 213 1A/2A schools with wrestling programs and many of these programs currently struggle with participation and retention of their student athletes.  That has absolutely been my experience as head coach of a 1A school. And I know I'm not alone because I've spoken with 45 coaches who have all shared they face the same challenges. 
 
A little about me.  I grew up in Illinois.  They had two classes when I wrestled.  I went to Naperville North, a large school in Chicago burbs so I wrestled in the 2A class.  Naperville North had a deep wrestling tradition.  My senior year, we had two state champs and we were the runner up in dual team state.  
 
I currently am the head coach at Lutheran High School.  We're a 1A school in Indianapolis.  220 total kids at the school.  I restarted their wrestling program 6 years ago.  It was previously cancelled due to lack of participation.  I started the program because I love wrestling and I wanted my sons to be able to wrestle.  In the first two years, the program nearly failed due to lack of participation and poor wrestler retention of the few kids I successfully recruited.  But we hung on and we went 17-6 this year in dual team competition and had our first state champ, Hayden Filipovich. 
 
To get there, I coach our youth team, I coach our middle school team, and I coach our high school team.  From my experience at Naperville North, I am absolutely aware of what a quality program looks like.  But there are some things I can't duplicate at a small school.
 
Despite the successes we've had, participation and retention are still a problem.  The biggest problem is our sectional, which kills our ability to retain new wrestlers.  We face 5 large schools, Warren Central, Franklin Central, Greenfield Central, New Palestine and Shelbyville...as well as several other quality small schools.  When my new guys see that sectional, they quit.  In six years, all by one of my new wrestlers has quit.  Then my tougher, more committed guys have less training partners the following season...a vicious cycle. We had a 17-6 dual team record this year and only two of my wrestlers made it through sectional. This sectional also makes it virtually impossible for us to ever get invited to dual team state. 
 
Coming from Illinois, classing seems natural to me.  But I understand the culture in Indiana values the single champ tournament.  If you're an elite wrestler, it is about as cool as it gets.  (Is it possible that most of us coaches were elite wrestlers in our day?)  However, the practice of putting small schools up against large schools, especially right away in sectionals, has significant negative impact on wrestling participation at small schools.
 
Coaches asking for classing are simply looking for a solution to this problem.  But there is a way to keep the single tournament AND grow wrestling at Indiana's small schools.  
 
Attached is a proposal that 45 small school coaches have worked together to develop.  The goal is to address some of the challenges small school programs and ultimately grow wrestling at small schools.  I look forward to your feedback. 
 
Greg Hughes
Indianapolis Lutheran
    
 
      
ImprovingWrestlingforSmallSchools.pdf

I would say the biggest weakness of the Indiana State tournament is that you dont truly get the best 8 due to the randomness of the draws, some guys just get lucky.   Throw wrestlebacks into this format, and I think you would be closer to the top 8.

Evansville.. without a doubt. Eville has several kids who won't make it to state but could win other semi states or be favored to place top four in other semi states. Maybe the IHSAA will redistrict  and break up the teams heading south for February. This year Evansville has the top two 1A teams, #19 2A team, five of the top 10 3A teams, three of the top nine 4A teams. Lets give West Lafayette the ECC semi state and send some Evansville teams up there! Looking at the state map, literally, the entire south of Indy goes to one semi state but the north has two and east side has one. I understand the population aspect but dang!
 
The loser of Hayhurst and Watson could WIN FW and ECC and place top 2 at NC. 
 
The loser of Conway and Rust could win ECC and FW and place top 4 at NC but one will be sent home.
 
The loser of Hunter May and Blaze Garcia could place at any other semi state but one will be sent home.
 
Cash Turner is a state placer and will run into Super Frosh Brady Ison in the ticket round. He would be top 2 at Fort Wayne. 
 
Diesel Duncan, Colin Knox, and Colton Roberts are top 15 kids who could place top 4 at any other semi state
 
 

Evansville

Congratulations to Aiden Warren from Perry Meridian for signing with Air Force. He is projected to wrestle 184.
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Congratulations to Tyler Conley from Avon for signing with Indianapolis. He is projected to wrestle 157.
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Congratulations to Blake Boarman from Evansville Mater Dei for signing with Tennessee Chattanooga. He is projected to wrestle 133.
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