H.B.

What is with Indiana and them being against kids having a little fun? It’s a sandwich. It’s not him taking away from his opponent at all by eating it. It didn’t affect the outcome of the match in any way. Trent Hidlay literally ate a hoagie after Who’s #1 and it was celebrated as a great celebration by a great wrestler. The kids here can’t do anything spontaneous or out of the ordinary without being called classless. Chad Red got criticized for dancing after winning, same with Deondre. I can only imagine how much excitement runs through someone after winning a state championship or even being in the match.  Brewer ate a sandwich during the face off most likely because he was hungry. It didn’t hurt anyone. They’re kids. Let them have fun. Not everyone has to have these stale facial expressions. We should want some spontaneity.

What is with Indiana and them being against kids having a little fun? It’s a sandwich. It’s not him taking away from his opponent at all by eating it. It didn’t affect the outcome of the match in any way. Trent Hidlay literally ate a hoagie after Who’s #1 and it was celebrated as a great celebration by a great wrestler. The kids here can’t do anything spontaneous or out of the ordinary without being called classless. Chad Red got criticized for dancing after winning, same with Deondre. I can only imagine how much excitement runs through someone after winning a state championship or even being in the match.  Brewer ate a sandwich during the face off most likely because he was hungry. It didn’t hurt anyone. They’re kids. Let them have fun. Not everyone has to have these stale facial expressions. We should want some spontaneity.

What is with Indiana and them being against kids having a little fun? It’s a sandwich. It’s not him taking away from his opponent at all by eating it. It didn’t affect the outcome of the match in any way. Trent Hidlay literally ate a hoagie after Who’s #1 and it was celebrated as a great celebration by a great wrestler. The kids here can’t do anything spontaneous or out of the ordinary without being called classless. Chad Red got criticized for dancing after winning, same with Deondre. I can only imagine how much excitement runs through someone after winning a state championship or even being in the match.  Brewer ate a sandwich during the face off most likely because he was hungry. It didn’t hurt anyone. They’re kids. Let them have fun. Not everyone has to have these stale facial expressions. We should want some spontaneity.

or he is really hungry from wrestling all day?  Reading into a young mans eating habits seems a crazier than a kid actually grubbing b4 his biggest matches of the year...

A sandwich that produced four state champions? Incredible. The PB&J of Power is officially my favorite thing of the state tournament.

Or at least serve as a shining example of how utterly preposterous our no wrestleback-having state series is. 

Now that the pairings have been revealed, these are the titans I believe will complete their mission in Bankers Life this weekend with the exception of 152, 170, and 220, with those being the hardest weights to pick from.
106 - Cottey
113 - Seltzer
120 - Littell
126 - Mendez
132 - Viduya
138 - Rooks
145 - Lee
152 - Noehre
160 - Washington 
170 - South/Mahan
182 - Brewer
195 - Allred
220 - Bolte/Webster/Irick
285 - Watts
 
While 220 is the most wide open weight class and should be fun to watch, 152 is absolutely brutal and whoever makes it from that bottom half to the finals will truly earn it. Also, at 170, I expect to see Calhoun from Plymouth in the finals, but that bottom half featuring South, Walker, and Mahan is vicious. I believe South only beat Walker by a point at Al Smith and Mahan has been wrestling lights out. Whoever emerges here will know they earned it.
Team Champions
Cathedral - It’s going to take everyone, but they can do it. If Walendzak can catch fire and put together another performance reminiscent of his semi-state run, I would imagine the Irish take it with a potential five finalists.
Champions by Semi-State
East Chicago - 2
Evansville - 4 (6?)
Fort Wayne - 0
New Castle - 6 (8?)

Best predictions I’ve seen...some of those nicknames are pure Gold. 

What a great article on Warsaw's Jacob Bass who qualified for semi-state this weekend.
http://www.inkfreenews.com/2019/02/08/once-a-slave-warsaws-jacob-bass-celebrates-freedom-through-wrestling/

106: Cottey, Chundi, Perry, Carrender 
113: Seltzer, Pierson, White, Simone
120: Lowery, Stewart, Eldred, Moseley
126: Wagner, Walendzak, Slivka, Ross
132: Viduya, Bailey, Johnson, Brown
138: Freije, Smith, Phillips, Wilkerson
145: Mosconi, Hall, Graves, Warren
152: Noehre, Rodgers, Fair, Otto
160: Slivka, Lowe, Davis, Lohrey
170: Mahan, Klettheimer, Saez, Coffman
182: Bacon, Filipovich, Morgan, Sterrett
195: Allred, Lane, Roudebush, Bynum
220: Irick, Webster, Cornwell, Burton
285: Watts, Harris, Kunkleman, Keller
 
Team Race
1. Cathedral
2. Roncalli
3. Perry Meridian
4. Warren Central
 
Although Warren Central won the regional title last week, I don’t have them as heavily favored as Cathedral or Roncalli who left Perry Meridian with six champions. While Cathedral is my  pick to walk away with the team title, Roncalli is my sleeper pick. The Rebels are up to something.

This has got to be a joke. He had him beat today. He didn’t get a stall call in the neutral position. He got them while he was on TOP CONTROLLING LEE. I seriously do not understand what you all have against CJ. The fact that he does a little dance to celebrate after big wins? Reece Humphrey literally break dances after matches and it’s all fun. CJ does a dance in good spirit after people doubt him and it’s, “Have some class, act like you’ve been there before.” The hypocrisy when it comes to this kid is ridiculous and it’s a shame you all hate to see him succeed.

This has got to be a joke. He had him beat today. He didn’t get a stall call in the neutral position. He got them while he was on TOP CONTROLLING LEE. I seriously do not understand what you all have against CJ. The fact that he does a little dance to celebrate after big wins? Reece Humphrey literally break dances after matches and it’s all fun. CJ does a dance in good spirit after people doubt him and it’s, “Have some class, act like you’ve been there before.” The hypocrisy when it comes to this kid is ridiculous and it’s a shame you all hate to see him succeed.

This has got to be a joke. He had him beat today. He didn’t get a stall call in the neutral position. He got them while he was on TOP CONTROLLING LEE. I seriously do not understand what you all have against CJ. The fact that he does a little dance to celebrate after big wins? Reece Humphrey literally break dances after matches and it’s all fun. CJ does a dance in good spirit after people doubt him and it’s, “Have some class, act like you’ve been there before.” The hypocrisy when it comes to this kid is ridiculous and it’s a shame you all hate to see him succeed.

I think all we as Indiana wrestling fans can ask is that Nick Lee and Chad Red both place top eight as All Americans. 

Although it came out in Nick Lee's favor, honestly I thought that Red wrestled the better of the two. Yes, Lee got the first takedown. Red got that takedown on the scramble in the second period to match it, and I thought that Red was the better top rider of the two.
I'm a fan of both of these wrestlers - I'd like to see them both put their best match forward and then whoever wins it wins it.
I think in Chad's case, he *has* to open up on offense. I am confused why he isn't - he is lightning quick and he should be able to take shot attempts and recover if necessary. Maybe he would rather wrestle a counter-attack style but I think he could effectively go on the attack and in the worst case put it into a scramble situation
Hoping for a rematch in Big10 tourney

You’re seriously going to try and compare a win at a dual meet in Rec Hall to a win that capped off an undefeated career and fourth state championship in front of a hostile Bankers Life crowd that was 90% against him?  Get real. The C. Red hate is real and I don’t understand it.

With the postseason six days away, who are some of your favorites to win the team championship? I’ve got a few schools that could make a claim for the title with some heavy hitters.
1. Cathedral – My biggest favorite to win. They are the defending champions and probably have a lot they want to prove following their State Duals loss. I could see them put four under the lights in Seltzer, Mosconi, Rodgers, and Slivka, along with high placement from Bailey and Walendzak.
2. Evansville Mater Dei – Always expect EMD to bring the heat. They never make any tournament easy. With wrestlers like Freeman, Ross, Boarman, Egli bros, Lee, Dickens, and Parkinson, I’m sure we’ll see high performance and placement downtown.
3. Columbus East – A big threat to Cathedral’s run for dominance at Bankers Life. Cayden Rooks, Nick South, and Jacob Bolte all hold #1 rankings and the always tough Schnoegge could make a deep run and score lots of points for the Olympians.
4. Brownsburg – The returning runners-up showed that this year is far from a down one in Fort Wayne some weeks ago. I always expect quality from this team and while they may not have as many potential finalists, they could definitely bring in a high volume of players to rack up points.
5. Avon – The second best team in Hendrick’s County has a shot to be the best team in Indiana come February. The Orioles have heavy hitters in two-time champ, Asa Garcia, and nationally-ranked Carson Brewer along with Rioux, and Nathan and Tyler Conley. Stranger things have happened in Bankers Life. 
6. Perry Meridian – A team who has sat upon the pinnacle of dominance along with the likes of EMD for quite some time now. Perry Meridian has had a down year to say the least but can really come alive should they get their guys to perform in the postseason. With Cottey being a clear favorite to win 106, we could also see him joined under the lights by Aiden Warren who has been nothing short of excellent this year. A couple of close encounters with Mosconi have been his only blemishes while being the only loss on what has been an otherwise phenomenal year for Cayden Rooks. Returning state runner-up Sam Fair and placewinner Brooks Davis could make deep runs at Bankers should everyone be healthy, not to mention Gabe Smith and Austin Lane who have been wrestling great.
 
7. Roncalli – The Southside Rebellion has come alive in recent years and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the hunt for the IHSAA Championship in February. Returning state champion Alec Viduya has one loss this season, but otherwise has wrestled great. Brayden Lowery is looking to finish on top this year. His pin last week over Walendzak proved he could go with anyone, bumping up a weight class and scoring six for his team. Tyce Freije, a returning placer, can also score lots of points for this squad. Heavyweight, generally one of the more coin flip weights has John Harris who could really turn in a high performance at Bankers should he make it. Last but not least, the always creative Elijah Mahan can beat anyone and make a huge run for the 170 crown and help the Rebels to win an IHSAA championship.

You’re seriously going to try and compare a win at a dual meet in Rec Hall to a win that capped off an undefeated career and fourth state championship in front of a hostile Bankers Life crowd that was 90% against him?  Get real. The C. Red hate is real and I don’t understand it.

This has got to be a joke. He had him beat today. He didn’t get a stall call in the neutral position. He got them while he was on TOP CONTROLLING LEE. I seriously do not understand what you all have against CJ. The fact that he does a little dance to celebrate after big wins? Reece Humphrey literally break dances after matches and it’s all fun. CJ does a dance in good spirit after people doubt him and it’s, “Have some class, act like you’ve been there before.” The hypocrisy when it comes to this kid is ridiculous and it’s a shame you all hate to see him succeed.

This has got to be a joke. He had him beat today. He didn’t get a stall call in the neutral position. He got them while he was on TOP CONTROLLING LEE. I seriously do not understand what you all have against CJ. The fact that he does a little dance to celebrate after big wins? Reece Humphrey literally break dances after matches and it’s all fun. CJ does a dance in good spirit after people doubt him and it’s, “Have some class, act like you’ve been there before.” The hypocrisy when it comes to this kid is ridiculous and it’s a shame you all hate to see him succeed.

With the postseason six days away, who are some of your favorites to win the team championship? I’ve got a few schools that could make a claim for the title with some heavy hitters.
1. Cathedral – My biggest favorite to win. They are the defending champions and probably have a lot they want to prove following their State Duals loss. I could see them put four under the lights in Seltzer, Mosconi, Rodgers, and Slivka, along with high placement from Bailey and Walendzak.
2. Evansville Mater Dei – Always expect EMD to bring the heat. They never make any tournament easy. With wrestlers like Freeman, Ross, Boarman, Egli bros, Lee, Dickens, and Parkinson, I’m sure we’ll see high performance and placement downtown.
3. Columbus East – A big threat to Cathedral’s run for dominance at Bankers Life. Cayden Rooks, Nick South, and Jacob Bolte all hold #1 rankings and the always tough Schnoegge could make a deep run and score lots of points for the Olympians.
4. Brownsburg – The returning runners-up showed that this year is far from a down one in Fort Wayne some weeks ago. I always expect quality from this team and while they may not have as many potential finalists, they could definitely bring in a high volume of players to rack up points.
5. Avon – The second best team in Hendrick’s County has a shot to be the best team in Indiana come February. The Orioles have heavy hitters in two-time champ, Asa Garcia, and nationally-ranked Carson Brewer along with Rioux, and Nathan and Tyler Conley. Stranger things have happened in Bankers Life. 
6. Perry Meridian – A team who has sat upon the pinnacle of dominance along with the likes of EMD for quite some time now. Perry Meridian has had a down year to say the least but can really come alive should they get their guys to perform in the postseason. With Cottey being a clear favorite to win 106, we could also see him joined under the lights by Aiden Warren who has been nothing short of excellent this year. A couple of close encounters with Mosconi have been his only blemishes while being the only loss on what has been an otherwise phenomenal year for Cayden Rooks. Returning state runner-up Sam Fair and placewinner Brooks Davis could make deep runs at Bankers should everyone be healthy, not to mention Gabe Smith and Austin Lane who have been wrestling great.
 
7. Roncalli – The Southside Rebellion has come alive in recent years and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the hunt for the IHSAA Championship in February. Returning state champion Alec Viduya has one loss this season, but otherwise has wrestled great. Brayden Lowery is looking to finish on top this year. His pin last week over Walendzak proved he could go with anyone, bumping up a weight class and scoring six for his team. Tyce Freije, a returning placer, can also score lots of points for this squad. Heavyweight, generally one of the more coin flip weights has John Harris who could really turn in a high performance at Bankers should he make it. Last but not least, the always creative Elijah Mahan can beat anyone and make a huge run for the 170 crown and help the Rebels to win an IHSAA championship.

This has got to be a joke. He had him beat today. He didn’t get a stall call in the neutral position. He got them while he was on TOP CONTROLLING LEE. I seriously do not understand what you all have against CJ. The fact that he does a little dance to celebrate after big wins? Reece Humphrey literally break dances after matches and it’s all fun. CJ does a dance in good spirit after people doubt him and it’s, “Have some class, act like you’ve been there before.” The hypocrisy when it comes to this kid is ridiculous and it’s a shame you all hate to see him succeed.

You’re seriously going to try and compare a win at a dual meet in Rec Hall to a win that capped off an undefeated career and fourth state championship in front of a hostile Bankers Life crowd that was 90% against him?  Get real. The C. Red hate is real and I don’t understand it.

You’re seriously going to try and compare a win at a dual meet in Rec Hall to a win that capped off an undefeated career and fourth state championship in front of a hostile Bankers Life crowd that was 90% against him?  Get real. The C. Red hate is real and I don’t understand it.

Hypocrisy. We all talked about that high school final like it was the match of the century. Bankers Life was packed to the gills and the roof nearly came off the place (two matches later when Joe Lee won by pin you could hear a pin drop). Christian Pyles on Flowrestling called it probably the greatest high school final ever.  There were almost three years of "will they meet? Oh, please I hope they meet. My life will be complete if they meet." Beforehand. 
 
And then, when Chad treats it like it was the match of the century and celebrates like a kid (he was a kid after all). The adults all say "how dare he? I'm shocked, shocked I say. He is giving me the vapors."
 
I said it then, I will say it again. Who cares how he celebrates? Four years undefeated? Finishing with a win over a nationally acclaimed opponent? Have at it.