JORVILLE

4 hours ago, Slop Drop and Roll said:

Plymouth did a good job. 
The only thing I’m curious about is how they will seed Tulsa kids as well. I’m not crazy about the fact they got to see how everything played out before they commit to a weight. 
The seeding part is interesting, for the most part most people around the sport know many of the kids that competed at Tulsa… that said say a 6th or 7th grader competing at Novice division even with some nice criteria shouldn’t be seeded over a good 8th grade kid necessarily that say has lost maybe to some top notch kids. There are some exceptions of course … Hinchman, Flores etc. 

 

Then the only other thing I’m not sure I agreed with, saw it happen in one division and the question was asked, Why were girls that won’t be wrestling in the boys division for state allowed in the boys bracket? Reason being I guess knocking boys out of a placement or seeding then going into another tournament.  Outside of those things I think it was pretty good… and I was skeptical. 

I would think a lot of kids weights would be a weight class higher than Tulsa weight. Those National Level tournaments are full of kids coming down a good amount of weight usually.

4 minutes ago, blueandgold said:

Who is this kid and where did he come from? Seeing his name and that he’s ranked fifth prompted me to check his results, and he’s already got wins over guys like Bohn, DeMarco, and Harper. Could he sneak into the finals at 138?

Multiple Time Middle School State placer. ISWA State Champ and placed every year since he was 4. Super 32 placer. I wouldn’t say he came out of nowhere 

5 minutes ago, DMA said:

Is there a limit on how many weight classes you can wrestle up?

One 

12 minutes ago, Mattyb said:

Ive been told that Saturday tickets will go on sale @ 11:30 pm Friday night. HUGE mistake!!! Prepare to refresh a million times, lose place in que 100 times, have ticketmaster crash, and be up til 2am for nose bleeds. SMH

Wait until the following year when in a much smaller venue 

13 hours ago, navy80 said:

Acuna, Lemley, and Drousias all have wrestled in Indiana before, correct?

 

Big win for Crown Point without all their hammers in the lineup.

Resendez lives in Cp 

10 hours ago, regionrat1 said:

im sure he has rolled with most of the dogs - Rinhart has too much for him

 

That’s a big statement for someone like Sergio 

Trackwrestling is owned by FloWrestling 

1 hour ago, julio said:

If a weight only has say 15 qualifiers, how do they select which alternate to call in to make a 16 girl bracket?

I’m not sure but brackets look built on Trackwrestling but not showing open to public yet . 

Will some brackets have under 16 girls since some of the qualifiers only had 2 to 3 girls in a weight class?

7 minutes ago, Coach Brobst said:

I believe it is to determine true alternates.

I figured but seems like a lot of wrestling to get to that. If they took the losers from A and B Semi Final matches that would be essentially 5th and 7th place matches in crossover 

Was the question ever answered on here yet as why have wrestle backs in the two bracket per weight class weights if only the Final winner and loser meet up for 1st and 3rd in crossover?

21 minutes ago, FCFIGHTER170 said:

Just Stuck Blake Wolf @126 in a Sick match with East Central and New Castle dueling this evening, Tylin came out early got the lead within the first couple seconds with a lightning fast Td, Wolf escaped and battle tough going all over the mat finishing his single leg on tie for a TD and it was tied up 3-3 with some wild scrambles!

3rd period In a wild flurry Ty tossed Wolf and sticks him.. Wolf is monster 126 pounder and was nothing but class, I have a feeling this isn't the last time we'll see you these two in a war actually I know it it isn't because we still have regionals etc

Not shocked and the freshman class have some hammers all over who are making noise. Fun to watch for sure . 

52 minutes ago, TeamGarcia said:

Obviously… like most people on here you don’t know how hard it is to place or even win a match at the Ironman . I get it, it’s a brand new tournament to go to for Indiana Teams & Wrestlers.

 

For the record, and hear me out on this . This tournament is an INVITE only tournament. It’s the premier HS in season tournament to go to . Everyone knows this if you follow the sport .

 

Am I the only one in Indiana that gets this ? Maybe one day Indiana will open its eyes to this and sees what I’m saying . 
 

Then we talk about IHPO, yes it’s a great tournament for this region of wrestling it helps with the rankings for Indiana but it don’t scratch the surface of the Ironman prestigious and what it brings . PERIOD ! 
 

I’ll stop and leave everyone with this : 

 

IHPO was before season IHSAA Wrestling open its Boarders to see where your wrestlers at . Top 4 get to go to Super 32 . How we do there, We seen the results for the preseason/Season rankings are posted to and up to that point . 

 

Then …. We come to  IHSAA blessed us with The Premier National Tournament & we get to go it . The prestigious Ironman is the now the present for IHSAA Wrestling during High school season has already started . This is where Indiana Rankings should change . Indiana wrestlers did great with Multiple placers .
 

How about we reward those Indiana Wrestlers with the credit they deserve while representing their schools and Indiana Wrestling with the recognition they deserve ? 
Place or Win Ironman they deserve #1 . 

 

Done ! 

 

 

 

 

It’s not mic drop. Kids placed at Fargo and lost to Indiana kids after at tournaments like IHPO . I’m not questioning if the kids are talented or not but your before season justification is wrong. For Example we have Super 32 placers losing in season to Indiana kids who won’t get the invite to Ironman. It’s wrestling and every week it can change. Most top kids are one mistake away from being on the wrong side of that. Post season will bring some exciting matches and kids will get a chance to prove themselves and looking forward to it. 

I know these are predictions but Dominic Brown and Trent Kersey both Al Smith placers will be here at 120 and 195 for Lowell 

1 hour ago, TysonNisley said:

Name a tougher in-season tournament in Indiana than Al Smith. Bet you can’t. The Al Smith Classic is a brutal two-day tournament featuring some of Indiana’s best squads, including Crown Point, Warren Central, Center Grove, Indianapolis Cathedral, and many more, bringing this tournament a depth rivaled only by the IHSAA State Tournament itself. This tournament has been labeled as somewhat of a mini state tournament, with plenty of future state finals showdowns happening at this tournament, hosting a number just shy of 100 ranked wrestlers with 97 top 20 ranked competitors across all 14 weight classes. This means that:

 

97/280 = 34.6% of ranked wrestlers in the state wrestling at the Al Smith this weekend

 

And also, this year’s Al Smith has 47 wrestlers ranked in the top 8 in the state, and 8 of the state’s top 1 wrestlers will be in action this weekend. Thus:

 

47/112= 42.0% of top 8 wrestlers in action at the Al Smith this weekend, and,

 

8/14 = 57.1% of top ranked wrestlers in action at the Al Smith this weekend

 

And if you still don’t believe that this is Indiana’s toughest in-season tournament, let me break down the results from last year’s Al Smith:

 

106: 2 qualifiers, 2 placers

113: 2 qualifiers, 4 placers, 1 champ

120: 3 qualifiers, 4 placers (and champ didn’t qualify at all, haha, screw single eliminations)

126: 2 qualifiers, 2 placers, 1 champ

132: 2 qualifiers (who wrestled round one at last year’s Al Smith), 3 placers, 1 champ

138: 6 qualifiers, 1 champ

145: 3 qualifiers, 1 placer, 1 champ

152: 3 qualifiers, 2 placers, 1 champ

160: 3 qualifiers, 4 placers

170: 1 qualifier, 2 placers

182: 2 qualifiers, 3 placers, 1 champ

195: 1 qualifiers, 2 placers

220: 2 qualifiers, 3 placers

285: 2 qualifiers, 4 placers

 

So, on average (rounded to the nearest whole number), if you place 6th at the Al Smith tournament, you should be projected to be a state qualifier that year, and if you place 3rd at the Al Smith, you should be projected to place at state that year. Also, 6 of last year’s state champions competed at last year’s Al Smith tournament.

 

And before I move on to the actual predictions section of this write-up, there is one more statistical anomaly that I would like to highlight. It is quite uncommon for an in-season tournament to produce these types of results, but every year, there are several wrestlers that actually place higher at the state tournament than they do at the Al Smith. Last year’s Al Smith had 7 of these wrestlers:

 

120: Braxton Vest, Westfield (6th at Al Smith, 3rd at state)

120: Hayden Brady, Garrett (8th at Al Smith, 4th at state)

126: David Maldonado, Merriville (8th at Al Smith, 7th at state)

152: Delaney Ruhlman, Bloomington South (3rd at Al Smith, 2nd at state)

160: Jared Landez, Carroll (DNP at Al Smith, 8th at state)

-excluding De’Alcapon Veazy because he medically forfeited-

220: Jackson Weingart, Indianapolis Cathedral (8th at Al Smith, 7th at state)

285: Hosia Smith, Indianapolis Cathedral (7th at Al Smith, 5th at state)

 

With all of that out of the way, I am going to get into my predictions for this tournament. With no way for me to know the exact seeds, I am going to disregard what the seeds might be in this tournament and make my predictions strictly based on who I think will do better than who. If I think 2nd place would beat 3rd place, I will predict it as such, even if the bracket puts my 1st and 2nd place picks in the semis. With that being said, I will distinguish a title contender echelon of wrestlers and a top 4 contenders tier, in order to mitigate the potential damage that the eventual brackets might do to my top 4 picks.

 

106 Ranked Wrestlers:

#6 Cameron Meier

#7 Kaleb Salazar

#8 Mason Jones

#9 Julianna O’Campo

#19 Justus Thrasher

#20 John Bissmeyer

 

Title Contenders: Meier, Salazar, Jones, O’Campo

 

Top 4 Contenders: Thrasher, Bissmeyer

 

The main storyline of this year’s 106 bracket is the emergence of #9 Julianna O’Campo, who makes her first appearance at the Al Smith Classic after transferring to Fort Wayne Snider. O’Campo is no stranger to making history, as Indiana’s 2nd ever (or 3rd, maybe Crull qualified first) female state qualifier. Now, she will look to be the first ever female to win an Al Smith title. In her way are the three opponents ranked right above her, in #6 Cameron Meier, #7 Kaleb Salazar, and #8 Mason Jones. Meier is the only one out of these three with state experience, making it to the Friday night round last year. However, Meier did place lower at last year’s Al Smith than Jones, who earned a 5th place finish with a win over eventual state qualifier Seth Aubin. Meier vs. Jones can go either way in my opinion. Salazar is another opponent that can cause some damage in this weight class, missing out on last year’s Al Smith, but advancing to the ticket round last year (which funnily enough, both Jones and Salazar were both eliminated by the same opponent in E’Shawn Tolbert). I think that Jones is likely the favorite here, but any of the other three contenders could easily be the winner of this weight class. As for the other two ranked wrestlers in this weight class, I’m not too sure that either of them will be able to spoil the top 4 wrestlers here, but both #19 Justus Thrasher and #20 John Bissmeyer have had respectable results so far this season, and will likely compete for the 5th place spot here.

 

Top 4:

Jones

O’Campo

Meier

Salazar

 

113 Ranked Wrestlers:

#2 Gavin Jendreas

#6 Charlie LaRocca

#9 E’Shawn Tolbert

#10 Seth Aubin

#15 Carter Fielden

#17 Ryan Schmidtendorff

#19 Connor Bayliss

 

Title Contenders: Jendreas, LaRocca

 

Top 4 Contenders: Tolbert, Aubin, Fielden, Schmidtendorff, Bayliss

 

#2 Gavin Jendreas is back on the mat and should be the clear favorite over #6 Charlie LaRocca, who was Jendreas’s opponent at last year’s Al Smith, in which Jendreas ran away with a 10-6 decision that was more commanding than the score might imply. LaRocca is, of course, no slouch, and is the only wrestler in this field that I think could give Jendreas any trouble. As for the rest of the field, I believe it will be a fight for 3rd, with #9 E’Shawn Tolbert leading the pack. #10 Seth Aubin trails right behind Tolbert, although Aubin will have to reverse an 11-4 result that came during last year’s semistate. #15 Carter Fielden is a tough freshman that carries a familiar name, and will use this tournament to test his capabilities against a large number of proven athletes. #17 Ryan Schmidtendorff and #19 Connor Bayliss round out the list of ranked wrestlers, and both competed at last year’s Al Smith. Schmidtendorff broke through to the placement rounds last year, claiming 8th, while Bayliss fell in the bloodround match. Both of these wrestlers have the potential to improve massively on their already respectable runs last year.

 

Top 4:

Jendreas

LaRocca

Tolbert

Aubin

 

120 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Ashton Jackson

#4 Tanner Tishner

#10 Liam Krueger

#12 Eddie Goss

#14 Tommy Frazier

#16 Dylan Bennett

#18 Dominic Brown

#19 Elijah Broady

#20 Sonny Sessa

 

Title Contenders: Jackson, Tishner

 

Top 4 Contenders: Krueger, Goss, Frazier, Bennett, Brown, Broady, Sessa

 

“ACTION JACKSON” is the heavy favorite coming into this bracket, with an Al Smith title and two state titles to his name. #4 Tanner Tishner is looking to spoil Jackson’s second Al Smith title, but will have to reverse an 8-0 major from two years prior. To be quite honest, there are a couple of wrestlers that I think could challenge Tishner here, but it only seemed fair and respectable of Tishner and the several high level wins that he has claimed thus far in his career to establish him in the title contender tier. #12 Eddie Goss is the one that spoiled his state run last year, however, with an overtime win in the Friday night match. I think that Tishner is still the favorite if a rematch happens, but I wouldn’t call him a heavy favorite. #10 Liam Krueger is coming off of a 3rd place finish at last year’s Al Smith, and a heartbreaking upset loss to Goss in last year’s ticket round, and has several wrestlers in the field to get revenge on. Expect there to be a fire in Krueger’s wrestling this weekend. #14 Tommy Frazier and #16 Dylan Bennett are both returning qualifiers and Al Smith placers, taking 8th and 7th respectively at last year’s Al Smith, after Frazier stuck Bennett in the second period. They are sure bets to make it deep in the tournament and possibly snag one of the top 4 spots. Now, the wildcard in this bracket, in my opinion, is #18 Dominic Brown. Although ranked low, Brown already has multiple high level wins in his belt from his middle school years, including state placers Luke Rioux and Jalen May, as well as a freestyle win over Tommy Frazier. The issue is that he is yet to compete this season, and there is a lack of information on my part as to if he will compete this weekend or not, or what weight he will even go, but per the Indianamat rankings, he is the #18 120 pound wrestler, so I will consider him as such. Rounding out the top 4 contenders is #19 Elijah Broady and #20 Sonny Sessa. Both of these wrestlers are unusually talented for #19 and #20 ranked wrestlers, which speaks as to how tough 120 is in Indiana this year, and with 9 ranked wrestlers populating this field, one of these talented freshman will likely earn a tough draw into a higher ranked wrestler. Like last year, expect this 120 bracket to be full of chaos.

 

Top 4:

Jackson

Tishner

Brown?

Krueger

-Krueger 3rd and Goss 4th if Brown doesn’t compete-

 

126 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Logan Frazier

#4 Hayden Brady

#5 Aden Reyes

#9 Hyatt Yeager

#11 Guillermo Rivera

 

Title Contenders: Frazier

 

Top 4 Contenders: Brady, Reyes, Yeager, Rivera

 

I can’t realistically place anybody into the title contender tier with #1 Logan Frazier. He has been extremely dominant at this weight class for over a year now, and will likely continue to do so. This weight class will be a battle for 2nd place. Leading that battle is #4 Hayden Brady, who I believe is the favorite to meet Frazier in the finals. #5 Aden Reyes will be chasing Brady, and even placed higher than Brady at last year’s Al Smith, taking out eventual third placer Braxton Vest in the 5th place match. #9 Hyatt Yeager is back in Center Grove’s lineup after being set behind a death row of Center Grove’s lightweights, and certainly has the tools to beat both Brady or Reyes. #11 Guillermo Rivera is the final ranked wrestler in this weight class, and made it to the bloodround at last year’s Al Smith, losing to Brady by fall in the final minute of the bout. Rivera has his work cut out for him if he wants to reverse that match.

 

Top 4:

Frazier

Brady

Reyes

Yeager

 

132 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Kyrel Leavell

#2 Eleazar Walker

#6 David Maldonado

#9 Hayden DeMarco

#11 Josh Johnson

#12 Kaptur Nowaczyk

#15 Tye Linser

 

Title Contenders: Leavell, Walker

 

Top 4 Contenders: Maldonado, DeMarco, Johnson, Nowaczyk, Linser

 

For the first #1 vs. #2 potential matchup of the tournament, we have #1 Kyrel Leavell and #2 Eleazar Walker. Leavell is the clear favorite based on their results last year, in which Leavell won a state title at 120, while Walker walked away with 6th at 132, but Walker has improved tremendously since last year, stealing the #2 rank away from Whiteland’s Joey Buttler at the Grappler Fall Classic this preseason, and announcing himself as a title contender this year. This match should be exciting and high scoring. Next in line is #6 David Maldonado, who is coming off of an exciting win over returning Al Smith finalist #9 Hayden DeMarco. DeMarco has a couple of losses this season, but has a strong resume that includes two state medals, and can definitely earn back his ranking over Maldonado. #11 Josh Johnson is a returning 3rd placer at Al Smith, and has a state medal of his own to his name, but will be fighting an uphill battle against a field with 5 state medalists. #12 Kaptur Nowaczyk is up all the way from 113, is no stranger to taking big matches, and should not be counted out against anybody in the state. Lastly, #15 Tye Linser is looking to make some noise at his first Al Smith tournament, and while not a state qualifier himself, has multiple state quality wins during the off season that should make him a more threatening opponent to see in the bracket.

 

Top 4:

Walker

Leavell

DeMarco

Johnson

 

138 Ranked Wrestlers:

#3 Reese Courtney

#5 Bryce Denton

#8 Cooper Baldwin

#9 Lucas Clement

#12 Evan Cruz

#16 Brock Hagewood

 

Title Contenders: Courtney, Denton

 

Top 4 Contenders: Baldwin, Clement, Cruz, Hagewood

 

#3 Reese Courtney came out on top last year of an absolutely chaotic 120 lb Al Smith bracket, and although his efforts didn’t result in a spot at the state tournament, Courtney should not just be viewed as a state quality guy, but a possible state title contender. To challenge him on the other side of the bracket is #5 Bryce Denton, who fell victim during last year’s Al Smith to a brutal first round matchup against Jasper Graber, in which both would go on to qualify for the state tournament. As a 113 pounder two years ago, Denton looked to struggle a little bit to adjust to his new weight class, but with experience against heavier opponents now, Denton is looking better than ever. #8 Cooper Baldwin is also looking to make his first Al Smith final, but will be challenged by a number of other competitors also looking for a chance to grab the finals spot. #9 Lucas Clement started last year’s Al Smith tournament with a first round upset over 2 seed Dominic Litchfield, and is a dangerous opponent for anybody in this bracket. #12 Evan Cruz is another Crown Point wrestler making a big jump in weight, but seems to be unfazed by this new weight class, and can take on quality opponents confidently. The last ranked competitor in the field is #16 Brock Hagewood, who fought back from a brutal first round pairing against Wyatt Krejsa to place 5th, losing in the consolations only to Krejsa again. Hagewood has made it deep in this tournament before, and can do it again.

 

Top 4:

Courtney

Clement

Denton

Cruz

 

145 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Aidan Torres

#3 Wyatt Krejsa

#6 Dillon Graham

#11 Carlos Perez

#19 Aiden Kiner

 

Title Contenders: Torres, Krejsa

 

Top 4 Contenders: Graham, Perez, Kiner

 

With Bahl out of the mix (per @igotcaught), it seems that Indiana wrestling fans are going to be deprived of an exciting #1 vs. #2 matchup of #1 Aidan Torres and #2 Anthony Bahl. Luckily for us, #3 Wyatt Krejsa is going to put on a show, and should not be counted out against Torres, despite Torres being the clear favorite. Krejsa has catapulted through the rankings over the years and has quickly established himself as one of the best 145 lb wrestlers in the country, and the only direction I can see him going is up. Expect a close match between these two. #6 Dillon Graham is a returning 3rd placer at this tournament, and is looking to make his first finals appearance. He will likely earn the third seed and will have to battle with Krejsa to earn the spot. #11 Carlos Perez has limited results this season (that I could find anyway), but did go 8-4 with Bahl a couple of weeks ago, so given that he competes this weekend, he will be ready to scrap with anybody. The last ranked wrestler in this weight class is #19 Aiden Kiner, who made the bloodround at last year’s Al Smith, and will look to improve upon that performance this year, but breaking through to the top 4 will be tough for the senior out of Mt. Vernon, with such a nasty lineup of wrestlers populating the likely top 4 seeds.

 

Top 4:

Torres

Krejsa

Graham

Perez

 

152 Ranked Wrestlers:

#2 Anthony Rinehart

#4 Mitchell Betz

#5 Beau Brabender

#8 Evan Roudebush

#10 Gavin Davis

#11 Silas Stits

#13 Adrian Pellot

#15 Hunter Miller

#19 Gabe Bragg

 

Title Contenders: Rinehart, Betz

 

Top 4 Contenders: Brabender, Roudebush, Davis, Stits, Pellot, Miller, Bragg

 

In one of the matchups that I personally am super excited for, newly nationally ranked #2 Anthony Rinehart will scrap against #4 Mitchell Betz, in a series that is currently 1-1, where Betz got the best of him at the state finals last year, only for Rinehart to avenge that loss at IHPO. This match is sure to be a good one. I almost wanted to include #5 Beau Brabender in the title contender tier, but I feel like Rinehart and Betz are a little bit more distinguished in their resumes, despite Brabender coming into this event as the #5 ranked wrestlers. I should establish now that a wrestler being placed into the top 4 contenders tier, as opposed to the title contenders tier, doesn’t mean that I don’t think that they can’t beat people in the title contenders tier. However, I have to establish a cut off somewhere, and if I follow a logic along the lines of, “Well the #2 could beat the #1, but the #3 could beat the #2, but the #4 could beat the #3…” and so on, everybody will be a title contender. Anyways, I think that Brabender is a clear favorite for the 3rd place spot, but there are a number of ranked wrestlers in the field that might have something to say about that. #8 Evan Roudebush is a returning Al Smith placer, taking 4th last year, while #10 Gavin Davis follows behind as a returning 5th placer, and #11 Silas Stits taking 8th last year. I think that the margin between these three wrestlers is razor thin, and even though I think that Brabender will best who ever joins him for the 4th place match, it wouldn’t surprise to see any of them in that match and challenging Brabender. #13 Adrian Pellot is a ticket rounder that came agonizingly close to making his first state finals appearance last year, but is clearly battle tested and ready to challenge the state qualifiers in this field. #15 Hunter Miller and #19 Gabe Bragg round out the loaded field in this weight class, and as semi-state qualifiers, are proven competitors that will bring the battle to anybody.

 

Top 4:

Rinehart

Betz

Brabender

Stits

 

160 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Sam Goin

#4 Chase Leech

#7 Andre Merritt

#8 AJ Steenbeke

#10 Kenneth Bisping

#11 Brenton Russell

#12 Chase Wagner

#13 Conner Watts

 

Title Contenders: Goin

 

Top 4 Contenders: Leech, Merritt, Steenbeke, Bisping, Russell, Wagner, Watts

 

This is another weight class where there is too heavy of a favorite to confidently name any other title contenders. Had the 2020 Al Smith tournament not been canceled, #1 Sam Goin might have been looking for a rare 4th Al Smith title this weekend. The intriguing side of this weight class is not Goin’s however, but who will join him on the other side. #4 Chase Leech has made big strides this past off season, and should be considered the favorite to challenge Goin. #7 Andre Merritt, in my opinion, is a little underrated, and an upset against Leech is something that would not surprise me. Merritt, despite missing out on the state finals last year, has a lot of very good wins under his belt. #8 AJ Steenbeke has been a high level wrestler for a long time, and now as a senior, he is looking to end his high school career on a high note. Leech defeated Steenbeke at this year’s IHPO, but it is certainly a result that Steenbeke can reverse. #10 Kenneth Bisping is a state qualifier from last year, and made it to the placement rounds of last year’s Al Smith with an 8th place finish. Look for Bisping to compete against any of the aforementioned wrestlers (even Goin, who he had wrestled several times last year as a result of being in the same sectional). #11 Brenton Russell is one of the many talented Warren Central wrestlers that Indiana is blessed with watching wrestle in the Al Smith Classic as a result of Warren Central’s addition to the already loaded roster of competitive teams. #12 Chase Wagner and #13 Conner Watts are both wrestlers with family history in the Indiana wrestling landscape, and should not be overlooked to make top 4 appearances.

 

Top 4:

Goin

Merritt

Leech

Steenbeke

 

170 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Delaney Ruhlman

#4 Noah Clouser

#5 Kyle Harden

#6 Gavin Malone

#7 Duke Myers

#8 Anthony Cashman

#9 Isaac Valdez

#11 Aidan Costello

#15 Zymarion Hollyfield

#19 Manolo Hood

 

Title Contenders: Ruhlman, Clouser

 

Top 4 Contenders: Harden, Malone, Myers, Cashman, Valdez, Costello, Hollyfield, Hood

 

Half of the state’s ranked wrestlers will be in one bracket this weekend at the Al Smith Classic, and leading this incredibly deep field is #1 Delaney Ruhlman, who is the clear favorite to win this bracket. Joining him in the title contender field is #4 Noah Clouser, who wrestled a respectable 4-0 bout against Ruhlman not too long ago, and could pull even closer to a desirable result this weekend. Of course, Clouser will have to navigate a nasty field to do so, starting with #5 Kyle Harden, a stud freshman from Cathedral that has picked off a number of highly ranked wrestlers this season already, and lost a slim 5-4 match to Clouser earlier in the season. How far can the superfreshman get? Next in line is #6 Gavin Malone, who announced himself as one of the best 170 lb wrestlers in the state with a win earlier this season over #7 Duke Myers, who also joins the field. I would love to see a rematch between these two, with Malone looking to cement his status as a top level wrestler in the state, and Myers looking to avenge a tough loss. #8 Anthony Cashman wrestles his first Al Smith tournament as a result of Warren Central’s entry, and has several big wins in his high school career, so a deep run from Cashman, and maybe even a finals appearance would not surprise me. #9 Isaac Valdez rounds out the list of SEVEN top 10 wrestlers here, and has plenty of experience against wrestlers in this field. Notably, he took a loss earlier in the year to Harden, but given that it was a close and competitive match, Valdez has the potential to break through the absolutely brutal roster of competitors here and make a top 4 appearance. #11 Aidan Costello is no stranger to deep runs at the Al Smith, taking 4th last year, but will need to wrestle even tougher in arguably the deepest weight class in this year’s tournament. #15 Zymarion Hollyfield put himself in the rankings earlier this year with a win over Valdez, and with one blemish on his record to Costello, he shouldn’t be overlooked to make a deep run. Hollyfield’s pace is unrivaled, and should he take any of these talented wrestlers to deep waters, there is a big possibility that an upset could occur. The final ranked wrestler in this weight class is #19 Manolo Hood. Hood lost 9-2 earlier this year to Hollyfield, but only 5-4 to Valdez, if this gives you any indication of how unpredictable this weight class will be this weekend. Regardless, I will try to pick a strong top 4.

 

Top 4:

Ruhlman

Harden

Myers

Costello

 

182 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Orlando Cruz

#2 De’Alcapon Veazy

#6 Julian Weems

#7 Kaden Lone

#9 Luke Penola

#18 Mike Durham

 

Title Contenders: Cruz, Veazy

 

Top 4 Contenders: Weems, Lone, Penola, Durham

 

This is, in my opinion, and probably most others’ opinions, the premier matchup of the tournament. A clash against two nationally ranked competitors, #1 Orlando Cruz and #2 De’Alcapon Veazy will battle in an exciting preview of the likely state finals match at 182. Cruz and Veazy have met before, where Veazy emerged victorious in a 6-2 freestyle victory. However, Veazy is incredibly talented in freestyle, while Cruz has a stronger folkstyle resume, so we will have to see if Veazy’s folkstyle wrestling is good enough to take him out. I don’t see anybody in this bracket spoiling the finals, but #6 Julian Weems is the favorite to walk away with 3rd this weekend. #7 Kaden Lone is a guy that I think could challenge Weems for 3rd place, and will challenge Weems with his strength and athleticism. Weems is coming up from 160 last year, so we will get a good indication this weekend of how he has adjusted to the weight change. #9 Luke Penola took 6th at the Al Smith last year, and can very easily improve upon that finish, especially with a big win over Bray Emerine earlier this season. The last ranked wrestler in this field is #18 Mike Durham. Although ranked low relative to the rest of the field, Durham has previous wins that indicate that he could do a lot better than the rankings and seeds might suggest, so keep an eye out for Durham to take any of these top 10 ranked wrestlers to deep waters.

 

Top 4:

Cruz

Veazy

Weems

Durham

 

195 Ranked Wrestlers:

#3 Christian Chavez

#6 Kaden McConnell

#7 Anthony White

#10 Jackson Fox

#11 Henry Kukelhan

#17 MJ Norman

#19 Jack O’Connor

#20 Trent Kersey

 

Title Contenders: Chavez, McConnell, White

 

Top 4 Contenders: Fox, Kukelhan, Norman, O’Connor, Kersey

 

With only two returning Al Smith placers, #3 Christian Chavez opens up as a huge favorite to win the tournament. Challenging him for the title this year will be #6 Kaden McConnell and #7 Anthony White. McConnell did not compete at the Al Smith last year, being behind a death row of Center Grove upperweights (maybe their whole lineup is just a death row, haha). Chavez’s resume indicates that McConnell will be a huge underdog, but he is #6 in the state for a reason, and out of a powerhouse like Center Grove, it would be a mistake to underestimate him. Speaking of powerhouse schools, White comes up from 170 last year and fits in Crown Point’s lineup as the 195 lb wrestler. White’s results are a little more established than McConnell’s as a starter last year, and had many big wins on his resume. I think that White will give Chavez the biggest fit in this bracket. Outside of the title contenders, #10 Jackson Fox is also competing at his first Al Smith, and has experience against both Chavez and White from this year’s IHPO, losing to Chavez by fall and White by a 7-3 decision. I think that a win over Chavez is a little bit too ambitious, but a win over White is definitely within striking distance for Fox. As the only other returning placer in this weight class, #11 Henry Kukelhan will also be looking for a spot in the finals, and with him likely getting a good seed due to his placement, I think a high placement for Kukelhan is reasonable, despite four other competitors in the field outranking him. A lot of newcomers in this weight class with #17 MJ Norman and #20 Trent Kersey also wrestling in their first Al Smith. A lot of first time placements are up for grabs here. #19 Jack O’Connor, on the other hand, was in attendance at last year’s Al Smith, losing in double overtime to miss out on the placement rounds. O’Connor will definitely be wrestling with a fire under him this time around.

 

Top 4:

Chavez

White

Kukelhan

Fox

 

220 Ranked Wrestlers:

#1 Will Clark

#3 Devin Kendrex

#4 Tommy Morrill

#13 Keegan Martin

 

Title Contenders: Clark, Kendrex, Morrill

 

Top 4 Contenders: Martin

 

I really hate to single out #13 Keegan Martin as the only ranked wrestler in this weight class not in the title contender tier, especially given his performance last year at the Al Smith that actually saw him beat #3 Devin Kendrex in the first round (terrible first round pairing) and lose only a slim 4-1 decision in the semis to #4 Tommy Morrill. But once again, I must reiterate that Martin is definitely capable of winning against Kendrex or Morrill, and honestly even #1 Will Clark could find himself in trouble against him. However, like I mentioned earlier, if I apply this type of logic to every wrestler in the field, I don’t really have a way to distinguish different tiers of wrestlers, so that’s why Martin is in a lower tier. That being said, Will Clark looks to be the favorite in this weight class, but Kendrex and Morrill are both very dangerous opponents that could steal Clark’s #1 spot. Kendrex does have the last head to head win against Morrill, but both of these wrestlers have similar resumes, with both losing Friday night last year, but Morrill was a runner up at last year’s Al Smith, while Kendrex had an unusual 0-2 performance. Despite the seeding, it will likely be Kendrex and Morrill in the semis, and honestly, I think you could flip a coin here to see who would win.

 

Top 4:

Clark

Kendrex

Morrill

Martin

 

285 Ranked Wrestlers:

#2 Paul Clark

#3 Hosia Smith

#5 Anthony Popi

#8 Tyler Schott

#13 Peyton Kendall

#14 Brayden Jellison

#17 Perris Green

 

Title Contenders: Clark, Smith

 

Top 4 Contenders: Popi, Schott, Kendall, Jellison, Green

 

In a showdown between two of Indiana’s best heavyweights, #2 Paul Clark and #3 Hosia Smith looks to be the favorites to meet in the finals, with Clark being the favorite of that matchup, after an impressive Ironman performance that vaulted him into the national rankings. Smith is a proven heavyweight himself, and will give Clark everything that he can handle. Expect a razor thin match here. #5 Anthony Popi fell 5-2 to Smith at last year’s Al Smith to take 8th, but with a #5 ranking this year, he is looking to make a statement and bust some brackets to make the finals. I wasn’t confident enough to establish Popi as a title contender, only because I believe that the top 4 heavyweights in Indiana are in a tier of their own (in my opinion), but Popi is right outside of that bubble, and this tournament could be what he needs to catapult himself into that conversation. #8 Tyler Schott was behind Center Grove’s Nate Johnson last year, but took Hosia Smith to triple overtime as the backup heavyweight, showing that despite being a new face to Center Grove’s varsity lineup, he is no stranger to big matches, and will display his talents at his first Al Smith. #13 Peyton Kendall has had a solid start to this season, owning a win over #14 Brayden Jellison, who is also in this field. They are 1-1 this season, with Jellison also owning a win over Kendall, so this matchup should be intense, should it end up happening. The last ranked competitor in this field is #17 Perris Green. Green pulled a 4 over 1 upset at semi state last year to make the ticket round, and is a proven heavyweight that cannot be overlooked, however, Hosia Smith does own a fall over him this season, so running into Smith early could mean trouble for Green.

 

Top 4:

Clark

Smith

Schott

Popi

 

With so many names and results and numbers and all of that, I'm sure that there could be a mistake somewhere in here. If any of you see them, point them out to me and I'll be sure to fix them. I took a different approach to this writeup and tried to have a little more fun at the beginning, with random statistics and results that I found interesting, so I hope you all enjoy that part of the writeup. Thanks everybody.

Dom Brown is in at 120lbs and ready to go . He has two matches under his belt so far coming in at 2-0. Excited to see his hard work as puts in a lot of time with Coach Andrew Howe in the off season.

All about the different levels and goals. As some kids skill levels will never get them to state and making semi state might be the highest they will reach. Some not being on top of the podium will feel like they failed to achieve their ultimate goal…and so on 

17 minutes ago, blueandgold said:

I am prepared for controversy.

 

Seeds

1. Andrew Howe ‘08, Hanover Central

2. Sean McMurray ‘10, Portage

3. Brody Baumann ‘21, Evansville Mater Dei

4. Paul Young ‘06, Bloomington South

5. Drew Hughes ‘15, Lowell

6. Cooper Samuels ‘07, Floyd Central

7. Jacob Covaciu ‘16, Merrillville

8. Case Hooper ‘93, Lawrence North

9. J Conway ‘22, Floyd Central

10. Jordan Slivka ‘19, Cathedral

11. Nick South ‘18, Columbus East

12. Bryce Hasseman ‘00, Franklin

13. Chad Welch ‘11, Castle

14. Nick Mayer ‘96, Evansville Mater Dei

15. John Kopnisky ‘97, Carmel

16. Chris Cooper ‘02, Whiteland

17. Sam Wilderman ‘03, Evansville Mater Dei

18. Brian Harvey ‘12, Cathedral

19. Jermaine Brooks ‘91, Northrop

20. Jason Carr ‘98, Wawasee

21. Chris Snyder ‘95, Mishawaka

22. Kevin Carr ‘99, Wawasee

23. Briar Runyan ‘09, Martinsville

24. Brad Laughlin ‘17, Yorktown

25. Eli Dickens ‘20, Evansville Mater Dei

26. Allen Weinzapfel ‘01, Evansville Mater Dei

 

First Round Pairings

• #1 Andrew Howe (Hanover Central) receives a bye.
• #2 Sean McMurray (Portage) receives a bye.
• #3 Brody Baumann (EMD) receives a bye.
• #4 Paul Young (Bloomington South) receives a bye.
• #5 Drew Hughes (Lowell) receives a bye.
• #6 Cooper Samuels (Floyd Central) receives a bye.
• #7 Jacob Covaciu (Merrillville) vs. #26 Allen Weinzapfel (EMD)
• #8 Case Hooper (Lawrence North) vs. #25 Eli Dickens (EMD)
• #9 J Conway (Floyd Central) vs. #24 Brad Laughlin (Yorktown)
• #10 Jordan Slivka (Cathedral) vs. #23 Briar Runyan (Martinsville)
• #11 Nick South (Columbus East) vs. #22 Kevin Carr (Wawasee)
• #12 Bryce Hasseman (Franklin) vs. #21 Chris Snyder (Mishawaka)
• #13 Chad Welch (Castle) vs. #20 Jason Carr (Wawasee)
• #14 Nick Mayer (EMD) vs. #19 Jermaine Brooks (Northrop)
• #15 John Kopnisky (Carmel) vs. #18 Brian Harvey (Cathedral)
• #16 Chris Cooper (Whiteland) vs. #17 Sam Wilderman (EMD)

Andrew Howe …..The End 

7 minutes ago, Wrestlingfan937 said:

What school and weight bohn is tough!

138 Valpo Freshman 

1 hour ago, Wrestlingfan937 said:

With the spartan classic only 10 days away here are some of the potential matches we will have the chance of watching to see if these wrestlers are at weight and the brackets lines up accordingly.

 

 

At 106  #5/#5 Kealen Fuller(East Noble) Vs #11/#1 Heather Crull(Northeastern) ( this match will be an awesome indicator for crull to see competition that she could see at state. Also  #18/#3 Gunner Butt(New Palestine) will be in the mix and will have to roll with one of these studs which will make a very interesting potential semifinal.

 

At 113 I see  #7/#2 Blake Byerly(East Noble) just dominating this weight and looking to claim his second Spartan classic title. Incredible that he made the cut from 120 to 113, this weight change will be huge in his success this year.

 

At 120 it looks to be in favor of  NR/#6 Lincoln Parsons(Greenfield-Central) , NR/#7 Bryce Doss(New Palestine) to meet in the finals. However If Angel Delony is at 120 I would not count him out of the mix.

 

At 126 we got #7/#3 Griffin Ingalls(Fishers) , #12/#3 Tylin Thrine(New Castle) , #14/#4 Jesus Aquino-Morales(Union County) all in the same weight and will be certified Fire! This bracket is basically NCSS in December.

 

At 132 you got #13/#6 Justice Thornton (Columbus North) , NR/#5 Gavyn Whitehead(New Castle) , NR/#8 Carson Whitley(Union County) , all three are very good and definitely look to see Whitehead to show out here and make the finals and definitely could win this. TBH his ranking does no justice for how good he is. Another weight that will have incredible semifinals.

 

At 138- this is going to be locked in for #17/#3 Brevan Thrine(New Castle) vs #18/#5 Luke Reid(Valparaiso). Look for thrine dominate this tournament.

 

At 145 you got  #16/#7 Asher Ratliff(Columbus North) , NR/#8 Cody Biddle(East Noble) , coming in ranked, Howe ever I see Evan wolf of Union County making some noise and busting brackets here.

 

At 152 I need more info on this weight but you got 18/#8 Isaiah Holden(Greenfield-Central)  coming into this tournament.

 

At 160 you got  #3/#1 Jeb Prechtel(Jasper) , #19/#6 John Rushenberg(Indianapolis Bishop Chatard) , NR/#6 Benjamin Fedorchak(Valparaiso). I look for Prechtel to do extremely well but his oponet in the finals could be a dark horse! That dark horse is Jordan Takara Of union county!

Luke Reid is a tough freshman . He has a win over StAte qualifier Chris Bohn already as well 

4 minutes ago, TripleB said:

Anything good going on? 
 

Board seems dead today. 
 

Has Columbus  East and Whiteland been added to team state yet or is gonna have an asterisk next to it and be a farce? 

 

 

Yep both in 

50 minutes ago, TysonNisley said:

Crazy result, but I'm not really surprised. I think Huyvaert is gonna be higher than 7th on the podium come the end of the year.

He will get Solomey this coming week. I believe he will be higher on the podium. He isn’t a kid coming out of nowhere as has placed at ISWA State In Folkstyle every year in probably every placement since he was 4. 

37 minutes ago, Y2CJ41 said:

Weigh-ins

Athletes can have a million weigh-ins

 

Participation Points

1 point for a dual

2 points for any event with 3 or more teams(duals or tournament) defined as a tournament further down

 

Each athlete can participate only participate in a maximum of 6 tournaments. This can be a jv tournament, conference tournament, local super dual, etc. An athlete is counted as participating whether they wrestle 1 match or 10 for that event. You can wrestle in an max of 18 duals, but usually it's split up 6 duals(6 points) and 6 tournaments(12 points).

 

The girls state series counts as a tournament, but only costs an athlete 2 points total whether they make it to state or just participate in the regional. The boys state series does NOT count as any points. Conference tournaments count as 2 points.

Thanks that was my question even if I didn’t word it correctly. About the girls state only costing them 2 points 

1 minute ago, Y2CJ41 said:

Explain further? Weigh-in points, power poll points, cool points?

Weigh in points as if doing boys also I believe they still can only use 18 qualifying for tournaments. We have sat our girl out of two tournaments/weigh ins for a total of 3 points so far. Hoping that was enough

On 12/12/2022 at 6:03 PM, Y2CJ41 said:

Rankings will be released fully after 48 hours. If you are a Silverback you will have immediate access.
Date: 12/12/2022
Girls Girls #3

View full individual rankings record

What are the points for the girls qualifier and State Championships?

7 minutes ago, Y2CJ41 said:

East Central is not attending.

Damn that is email sent from host school to our school