DogPound75

Date: Saturday February 10th, 2024
Admission: $12 per person. Children age 5 and younger admitted free.
Streaming: A bundled package that includes access to all four semi-state sites, as well as next weekend's state finals, is available via IHSAAtv.org and the IHSAAtv suite of apps (iPhone, Android phone, Roku, Amazon Firestick, AppleTV, and Android TV) for $25. Access to all four semi-states only is available for $15. If you have a FloPro+ plan, you may also view the livestream at FloWrestling.com.
 
1. East Chicago Central (John C. Baratto Athletic Center) | 9 am CT 
Feeder Regionals: Crown Point, Hobart, Logansport, Penn.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets
EastChicago.pdf
Pick'ems Link
 
2. Fort Wayne South Side (Allen County War Memorial Coliseum) | 8:30 am ET 
Feeder Regionals: Carroll (Fort Wayne), Goshen, Jay County, Peru.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets 
FortWayne.pdf
Pick'ems Link
 
3. New Castle (New Castle Fieldhouse) | 9 am ET 
Feeder Regionals: Frankfort, Pendleton Heights, Perry Meridian, Richmond.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets 
NewCastle.pdf
Pick'ems Link 
 
4. Evansville F. J. Reitz (Ford Center) | 9 am CT 
Feeder Regionals: Bloomington South, Castle, Jeffersonville, Mooresville.
TrackWrestling Brackets
IndianaMat Brackets 
Evansville.pdf
Pick'ems Link
 
Pick'ems History
Click here for a full pick'ems history
 
Articles and Podcasts
#MondayMatness with Steve Krah: DeKalb’s Waldon heading back to Fort Wayne Semi-State with focusHigh School Wrestling Weekly
#WrestlingWednesday with Jeremy Hines: Thornton ready for another trip to state
Lake Central’s Mason Jones Drives Into Potential State Finals Run with Renewed Confidence
Gorilla Radio 172- Fort Wayne Semi-State
Gorilla Radio 173- Evansville Semi-State
Gorilla Radio 174- New Castle Semi-State
Gorilla Radio 175- East Chicago Semi-State
State Finals streak on the line
 
Gorilla Radio Schedule
Monday- Mike, Joe, and a special guest talking about Fort Wayne Semi-State 
Wednesday- Mike, Joe and our southern correspondent talking about Evansville
Thursday- Mike and Joe talking about East Chicago and New Castle
 
 

By Anna Kayser
 
When Brownsburg opens its doors to kick off the 2023-24 wrestling season on Nov. 29 vs. Westfield, it will be the first time in 291 days that Parker Reynolds steps onto the mat in competition. Nine months and 18 days full of doctor’s visits, blood tests, surgeries, physical therapy and pushing himself to the limit, all for a young athlete to return to wrestling stronger than he left it.
 
Parker, the 138-pound freshman starter in last year’s Bulldog lineup, had his first high school campaign riddled with a then-mysterious condition causing numbness in his hands. A season which had incredible high points – on Dec. 10 at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman, he defeated the eventual 138-pound state champion from Ohio – was challenged by a mix of physical and mental hurdles.
 
“When I wrestled, I would lose all feeling. It was almost like there were knives in my forearms, it hurt really, really bad,” Parker said. “It started to almost become a mental thing because before a lot of matches, I wouldn’t know if it was going to come up or not and it almost freaked me out before every match. I was worried that my hands were going to go numb, and it really started messing with me when I wrestled.”
 
Following a semi-state loss to end his freshman season, Parker immediately began seeing a series of doctors to diagnose his condition. They tested his heart, musculoskeletal system and blood for autoimmune diseases before being referred to a group of specialists on thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) – one being Dr. George G. Sheng, a vascular surgeon with Ascension Medical Group.
 
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, TOS – a condition often found in pitchers due to their repetitive throwing motion – refers to a series of syndromes where compression of nerves, arteries and veins in the lower neck and upper chest causes pain or numbness in the surrounding areas.
 
Parker, after undergoing another series of tests with Dr. Sheng, was diagnosed with both neurogenic and venous TOS, two of the three syndromes related to TOS causing his hands to turn purple, numbness and the sensation of feeling knives in his forearms.
 
The constant movement of the shoulder forward – similar to a pitcher’s throwing motion – at a young age can affect the placement of ribs before they’re entirely developed, leading to a partial blockage of different nerves and veins making up the spinal system. Parker became the first wrestler Dr. Sheng had seen with TOS, and in turn became the first to undergo a procedure to remove the first rib on his right side in an effort to alleviate his symptoms. The recovery timeline for this surgery to treat TOS is one year.
 
“Nobody thought he was going to be able to wrestle this year – not even the surgeon, not even us,” Josh Reynolds, Parker’s dad, said. “He was going to have to put the work in, he was going to have to go to physical therapy and see how his body [healed].”
 
Parker has TOS on both sides of his body, but an early expectation of having two rib-removal surgeries faded as the April 3 surgery on his right side relieved most symptoms on both. However, the doubt of a possible second surgery and how his body would rebound expanded the unknown from one year to potentially never wrestling again.
 
“This is the longest I’ve ever gone without having a match, I felt like so much was getting taken away from me. There was a lot of doubt [if I would ever wrestle again],” Parker said.
 
The beginning stages of Parker’s recovery can be summed up in two words: Boring and grueling. Unable to do anything where he might feel pressure in his left side, the rising sophomore found himself unable to do all of his favorite things – wrestling, as well as enjoy fishing and a number of water activities at his family’s vacation home in Florida.
 
After months of being in a dark place mentally, from not knowing what was going on with his body to possibly being unable to wrestle for at least a year, Parker began seeing a mental coach.
“[Parker’s mental coach] has probably been one of the biggest influences in all of this,” Josh said. “He was a calming voice to Parker and saying ‘Listen, you’ve got to listen to your body. If you’re not right, you can’t come back prematurely.’”
 
Taking the next step in his rehab process by beginning light, lower body-focused workouts helped, too, and Parker’s parents saw a noticeable change mentally.
 
And then, a lump on his neck appeared and severe nosebleeds began, sparking a series of blood tests with the possibility of lymphoma or leukemia. The average size of a lymph node is under 1.5 centimeters in diameter, and Parker’s grew to near 3 centimeters.
 
“He’d make comments like, “I don’t know what I can do if I can’t wrestle. That’s all I’ve ever done, I’ve been wrestling since I was four.’” Josh said. “As a family, it was tough especially for my wife and I because we’re just saying we want [Parker] healthy and in his eyes, ‘Well if I’m healthy I can wrestle.’”
 
Parker had another surgery in July to remove the entire growth from his neck. The tests for leukemia came back negative, and instead he was diagnosed with Epstein Barr virus – another form of mononucleosis – likely caused by the hit his immune system took with the removal of his rib.
 
He was cleared to return to practice in August, with stipulations from his surgeon: He couldn’t be taken down and was only allowed to be in situations which he could control. But he could build his entire daily routine around wrestling and gaining strength for the season.
 
“Coach [Chad] Red said, “You tell me when and where and I’m with you every step of the way,’” Josh recalled. “That’s when we saw this mental transition. [Parker] was working with the mental coach, doing one-on-ones with Coach Red, practicing twice a day [plus lifting weights] and he was changing his mindset.”
 
Over the summer, Parker lost close to 10 pounds. After being cleared by his physicians, he began working out and practicing three times a day, before school and after school, to get himself back in wrestling shape for Brownsburg’s impending Oct. 30 practice.
 
“After a couple months, you can see he’s getting smoother and feeling better,” Brownsburg head wrestling coach Darrick Snyder said. “Now, we’re working through with him that he’s not going to be the same dude at our opening meet that he will be at the end of the year. He’s going to take some leaps this season.”
 
Now, Parker’s coming back with a vengeance – finally stepping onto the mat with more answers than questions. Along with a renewed sense of confidence in his health and wrestling ability, he’s entering this season with three things he didn’t have last year:
 
A tattoo on his lower ribs of a quote by Moliére, a French playwright, reading, “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.”
 
A list of all the wrestlers he beat last season who placed at the state championships in Indiana or surrounding states.
 
And a necklace with his first rib, removed when this all started, to wear around his neck before each of his matches during his improbable comeback campaign.  

The phrase you hear 100's of times during a seeding meeting is always "who are your losses to?" This year 17 wrestlers will enter the state finals without a blemish on their record. On top of that there are about five wrestlers entering the tournament without a loss to an Indiana opponent. This year we have three weights without an undefeated wrestler, 160, 182, and 220lbs. In total the state qualifiers have 1047 losses of which 657 are to Indiana state qualifiers. Many of the wrestlers with out of state losses will be to eventual state qualifier also.
 
As always if you can help with the missing data it is greatly appreciated.
 
Random Stats
Most losses to state qualifiers
Gavin Bragg- 10
Jason Rooney and Logan Haney- 9
Max McGinley, mason Day, Isaiah Wilson, and Sonny Sessa- 8
 
Most wins over state qualifiers
Ashton Jackson- 11
Eddie Goss, Aidan Torres, and Revin Dickman- 9
Beau Brabender, Devin Kendrex, Charlie LaRocca, Luke Penola, Christian Chavez, Sam Goin, Jake Hockaday, and Leighton Jones- 8
 
Non-State Qualifiers with the most wins over state qualifiers
Trevor Gallagher- 7
Evan Roudebush- 6
Hosia Smith, Anthony Rinehart, and Luke Rioux- 5
 
Undefeated Wrestlers106 Ayden Bollinger- Delta
113 Jalen May- Kokomo
120 Ashton Jackson- LaPorte
126 Tylin Thrine- New Castle
132 Joey Buttler- Whiteland
132 Easton Doster- New Haven
138 Tony Wood- Jay County
138 Michael Major- Carmel
138 Cheaney Schoeff- Avon
145 Aidan Torres- Chesterton
145 Wyatt Krejsa- Center Grove
152 Bryce Lowery- Roncalli
170 Delaney Ruhlman- Bloomington South
195 Christian Chavez- Mishawaka
195 Alex Deming- Rochester
195 Luke Hansen- Roncalli
285 Titus Waters- Muncie Central
 
#WAYL2
Who are your losses to?
 
Key
*- State Qualifier
(Losses/ State Qualifier Losses/ State Qualifier Wins)
106lbs
Ayden Bollinger- Delta(0/0/2): 
Mason Jones- Lake Central(1/1/7): Julianna O'Campo*
Layne Horn- Rochester(1/1/4): Ayden Bollinger*
Matthew Baylor- Milan(1/1/1): Hruai Lian*
Julianna O'campo- Fort Wayne Snider(2/1/5): Ayden Bollinger*, Baker(MI)
Hruai Lian- Perry Meridian(4/2/5): Jeff McGuise, John Bissmeyer, Nathan Rioux*, Revin Dickman*
Cameron Meier- Bloomington South(4/4/4): Isaac Campbell*, Mason Jones*, Nathan Rioux(2)*
Isaac Campbell- Floyd Central(4/4/1): Cameron Meier(2)*, Nathan Rioux*, Revin Dickman*
Revin Dickman- Brownsburg(5/0/9): Harrison(OH), Seacrist(OH), Smith(PA), Timar(OH), Yarbrough(OH)
Nathan Rioux- Avon(5/5/4): Revin Dickman(5)*
Kaleb Salazar- Wawasee(5/3/3): Cameron Meier*, Hunter Douglas, Julianna O'Campo*, Kealen Fuller, Mason Jones*
Rex Moore- Manchester(6/6/0): Julianna O'Campo*, Layne Horn(4)*, Levi Johns*
Xavier Chavez- Mishawaka(8/4/1):  ???(2), Benton Kanable, John Bissmeyer, Julianna O'Campo(2)*, Kaleb Salazar*, Mason Jones*
Gunner Butt- New Palestine(8/3/1): Gavin Ash, Heather Crull, Hruai Lian(3)*, Jett McGuire(2), Joey Cline
Connor Bayliss- Mount Vernon (Fortville)(8/5/0): Cameron Meier*, Cole Vandygriff, E'Shawn Tolbert, Gunner Butt*, Jackson Elliott*, Jett McGuire, Joey Cline, Kaleb Salazar*, Matthew Baylor*
Logan Haney- Crown Point(14/9/0): Benton Kanable, Cameron Woods, Garcia(OH), Hruai Lian*, Kaleb Salazar*, Marinopoulos(IL), Mason Jones(4)*, Revin Dickman(2)*, Talon Jessup, Xavier Chavez*
113lbs
Jalen May- Kokomo(0/0/5): 
Charlie LaRocca- Center Grove(2/1/8): Cichocki(MI), Gavin Jendreas*
Gavin Jendreas- Crown Point(2/1/5): Mendoza(IL), Preston Haines*
Drew Waldon- DeKalb(2/1/1): Blake Byerley, Jalen May*
Ryan Taylor- Perry Meridian(3/2/4): Gavin Jendreas*, Preston Haines*, Quinten Schoeff
Levi Johns- Bluffton(3/1/2): Daniel Moore, Isaiah Fye, Jalen May*
Aiden Dallinger- McCutcheon(4/3/3): ???, Gavin Jendreas*, Isaac Ash*, Jalen May*
Jackson Heaston- Indian Creek(4/2/1): Charlie Larocca*, Eddie Goss*, Luke Rioux, Toby Billerman
Isaac Ash- Monrovia(6/4/2): Charlie Larocca(2)*, Luke Rioux(2), Preston Haines(2)*
Seth Aubin- Hobart(6/3/1): Aiden Dallinger*, Charlie Larocca*, E'Shawn Tolbert(2), Gavin Jendreas*, Ryann Schmidtendorff
Jackson Elliott- Carmel(6/6/5): Aiden Dallinger*, Charlie Larocca*, Isaac Ash*, Ryan Taylor(2)*, Tommy Frazier*
Preston Haines- Brownsburg(9/3/4): Brown(OH), Charlie Larocca(2)*, Cichocki(MI), Dyler(OK), Jackson Heaston*, Johnson(IL), Lambers(OH), Rossell(OH)
Tommy Frazier- Zionsville(9/5/3): Eddie Goss*, Gavin Bragg*, Gavin Jendreas*, Isaiah Schaefer*, Luke Rioux, Quinten Schoeff, Raney(KY), Ryan Taylor*, Terry Easley
Brayden Raber- Maconaquah(9/3/0):  ???(2), Braylon McIntire(3), Drew Waldon*, Isaiah Fye, Jalen May*, Levi Johns*
Cameron Sentner- Wawasee(10/2/0): ???, Aiden Dallinger*, Blake Byerley, Braylon McIntire, E'Shawn Tolbert, Josh Kite(2), Kamaron Straw, Matthew Senn, Seth Aubin*
Porter Temples- Westfield(14/7/0): ???, Charlie Larocca*, Demario Ezelle, Jackson Elliott(4)*, Luke Rioux, Revin Dickman, Ryan Taylor, Ryann Schmidtendorff(2), Tommy Frazier(2)*
120lbs
Ashton Jackson- LaPorte(0/0/11): 
Neal Mosier- Delta(1/1/5): Tanner Tishner*
Tanner Tishner- Western(1/1/4): Ashton Jackson*
Bryce Doss- New Palestine(2/2/3): Elijah Broady*, Neal Mosier*
Isaiah Schaefer- Evansville Mater Dei(3/1/4): Jake Hockaday*, Raney(KY)(2)
Jake Hockaday- Brownsburg(4/0/8): Butler(OH), DeLuca(NJ), Raney(KY), Stewart(IL)
Dominic Brown- Lowell(4/4/5): Ashton Jackson(2)*, Eddie Goss*, Sonny Sessa*
Peter Nguyen- Guerin Catholic(4/4/1): Elijah Broady*, Gavin Bragg(2)*, Neal Mosier*
Eddie Goss- Center Grove(5/5/9): Isaiah Schaefer(2)*, Jake Hockaday(2)*, Tanner Tishner*
Elijah Broady- Mount Vernon (Fortville)(6/4/3): ???, Bryce Doss(2)*, Dominic Brown*, Dylan Bennett, Neal Mosier*
Carter Fielden- Garrett(8/7/2): Eddie Goss*, Isaiah McCue, Linkin Carter(3)*, Neal Mosier(2)*, Sonny Sessa*
Linkin Carter- Eastside(9/4/4): ???, Ashton Jackson*, Bohls(OH), Carter Fielden(2)*, Estep(OH), Isaiah McCue, Nemitz(OH), Tanner Tishner*
Logan Bickel- Cascade(9/6/0): Eddie Goss(2)*, Ethan Holloway, Jake Hockaday(2)*, Jalen May*, Jayden Owsley, Peter Nguyen*, Quinten Schoeff
Gavin Bragg- Indianapolis Cathedral(13/10/3): Ashton Jackson*, Bryce Doss*, Dominic Brown*, Eddie Goss(2)*, Elijah Broady*, Isaiah Schaefer*, Jake Hockaday*, Moreland(OH), Quinten Schoeff, Rahul(OH), Ryan Taylor*, Sonny Sessa*
Isaiah Wilson- Chesterton(14/8/1): Ashton Jackson(3)*, Dominic Brown(2)*, Hank Phenicie, Isaiah McCue, Linkin Carter*, Matthew Maldonado(2), Owen Bunton(2), Sonny Sessa(2)*
Sonny Sessa- Crown Point(16/8/5): Ashton Jackson(3)*, Butler(OH), Dominic Brown*, Dylan Bennett, Eddie Goss*, Gibson(OH), Isaiah Wilson*, Jake Hockaday*, Matthew Maldonado(2), Nasdeo(PA), Rsendez(IL), Ryan(WI), Tanner Tishner*
126lbs
Tylin Thrine- New Castle(0/0/5): 
Keegan Schlabach- Lakeland(1/0/4): Braylon Meyer
Logan Frazier- Crown Point(2/0/6): Campbell(OH), Davino(IL)
Aden Reyes- Indianapolis Cathedral(2/1/5): Sears(OH), Tylin Thrine*
Jackson Bradley- Cowan(2/1/2): Cole Stuffel, Keegan Schlabach*
Evan Seng- Evansville Mater Dei(3/1/3): Aden Reyes*, Raney(KY)(2)
Cody Rowles- Jay County(3/3/1): Hayden Brady*, Jackson Bradley(2)*
Griffin Ingalls- Fishers(4/4/2): Aden Reyes*, Jake Hockaday*, Tylin Thrine(2)*
Hayden Brady- Garrett(4/4/1): Cody Rowles*, Keegan Schlabach(3)*
Alejandro Ramirez- River Forest(5/6/2): Griffin Ingalls*, Guillermo Rivera(3)*, Jesus Aquino-Morales(2)*
Chase Stephens- Tell City(5/2/1): Evan Seng(2)*, Liam Krueger, Toby Billerman, Zane Schreck
Guillermo Rivera- Lake Central(7/5/6): ???, Ayden Campbell, Hyatt Yeager*, Logan Frazier(4)*
Jesus Aquino-Morales- Union County(7/4/2): ???, Aden Reyes*, Blake Wolf, Griffin Ingalls*, Jack Davis, Tylin Thrine(2)*
Hyatt Yeager- Center Grove(8/4/2): ???, Aden Reyes*, Blum(MI), Caleb Mattingly, Evan Seng*, Landen Haines(2)*, Liam Krueger
Landen Haines- Brownsburg(10/3/2): Aden Reyes*, Chase Stephens*, Davis(MI), Garcia(IL), Hyatt Yeager*, Jett(OH), Keith Parker, Liam Krueger, McBurney(OH), Sanderfer(OH)
Nasir Christion- Merrillville(13/7/0): Alejandro Ramirez(2)*, Ayden Campbell(2), Dalton Robson, Guillermo Rivera(3)*, Liam Bumgardner(2), Logan Frazier(2)*, Quinton Buckmaster
132lbs
Joey Buttler- Whiteland(0/0/4): 
Easton Doster- New Haven(0/0/2): 
Kyrel Leavell- Warren Central(1/0/5): ???
Zar Walker- Mishawaka(1/0/3): Hayden Demarco
David Maldonado- Merrillville(2/1/5): Hayden Demarco, Zar Walker*
Odin Fortune- Evansville Reitz(2/1/1): Joey Buttler*, Landen Horning
Mikey Kallimani- Jimtown(3/2/5): David Maldonado*, Easton Doster*, Hayden Demarco
Justice Thornton- Columbus North(3/2/0): Brady Ison*, Odin Fortune*, Seth Syra
Hayden Fritz- West Central(4/2/0): ???, Caleb Oliver, David Maldonado*, Griffin Van Tichelt*
Jacob Weaver- Rossville(4/2/0): ???, Josh Johnson*, Kyrel Leavell*, Quenton Riley
Brady Ison- Brownsburg(5/2/4): Brown(OH), Joey Buttler(2)*, King(OH), Robinson(IL)
Keaton Morton- Perry Meridian(6/6/3): Brady Ison*, Griffin Van Tichelt*, Joey Buttler*, Kyrel Leavell(3)*
Brody Hagewood- Prairie Heights(6/5/3): Dallas Davidson, David Maldonado*, Easton Doster*, Essiah Kamer*, Mikey Kallimani(2)*
Griffin Van Tichelt- Crown Point(7/5/3): Brady Ison*, Brody Hagewood*, David Maldonado(2)*, Tye Linser(2), Zar Walker*
Essiah Kamer- Fremont(8/5/1):  ???(2), Brody Hagewood(2)*, Gabe Miller, Mikey Kallimani(3)*
Josh Johnson- Indianapolis Cathedral(9/6/1): Griffin Van Tichelt*, Keaton Morton(3)*, Kyrel Leavell*, Markour(OH), Tommy Gibbs, Trumble(KY), Wesley Harper*
138lbs
Tony Wood- Jay County(0/0/7): 
Michael Major- Carmel(0/0/5): 
Cheaney Schoeff- Avon(0/0/5): 
Jeffrey Huyvaert- New Prairie(1/1/5): Cole Solomey*
Cole Solomey- Kankakee Valley(1/1/4): Jeffrey Huyvaert*
Kelby Glenn- Tell City(3/3/3): Branson Weaver*, Cheaney Schoeff*, Reese Courtney*
Gavyn Whitehead- New Castle(3/2/1): Michael Major*, Silas Foster, Tony Wood*
Cooper Baldwin- Peru(4/3/2): Jordan Lear, Lucas Clement*, Reese Courtney*, Tony Wood*
Christian Arberry- Warren Central(4/2/2): Cooper Baldwin*, Gavyn Whitehead*, Michael Ortega, Romeo White
Wesley Harper- Penn(5/5/2): Cole Solomey*, Jeffrey Huyvaert*, Lucas Clement*, Michael Major*, Zar Walker*
Brock Hagewood- Prairie Heights(5/4/0): Cooper Baldwin*, Evan Cruz, Logan Uhlman*, Lucas Clement*, Max McGinley*
Lucas Clement- Merrillville(6/5/3): Aidan Torres*, Cole Solomey(2)*, Evan Cruz, Jeffrey Huyvaert*, Max McGinley*
Branson Weaver- Owen Valley(6/5/1): ???, Cheaney Schoeff*, Jeffrey Huyvaert*, Kelby Glenn(2)*, Michael Major*
Reese Courtney- Center Grove(8/4/6): Cheaney Schoeff(2)*, Chinavare(MI), Gates(MI), Michael Major*, Parker Reynolds, Tyler Vanover, Wesley Harper*
Max McGinley- Indianapolis Cathedral(9/8/2): Ayoub(OH), Brady Ison*, Cheaney Schoeff*, Christian Arberry(2)*, Michael Major*, Reese Courtney(3)*
Logan Uhlman- Adams Central(9/7/1): Aidan Carter, Jeffrey Huyvaert*, Kelby Glenn*, Tony Wood(5)*, Wyatt Price
145lbs
Aidan Torres- Chesterton(0/0/9): 
Wyatt Krejsa- Center Grove(0/0/4): 
Wesley Smith- Plymouth(2/2/3): Aidan Torres*, Anthony Bahl*
Cameron Clark- Jay County(2/2/3): Braxton Miller*, Brevan Thrine*
Braxton Miller- DeKalb(2/1/2): ???, Luke Teusch*
Luke Teusch- Huntington North(2/2/1): Cameron Clark*, Kolten Rhonemus*
Brevan Thrine- New Castle(3/1/3):  ???(2), Dillon Graham*
Luke Robards- Evansville Central(3/1/2): Cash Turner, Nayl Sbay, Wyatt Krejsa*
Jack Todd- Pendleton Heights(3/3/0): Brevan Thrine*, Dillon Graham*, Ike O'Neill*
Dillon Graham- Indianapolis Cathedral(4/2/4): Aiden Kiner, Wesley Smith*, Woodcock(OH), Wyatt Krejsa*
Ike O'Neill- Westfield(4/3/2): Aidan Torres*, Dillon Graham*, Jessie Franklin, Mason Day*
Anthony Bahl- Crown Point(6/2/4): Aidan Torres(2)*, Dominique(OH), Herriman(MI), Robinson(IL), Schneider(OK)
Kolten Rhonemus- Delta(6/5/1): Braxton Miller*, Brevan Thrine*, Cameron Clark(2)*, Cash Turner, Luke Robards*
Jayden Lewis- New Prairie(7/5/0): Aidan Torres(3)*, Alex Smith, Anthony Bahl*, Caleb Solomey, Wesley Smith*
Bradley Owen- Jeffersonville(9/1/1): Alex Smith, Asher Ratliff, Braedon Spears, Brown(KY), Jase Robinson, Keegan Williams, Lee Spencer, Montoya(KY), Wyatt Krejsa*
Mason Day- Brownsburg(11/8/1): Anthony Bahl(2)*, Bradley Owen*, Chase(OH), DiFazio(OH), Dillon Graham*, Guerra(OH), Ike O'Neill*, Luke Robards*, Silas Stits*, Wyatt Krejsa*
152lbs
Bryce Lowery- Roncalli(0/0/5): 
Hunter May- Evansville Mater Dei(1/1/5): Bryce Lowery*
Mitchell Betz- Western(1/0/5): Anthony Rinehart
Beau Brabender- Mishawaka(4/3/8): ???, Bryce Denton*, Gavin Davis*, Silas Stits*
Bryce Denton- Penn(4/4/2): Adrian Pellot*, Beau Brabender*, Hunter Miller*, Reese Courtney*
Tyce DuPont- Tell City(4/3/1): Evan Roudebush, Hunter May(3)*
Adrian Pellot- Merrillville(5/2/2):  Anthony Rinehart(2), Beau Brabender*, Evan Roudebush, Hunter Miller*
Gavin Davis- Bellmont(6/5/7): Aidan Torres*, Beau Brabender*, Evan Roudebush, Mitchell Betz(3)*
Hunter Miller- Wawasee(6/5/3): Anthony Rinehart, Beau Brabender(3)*, Bryce Denton*, Evan Roudebush, Gavin Davis*
Jackson Todd- Carroll (Fort Wayne)(6/6/2): Beau Brabender*, Gavin Davis(3)*, Hunter Miller*, Wesley Smith*
Zach Lang- Hamilton Southeastern(7/2/6): Bryce Lowery*, Mitchell Betz*, Trevor Gallagher(5)
Christian Wittkamp- Jay County(8/5/0):  Caden Funk(2), Deaglan Pleak, Gavin Davis(2)*, Jackson Todd(2)*, Mitchell Betz*
Silas Stits- Center Grove(9/3/3): Anthony Rinehart, Evan Roudebush(2), Gage Eckels*, Hunter May(2)*, Katschor(MI), Long(MI), Simcoe(MI)
Gage Eckels- Ben Davis(9/6/1): Bryce Lowery*, Chase Carrington(3), Jason Rooney*, Silas Stits*, Tyce DuPont*, Zach Lang(2)*
Jason Rooney- Westfield(11/9/2): Adrian Pellot*, AJ Steenbeke*, Beau Brabender*, Brenton Russell*, Carter Richardson*, Ethan Smith, Nathan Powell*, Trevor Gallagher, Zach Lang(3)*
Carter Richardson- Noblesville(14/3/1): Xavier Smith, Blake Wahl(3), Bryce Lowery(2)*, Chase Carrington, Gabe Bragg, Greyson Gard, Jaylen Covington, Jesse Derringer, Larz Hughes, Trevor Gallagher, Zach Lang*
160lbs
Logan Farnell- Maconaquah(1/1/4): Brant Beck*
Sam Goin- Crown Point(2/0/8): Garcia(PA), Lamer(OR)
Nathan Powell- Carmel(2/2/4): AJ Steenbeke*, Brenton Russell*
Luke Kemper- Evansville Central(2/0/3):  Jeb Prechtel(2)
AJ Steenbeke- Penn(3/3/7): Conner Watts*, Sam Goin(2)*
Brenton Russell- Warren Central(3/3/5): Andre Merritt*, Chase Wagner*, Sam Goin*
Levi Abbott- Cowan(4/2/1): Brant Beck*, Jordan Ayres, Logan Farnell*, Silas Loshe
Andre Merritt- Center Grove(5/3/7): AJ Steenbeke*, Davis(MI), Luke Kemper*, Marines(MI), Sam Goin*
Brant Beck- Rochester(5/5/4): AJ Steenbeke*, Conner Watts*, Levi Abbott*, Logan Farnell(2)*
Chase Wagner- Zionsville(5/5/4): Andre Merritt(2)*, Brenton Russell(2)*, Nathan Powell*
Conner Watts- Jimtown(5/4/2): AJ Steenbeke*, Ben Shaffer*, Brant Beck*, Deaglan Pleak, Logan Farnell*
Michael Hutchison- Cascade(5/5/1): Andre Merritt(2)*, Brant Beck*, Luke Kemper(2)*
Cameron Crisp- Merrillville(8/7/0): Aidan Costello*, Ben Shaffer(2)*, Carlos Perez-Xochipa*, Chase Wagner*, Manolo Hood, Sam Goin(2)*
Zach Huckaby- Perry Meridian(9/6/0): ???, AJ Steenbeke*, Brenton Russell*, Chase Wagner*, David Oyebode, Jason Rooney*, Nathan Powell(2)*, Sam Goin
Braden Moore- Charlestown(9/2/0):  ???(2), Andre Merritt*, Corbin Scott, Hayden Newell, Jack Rose, John Rushenberg, Michael Hutchison*, Wojcicki(KY)
Ben Shaffer- Chesterton(11/6/3): AJ Steenbeke*, Andre Merritt*, Chase Wagner*, Duke Myers*, Isaiah Rivas, Kenneth Bisping(3), Manolo Hood, Sam Goin(2)*
170lbs
Delaney Ruhlman- Bloomington South(0/0/6): 
Noah Weaver- Rossville(2/2/3): Anthony Cashman*, Jaquan East*
Jaquan East- Kokomo(2/2/2): Braxton Russell*, Evan Tilton*
Duke Myers- Bellmont(3/2/7): Gavin Malone, Kyle Harden*, Noah Clouser*
Aidan Costello- Hobart(3/3/5): Cody Goodwin*, Kyle Harden*, Noah Clouser*
Kyle Harden- Indianapolis Cathedral(4/3/6): Aidan Costello*, Clay Guenin, Noah Clouser(2)*
Noah Terry- Tell City(4/3/3): ???, Delaney Ruhlman(2)*, Jett Goldsberry*
Cody Goodwin- Crown Point(4/0/2): Cramblett(OH), Flip(PA), Kelly(IL), Snyder(NJ)
Tanner Reed- Columbia City(4/4/1): Duke Myers(3)*, Jaquan East*
Noah Clouser- Center Grove(5/3/6): Boone(MI), Delaney Ruhlman(3)*, Vincent Tinoco
Anthony Cashman- Warren Central(5/4/3): Aidan Costello*, Clay Guenin, Delaney Ruhlman*, Kyle Harden(2)*
Carlos Perez-Xochipa- Harrison (WL)(5/4/2): Aidan Costello*, Cody Goodwin*, Daeveon Cheeks, Noah Clouser*, Tanner Reed*
Jett Goldsberry- Heritage Hills(5/4/1): Gavin Malone, Noah Clouser*, Noah Terry(3)*
Braxton Russell- Delta(5/3/1):  Clay Guenin(2), Duke Myers(2)*, Zach Wagner*
Zach Wagner- Hamilton Southeastern(6/6/1): Ethan Popp*, Kyle Harden*, Luke Penola*, Noah Weaver(3)*
Isaac Valdez- Mishawaka(10/7/0): ???, Aidan Costello*, Anthony Cashman(2)*, Carlos Perez-Xochipa*, Duke Myers*, Kaden Lone*, Kyle Harden*, Zymarion Hollyfield(2)
182lbs
De'Alcapon Veazy- Fort Wayne Snider(1/1/5): Orlando Cruz*
Hunter Page- Monroe Central(1/1/3): Kaden Lone*
Evan Tilton- Hamilton Heights(1/1/3): Mike Durham*
Connor Cervantes- Griffith(1/1/2): Orlando Cruz*
Luke Penola- Zionsville(2/1/8): Ricketts(KY), Orlando Cruz*
Orlando Cruz- Crown Point(2/0/6): Heeg(OK), McDaniel(OH)
Bray Emerine- Floyd Central(3/2/1): Caden Brewer*, Luke Penola*, Ricketts(KY)
Mike Durham- Warren Central(4/3/3): ???, De'Alcapon Veazy*, Luke Penola(2)*
Laish Detwiler- Goshen(4/4/1): De'Alcapon Veazy*, Hunter Page*, Kaden Lone(2)*
Ethan Popp- Harrison (WL)(4/2/1): ???, Andy Warren, Connor Cervantes*, Vinny Freeman*
Kaden Lone- NorthWood(5/5/4): De'Alcapon Veazy(2)*, Laish Detwiler*, Luke Penola*, Mike Durham*
Brayden Tincher- Eastern Hancock(6/6/0): Evan Tilton(2)*, Hunter Page(2)*, Luke Penola*, Mike Durham*
Jackson Fox- Columbus East(7/3/2): Bray Emerine*, Christian Chavez*, Jonathan Tanner, Julian Weems*, Shaun Glass, Spencer Fain, Trent Kersey
Julian Weems- Center Grove(8/5/2): Adams(MI), Caden Brewer(4)*, Ethan Risner, Jaxson Walters, Luke Penola*
Vinny Freeman- Penn(8/5/1):  ???(2), Connor Cervantes*, De'Alcapon Veazy*, Jaylen Young, Julian Weems*, Orlando Cruz(2)*
Caden Brewer- Brownsburg(9/3/5): Barr(MI), Havill(OH), Jackson Fox*, Luke Penola*, Miller(OH), Neitenbach(OH), Orlando Cruz*, Shulaw(OH), Westpfahl(OH)
195lbs
Christian Chavez- Mishawaka(0/0/8): 
Alex Deming- Rochester(0/0/4): 
Luke Hansen- Roncalli(0/0/2): 
Wyatt Woodall- Southmont(1/1/3): Luke Hansen*
John Purdy- Castle(1/1/2): Reid Schroeder*
Reid Schroeder- Southridge(1/1/2): John Purdy*
Neil Johnson- New Prairie(3/2/4): Anthony White, Christian Chavez*, Nash Shupert*
Kaden McConnell- Center Grove(3/3/1): Christian Chavez*, Gunner Henry*, John Purdy*
Orlan Foster- Connersville(3/1/1): ???, Jaxon Copas, Luke Hansen*
Chad Washburn- Kokomo(5/4/1): Alex Deming*, Armen Koltookian*, Nash Shupert*, Neil Johnson*, Peyton Cross
Nash Shupert- Elkhart(6/5/3): ???, Alex Deming*, Armen Koltookian*, Donovan Blair*, Jackson Fox*, Neil Johnson*
Armen Koltookian- Concord(7/5/5): ???, Alex Deming(2)*, Chance Harris, Christian Chavez*, Nash Shupert*, Wyatt Woodall*
Gunner Henry- Brownsburg(8/3/1): Bennie(UT), Kaden McConnell*, Menifee(VA), quillin(OH), Ray(OH), Reid Schroeder*, Sell(OH), Will Clark*
Bazle Owens- Tippecanoe Valley(10/5/0):  ???(2), Armen Koltookian*, Austin Farris, Christian Chavez*, Donovan Blair(2)*, Mickey Daring, Neil Johnson*, Preston Duffy
Cael Albaugh- Clinton Central(10/5/0): Chad Washburn*, Elijah Cox, Jacob Jones, Neil Johnson*, Orlan Foster*, Ray Townsend, Seth Richardson, Trevor Currie, Wyatt Woodall(2)*
Donovan Blair- Wawasee(13/5/3): Anthony White, Armen Koltookian(2)*, Austin Smith, Christian Chavez(3)*, Henry Kukelhan, Josiah Williams, Nathaniel Rosas, Parker Hart(2), Paul Dewitt
220lbs
Tommy Morrill- Columbus East(1/1/4): Will Clark(2)*
Brady Beck- Rochester(1/1/3): Julante Hinton*
Julante Hinton- Fort Wayne Northrop(1/0/2): Chance Harris
Keagan Martin- Bellmont(2/2/3): Brady Beck*, Devin Kendrex*
Will Clark- Crown Point(3/0/7): Gallo(PA, Shulaw(OH), Snider(OH)
Cole Chicoine- McCutcheon(3/3/2): Alex Rose*, Jackson New*, Will Clark*
Nate Johnson- Center Grove(3/4/1): Devin Kendrex*, Jackson Weingart, Keagan Martin*, Tommy Morrill*
Devin Kendrex- Mount Vernon (Fortville)(4/2/8): Brandon Johnson*, Jackson Weingart(2), Tommy Morrill*
Austin Hastings- Noblesville(4/4/4): Brady Beck(2)*, Brandon Johnson*, Devin Kendrex*
Brandon Johnson- Lawrence North(4/4/3): Austin Hastings(2)*, Devin Kendrex(2)*
Alex Rose- Terre Haute South(4/2/2):  Eli Hinshaw(2), Tommy Morrill(2)*
Hadyn Ball- Triton Central(6/2/0):  , ???(3), Jackson Goodyear, Austin Hastings*
Jayden Bartoszek- Hanover Central(7/6/1): ???, Austin Hastings*, Clayton Deutscher*, Cole Chicoine(2)*, Will Clark(2)*
Spencer Watson- Tri-West(7/2/0):  , ???(3), Alex Rose*, Jakarrey Oliver, Josh Brown, Nate Johnson*
Clayton Deutscher- New Prairie(8/2/1): Eli Hinshaw, Jack Aranowski(2), Jayden Bartoszek*, Jonathan Neese, Kaleb Abad, Travis Henke, Will Clark*
Jackson New- Yorktown(10/7/1): Brandon Johnson*, Devin Kendrex(2)*, Eli Hinshaw, Hudson Kahn, Jonathan Tanner, Julante Hinton*, Keagan Martin(2)*, Titus Waters*
285lbs
Titus Waters- Muncie Central(0/0/5): 
Kelton Farmer- Evansville Memorial(1/1/3): Leighton Jones*
Dom Burgett- Hamilton Southeastern(2/1/4): Jack Milligan, Leighton Jones*
Aramis McNutt- Highland(2/2/1): Anthony Popi*, Paul Clark*
Jordan Cree- Rensselaer Central(2/2/1): Aramis McNutt*, Titus Waters*
Andrew Just- Franklin Central(3/3/4): Dom Burgett(2)*, John Broadwell*
Paul Clark- Crown Point(3/2/3): Leighton Jones(2)*, Moore(CO)
Anthony Popi- Plymouth(4/3/3): ???, Jordan Cree*, Paul Clark(2)*
Tyler Wright- Eastern (Greentown)(4/2/0): Brandt Thornburg, Brayden Jellison*, Mason Moran, Zac Wurm*
Leighton Jones- Brownsburg(5/0/8): Fockler(OH), Hosia Smith, Neves(NJ), Thomas(OK)(2)
Brayden Jellison- Elkhart(5/2/2): ???, Anthony Popi*, Christian Carroll, Peyton Kendall, Titus Waters*
John Broadwell- Beech Grove(5/3/1):  ???(2), Andrew Just(2)*, Eli Smith*
Zac Wurm- Adams Central(7/2/1): Joseph Orisadare, Juan Cruz(4), Titus Waters(2)*
Eli Smith- Zionsville(8/7/1): Andrew Just*, Brayden Jellison*, Dom Burgett(2)*, Hosia Smith, Leighton Jones*, Tyler Schott(2)*
Austin Vanover- Evansville Mater Dei(9/4/1):  , ???(3), Guillaume(KY), Jack Milligan, Kelton Farmer(2)*, Leighton Jones*, Tyler Schott*
Tyler Schott- Center Grove(11/6/3): ???, Acosta(MI), Andrew Just*, Anthony Popi*, Austin Vanover*, Hosia Smith(3), Kelton Farmer*, Leighton Jones(2)*
 
 

By Dustin Bentz
 
It’s that time of year!!! Triple B feels like WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, he’s walking down the streets of North Vernon and Madison Yelling, “CAN YOU DIG IT, SUCCCKKKAAAHHHHH”
 
It’s me, it’s me, it’s TripleB and I’m here to deliver the World Famous TRIPLEB EVANSVILLE SEMI-STATE SPECTACULAR PREVIEW!!!!!!
 
With good old 3B’s birthday being the Friday before, is there a better gift than the GREATEST SEMI-STATE IN THE STATE OF INDIANA??
 
Evansville will be popping off Saturday, I’m actually negotiating with the IHSAA to go ahead and send us the state medals b/c we all know that THE DIRTY SOUTH SEMI-STATE is the GOLD STANDARD!!!
 
House keeping items - 
 
Here is the link for the Indianamat Semi-State Hub - 
 
https://indianamat.com/index.php?/forums/topic/62910-article-2023-semi-state-information-center/
 
From our former inside man Markio - Ford Arena info:
 
Parking and general information about the arena can be found at www.thefordcenter.com Wrestlers can enter the arena at 7:30am for weigh-ins. Wrestlers and coaches will enter at the interior ticket office lobby (to the far right of the main lobby doors) to check in and head back. You will pick up your credentials here. The only coolers allowed are for wrestlers and must enter at the check in table through the interior ticket lobby. NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR DRINK for anyone else is allowed inside unfortunately. Not my rules, just standard building policy.  Public doors open at 8:00am CST. Enter on Main Street through the main lobby. We will look to create a separate door/entrance for those that already have tickets. $12 dollars for all session ticket, $10 for finals only.  There is NO onsite parking. Please do not have any team vehicles attempt to park in the loading dock or attached outer lot. These are reserved spots. There is no public Wi-Fi.  Please do not jump over the dasher walls to access the floor. They try to control access to the floor, so you need to enter from the lower level hallway under section 103. You wouldn't jump the wall at Gainbridge would you? lol The hospitality room for officials, etc. will be in the Corner Club. Enter from the main lobby and hang a right at the lower level hallway. If you are going to set up a camera please do not have the cord running across the aisle. You will be made to unplug any cords running across an aisle. We will have full concessions available throughout the day. Coffee and hot chocolate are also available all day as well. (get the bbq pork nachos, huge and awesome) There is no smoking on or in the Ford Center property, this includes e-cigarettes. Brackets will be updated throughout the day and posted on several of the 170 or so TVs located all over the arena. The brackets end up kind of small, but hey, they are everywhere and pretty cool. Lastly,if you are a wrestler that loses please don't kick,throw,or punch Ford Center property. We had a kid break off a door handle last year.Sent the bill to the school.   
Nestled between two days of absolute Love (3B’s birthday on Thursday and Valentine’s Day on Tuesday) 224 grapplers will be battling to GAIN 56 tickets to the Bridge in Indianapolis next weekend!!
 
Let’s not pull any punches, Evansville is the toughest Semi-State in the state. There were kids getting sent home at regionals that could have placed at state and the same will happen this weekend. It will be absolute Carnage, Chaos, and Heartbreak. 176 Semi-State ranked wrestlers, 107 of whom are also state ranked will take to the Ford Center Saturday  with more excitement than the pre-teens at the Jo-Jo concert the night before. We have the potential to feature, 4, yes 4 #1 vs. #2 state ranked wrestlers. We also have 7 of the 14 #1 ranked wrestlers in the state in our semi-state. 
 
How does this work - The exclusive Evansville Championship Selection Committee (ECSC) spent 2 days in hard deliberations over their Ford Fab 4 picks. Each member selected their ballot, points were accumulated, and from there the picks started falling into place.
 
Article features: 
 
The Charles Barkley “Turrible”  Draws - ticket round matches that shouldn’t be happening in the ticket round!
 
The Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Best first round matches!
 
The Built Ford Tough Locks - Any weight class where the pick for champion was unanimous, makes it a Ford Tough Lock. This year we have, what may be a record, 10 yes 10 FORD TOUGH LOCKS!
 
Ford Fab 4 - After the picks were gathered, points distributed, and the dust settled, we’ll have the Ford Fab 4.
 
A big shout out to Navy80, BigToe19, a mystery guest picker, and The DONNIE BAKER for their contributions. I will add some commentary throughout from our great pickers.
 
What if I didn’t agree with the ECSC or I thought they made a terrible error? Then have no fear - The TripleB Guarantee will help you sort out the madness. 
 
Before we get started….. Is this the year for siblings??? Or are some cousins??? Or maybe Uncle/Nephews??
 
BigToe did some digging and came up with the following families, good luck this weekend!
 
Ash Brothers - Monrovia
Bell Brothers - Ev North
Haines Brothers - BBurg
Heaston Brothers - Indian Creek
Henderson Brothers - Vincennes Lincoln
Rioux Brothers - Avon
Rose Brothers - Switz County  
Schoeff Brothers - Avon
Smith Siblings - Heritage Hills  ( Brother/Sister ???)
VanOver Brothers - EMD
*Clement Brothers- Merrillville/Edgewood
 
BigToe Regional Breakdown based off his predictions (will slightly differ from the selections ahead):
 
Bigtoe19 Regional Breakdown:
 
Mooresville - 25 to State, & 7 EVSS Champs
 
Bloomington- 11 to State, 3 EVSS Champs
 
Jeffersonville- 6 to State, 1 EVSS Champ
 
Evansville- 14 to State, 3 EVSS Champs
 
Without further ado—--------LET’S FREAKIN’ GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
 
106: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/9
All 10 SS ranked wrestlers have navigated the waters! Every year we talk about future hammers and blue bloods filling out 106. This year is no different as names like Bloomington High School South, Avon, Brownsburg, Columbus East, and Floyd Central all litter the bracket. But there are some schools hoping to be bracket busters!
 
106 also welcomes our first of record 10 Ford Tough LOCKS!!! 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Freshman from Columbus East Talon Jessup has had a great year, Brennan Leonard has been lurking in the shadows w/ an injury and brings 6-3 record to SS. This match will kick things off Saturday!! Another rising program, Indian Creek, will bring Jude Heaston to the Ford and a first round match w/ Brady Byrd from Washington should be the caffeine everyone needs Saturday morning!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws -  LET THE MOORESVILLE CHAOS BEGIN!!!  The Mooresville Regional, or the fifth semi-state as those #County folks have started referring to it, which always causes death draws. #4 SS ranked and returning State Participant Cameron Meier from Bloomington South will take on Monrovia’s Super Sophomore Gavin Ash. Could they both punch tickets if in a different bracket? Don’t know but this match will be great!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Gavin Ash, as mentioned above. Nate Rioux, he’s wrestled Dickman approximately 1000 times and both are Contender trained. But keep an eye on  The Castle Regional duo of Ty Henderson from Vincennes Lincoln and Brady Byrd from Washington. Both are battle tested and compete on the national level. Byrd and Dickman aren’t strangers and that match could be entertaining!
 
Ford Fab 4 - Our first Ford Tough Lock - Revin Dickman of Brownsburg hopes to get Bulldogs from Brownsburg going early!
1st - LOCK Revin Dickman  Brownsburg, 2nd - Nate Rioux  Avon, 3rd - Isaac Campbell Floyd Central 4th - Cameron Meier Bloomington High School South
 
113: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/8
A returning LOCK that is ranked #1 in the state and #1 in the semi-state…. And he’s not a lock, nor is he favored! 5 top ten state ranked wrestlers will look for top honors at 113 and up until a week ago returning SS champ Preston Haines of Brownsburg appeared to have it locked up again. Then the Trojans of Center Grove came a’callin, and Charlie LaRocca helped pull the weight class and regional upset! This weight class is loaded and 3 different wrestlers all got votes to win it; Haines, LaRocca and Avon’s Luke Rioux. 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - #9SS ranked and regional champ Gavin Wheeler from North Posey got a Curtain Jerker and turrible draw as he gets #8 state ranked Isaac Ash from Monrovia. Wheeler is tough and North Posey wrestles a great schedule, don’t expect him to lay down for Ash!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Sound the FLIPPIN Sirens…. Call the EVPD, actually don’t, I follow a page called Evansville Watch and they need their own TV show, anway…. We got 2 returning state medalists going at it in the ticket round!!! #6 ranked Jackson Heaston has gone out and got challenges all season at whatever weight he wanted. #4 Luke Rioux comes from the battle hardened Contender Academy and Rioux family….. Someone really has to go home?!?!?!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Hold on, I’m still gathering myself…. Don’t sleep on the dream dashers known as the IHSAA!!!
 
Ford Fab 4 -  It’s the first Mooresville Sweep!!! LaRocca gets the nod and the rest play out like last weekend
 
1st - Charlie LaRocca  Center Grove, 2nd -  Preston Haines Brownsburg, 3rd - Luke Rioux Avon, Isaac Ash Monorovia
 
TRIPLEB_GUARANTEE - Preston Haines gets the W back and gets another SS crown. 
 
120: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/9
120 features a returning semi-state champ, state champ, who hasn’t lost in the state of Indiana in over a year, has to be a lock right? NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!! Jake Hockaday is the presumptive favorite but some pickers think a Wildcat can take out a Bulldog. This weight class features 4 top ten ranked wrestlers not all are favorites to get out!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker: Lane Gilbert has lots of state, national and even world medals. He definitely has his eyes set on finally climbing that podium next weekend, but will that cause him to overlook Cascade Cadet #23 ranked Logan Bickel? Another great first round match will feature SS #8 ranked Quinten Q Schoeff vs #10 ranked Cameron Fogle from Southridge. Fogle is a sectional champ who dropped a decision loss to Gilbert last weekend. 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - See below….. 
Don’t sleep on…. Switzerland County wrestling has been quietly putting together the pieces for a run for a few years now. Freshman Peyton Richards comes into Semi-State undefeated and has collected a sectional and regional championship. Trips has been trying to tell people but no one will listen!!
 
Ford Fab 4: Hockaday gets enough to cover followed by Mater Dei’s Isaiah Schaefer (we didn’t even mention him, he did get a vote to knock off Hock), Gilbert, and Richards
 
1st - Jake Hockaday Brownsburg, 2nd - Isaiah Schaefer, Evansville Mater Dei, 3rd - Lane Gilbert Sullivan, 4th Eddie Goss Center Grove
 
DONNIE BAKER AND TRIPLEB’S BET THE BOAT - Peyton Richards becomes Switzerland County’s first ever state qualifier… and won’t be the only Pacer going. 
 
126: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/10
 
Our 2nd LOCK at 126 and is 2x state medalist, 2x semi state finalist and a champ 2 years ago, Evansville Mater Dei’s Evan Seng. Seng has been rolling through the state tourney w 4 falls, 1 tech and 1 major. He is the heavy favorite Saturday. Yearly 126 is one of the deepest weight classes and 2023 is no different as there are some absolute hammer matches in the both first rounds and the ticket round. 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Both #8 Josiah Dedeaux of Terre Haute South and #7 Keith Parker of Ben Davis didn’t like how their seasons ended a year ago and went to work. They’ve wrestled all over the country. They have grown leaps and bounds. Dedeaux was knocked out of regionals last year by Floyd’s Vince Kessinger and this year he knocked off Kessinger for third place. Parker has flip flopped matches w/ Landen Haines the last two weekends. This match has all the makings of a barn burner, unfortunately the winner gets the LOCK Seng. 
 
Another lights out curtain jerker features returning state qualifier Dominic McFeely from Cascade taking on super soph from 3 time 1A state champs Tell City Chase Stephens. Can the Marksmen keep rolling or will the Cadet triumph?
 
ANNNNDDD Hold on one more match!  Brownsburg’s Landen Haines will go at it w/ Vince Kessinger from Floyd. Throw the rankings away, these dudes wrestle w/ multiple siblings. I can’t even imagine what Thanksgiving looks like at either of their houses. The Kessinger Kids, the Haines Bros…. Battles and that will come into play Saturday. Kessinger has home run capabilities and Landen can’t wait to get his Haines on…wait, bad joke, nevermind…. Don’t miss this match!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - The winner of McFeely/Stephens won’t have long to rest b/c CE’s returning state qualifier Liam Krueger waiting for them. Krueger has wins over both, though just a 2 pt decision over Stephens.
 
Corydon’s Zane Schreck has been on a mission all year, last weekend he beat Krueger convincingly, Krueger has Dub over Yeager. One of these two are going home!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Hell is there anybody I haven’t mentioned?? Yeah there is, Remember the headlocks heard around the world last year? I guarantee Seth Cowden does, he was winning 11-0 heading into the 3rd period when Jarred Dunn dropped the boom. Last weekend Cowden lost in OT to Chase Stephens. You think that dude is happy right now? He could send Yeager and Schreck packing Saturday!
 
Ford Fab 4: A grinder of a bracket after Seng, Krueger, Haines and Schreck all still standing at the end
1st - Evan Seng Evansville Mater Dei,  2nd Liam Krueger Columbus East, 3rd Landen Haines Brownsburg,  4th Zane Schreck, Corydon Central
 
132: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/8
 
Here’s what we know about 132 - It’s Joey’s world and we are just trying to keep up, and after that all bets are off. Joey Buttler from Whiteland is our next LOCK as the 2x state medalist and returning Semi-State champ looks to rule the bracket. The bottom half bracket is insane. Past turrible draw recipients from last year Coy Hammack from Tell City and Justice Thornton from Columbus North both hope to avoid being on the bad side of the draws. 
 
Hammack is a 2x qualifier, 1x medalist and was upended last year. 
Thornton is now a 2x regional champ for Columbus North. 
Both have Mooresville Regional draws in the form of Seth Syra and Brady Ison. 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers -  Floyd Central Freshman Hunter Banet and Jennings County’s Lane Kirchner is a homer pick for old 3B, two HHC foes going at it! Kirchner won the HHC in January, Banet took third but they didn’t cross paths. 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Coy Hammack has a celebrated career, but the grinder of Evansville doesn’t care about celebrations. In what might be one of the worst (or best??) ticket round match ups ever he gets Brownsburg 2x State Qualifier Brady Ison. It’s a shame someone’s season and possibly career ends here Saturday. This is also what makes Evansville the absolute best SS in the state. 
 
Don’t sleep on…. Seth Syra, Avon. He was a ticket rounder last year and has a 1-0 win over Thornton this year. The pickers went w/ Thornton but can Seth Syra put a stamp on his earlier season win?  Also Odin Fortune from Reitz has never been able to punch his ticket, the pickers say he will do just that this year, but will his fortune reveal more than just a state finals birth?
 
Ford Fab 4 - Buttler, Hammack gets the nod, Thornton gets the nod and Fortune 
 
1st - Joey Buttler Whiteland, 2nd - Coy Hammack Tell City, 3rd - Odin Fortune Evansville Reitz, 4th - Justice Thornton Columbus North. 
 
138: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/10
 
Cheaney Schoeff is the star of this weight class. He’s a 3x state semi-finalist, defending semi-state champ is looking to finish off his career with a state ‘ship next weekend. He’s also LOCK #4! 
 
With all 10 ranked SS wrestlers in the bracket there are a number of bangers to open this weight class and some possibly good Ticket round matches. Another Pacer punching his ticket and WildCat helping out a Bulldog?!?! 138 is LOADED!!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Interesting 1 vs 4 to get things going Trevor Hott is ranked 18th in the state but not ranked in the semi-state. Gabe Rose is ranked 10th in the state, has beaten everyone he’s wrestled as he’s walked through the state tourney but isn’t ranked in the state! 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - Not really turrible draws, but some great blood round matches here - Rose/Hott winner vs #8/#4 Branson Weaver. Weaver has had tough L’s in the state tourney, but not an impossible draw here. 
 
Skip down to #12/#5 Kelby Glenn, a tough 2 loss senior from Tell City and Freshman Phenom from Brownsburg #3/#2 Parker Reynolds. This match will be good, and a turrible draw!!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Evansville Mater Dei’s Tyler Vanover has a “Dub” over Reece Courtney in a barn burner at Team State. This is another ticket round match. 
 
Ford Fab 4 - Schoeff is a LOCK, two upsets on paper as Rose edges out Weaver and Vanover gets one on Courtney, Parker Reynolds punches his first ticket
 
1st - Cheaney Schoeff Avon, 2nd - Parker Reynolds Brownsburg, 3rd - Tyler Vanover Evansville Mater Dei, 4th - Gabe Rose Switzerland County
 
145: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/9
 
Center Grove’s Wyatt Krejsa was one of the highlights last year when he won his ticket round match by fall in 30 seconds. There’s no surprises this year as Krejsa is our 5th LOCK. 
 
After that there are some great first round and ticket round matches as this weight features all 10 SS ranked wrestlers, w 9 being ranked in the state. Can my boy, TripleB Trained Braedon Spears come out of one of the toughest quarter brackets and finally punch his ticket?!?! 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - State ranked wrestlers right out of the gates!!! #18 Alex Smith was winning his first round match a year ago when he got cradled with under a minute to go. Braedon Spears was up 3-2 w/ 14 seconds to go in his ticket round match when a shredded knee and reversal ended his season. With heartbreaks on their minds, these grapplers have each other in this highlight Curtain Jerker! The winner gets tough Jeffersonville Senior Bradley Owen. They both own wins over Owen but Owen is on fire right now. This will be a great ticket round match!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Cash Turner just became Edgewood’s first ever 4 time regional champion, a 2x state finalist and would be a three timer if not for Brownsburg…. Who he happens to have this year in Bulldog Sophomore Mason Day. They are both ranked top 4 in Semi State and top 12 in the state. 
 
Don’t sleep on…. Bradley Owen as mentioned above and Tell City Senior Brayden Lain. The pickers like Luke Robards from Evansville Central but Tell City’s season has been magic, don’t count Lain out!
 
Ford Fab 4 - Another weight, another LOCK - Kresja, Spears, Turner ekes out Day, and Robards
 
1st - Wyatt Kresja Center Grove, 2nd Braedon Spears Madi…err.. Plainfield, 3rd - Cash Turner Edgewood, 4th - Luke Robards Evansville Central
TRIPLEB_GUARANTEE - My man crush on Mater Dei is well documented, but what has stayed hidden is my affinity for my boy JMILL and Brownsburg - Give me Day over Turner. 
 
152: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 8/9
 
3 returning state qualifiers, another LOCK, and what could be a wide open quarter bracket highlight 152. 
 
2x state medalist and a semi-finalist last year, Mater Dei’s Hunter May is the next WildCat LOCK joining teammate Wyatt Seng. The WildCats aren’t being heavily talked about which is weird, but these two LOCKS hope to pull off some hometown magic!
 
The rest of the bracket will feature 3 great ticket round matches and another school hoping for their first ever state qualifier. 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Terre Haute South Senior and 24th state ranked Luke May is making his first trip to Semi-State, Jeff’s Senior Hayden Bartle is making this third trip to Ford, well Jasper/Ford, whatever. These seniors would both like to keep their seasons rolling into the quarters!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - 2 turrible draws - Greencastle Senior Chase Carrington is probably underranked (17/7) as he won the always tough Mooresville Regional. Tyce DuPont is a returning state qualifier that ran into Evan Roudebush last weekend. That leaves these two dudes duking it out here w/ a trip to Gainbridge on the line. 
 
Speaking of Roudebush and that tough Mooresville Regional, Silas Stits of Center Grove hit a road bump last weekend named Gage Eckels from Ben Davis. Now we get the turrible draw of two top ten ranked wrestlers in the state as Stits will take on Roudebush for a chance to advance!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. And speaking of Gage Eckels, the Giant might be already making plans for state but West Washington Senior Wyatt Johnston along w/ teammate Mason Jones gave the Senators their first wrestling regional championships last weekend. Don’t sleep on Johnston punching that ticket!
 
Ford Fab 4 - LOCK Down May, Dupont in a nailbiter, Eckels, and Roudebush gets the nod
 
1st - Hunter May Evansville Mater Dei, 2nd - Evan Roudebush Bloomington South, 3rd - Tyce DuPont Tell City, 4th - Gage Eckels Ben Davis 
 
TripleB GUARANTEE: Center Grove shocked the state last weekend when they upended Brownsburg for a regional title. If the Trojans wanna add a SS title, they need Stits. Give me Stits!
 
160:  State ranked/Semi State ranked = 5/8
 
Jeb Prethcel has put himself together a season - 33-0, Bo Henry Champ, SIAC champ, Spartan Champ and has made it unscathed to Evansville. Will Evansville be his undoing? NOPE, ANOTHER LOCK FOR THE JASPER WILDCAT!! 
 
Outside of that there is what might be the most fun quarter bracket in the tourney and some great blood matches
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Just highlight this quarter bracket as anything can happen - Charlestown’s Braden Moore, Mooresville’s Corbin Scott, Cale Hickok from Bloomington North, and Peyton Bell from Evansville North. The votes for the winner of the quarter bracket were split between Hickock and Bell, which means this first match could feature a state qualifier!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - 2 years in a row Cascade’s Michael Hutchinson has shown he has all the tools to be a medalist and now 2 years in a row the bracket gods have not been kind. This year he gets Jeb Pretchel, the weight class LOCK. Great kid, Great family (his dad introduced me to Hey Dudes like 6 years ago!) Come On HUTCH!!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Decatur Central  Junior David Oybode spent some of the year at 170 before coming down, Luke Kemper is a stud. But don’t count out Oybode!
 
Ford Fab 4 - LOCK Precthel, Center Grove’s Andre Merritt (The reason Hutch has the death draw), Kemper, and Hickok gets the nod
 
1st - Jeb Prechel Jasper, 2nd - Andre Merritt Center Grove, 3rd - Luke Kemper Evansville Central, 4th - Cael Hickok Bloomington North
 
TripleB GUARANTEE: Give me Peyton Bell, he has SS experience, tough Evansville area. 
 
170: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 5/8
 
Hey we finally don’t have a LOCK….. Just kidding, Delaney Ruhlman is as close to LOCK as one gets. He’s a 3 time state qualifier and returning two time runner up. He’s on a mission… Gold medal in his sight. 
 
There’s an interesting quarter bracket brewing as rumors swirl about Noah Clouser and his knee. How bad is it? Will he give it a go? Will he pull out? How does this affect the weight and quarter bracket?
 
A freshman looking to make a splash, Heritage Hills Jett Goldsberry has had some good wins and puzzling losses. Can the frosh put it together and become a State Qualifier? 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - SS #6 ranked Noah Sumner from Martinsville and #7 Spencer Turner from Mater Dei will be competitive, unfortunately the winner gets Ruhlman. 
 
And watch the quarter bracket featuring Regional Champ Teagan Trotter from Jennings Co, Maddox Vernon from Southridge, Austin Bell from Evansville North, and Noah Clouser from Center Grove. If Clouser pulls out, all bets are off and it’s a free for all. Man, maybe even if his knee is banged up bad enough it might be  free for all. 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draw - SS ranked #3 Vincent Tinoco from Whiteland and SS ranked #4 Noah Terry from Tell City will hook up in the Quarters. Winner goes to state, the loser goes home. Turrible, Turrible, Turrible draw!!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Noah Clouser, yeah he’s picked to get through but w all eyes on him and his coaches planning all week, the Trojan might just figure out how to get through and survive!
Also don’t count out Teagen Trotter from Jennings County. Trotter is a Regional Champ and w/ Clouser banged up, can an unranked Trotter be the beneficiary of the bad luck?
 
Ford Fab 4 - Lock Lock Lock Denlany Ruhlman from Bloomington South, Clouser figures it out, Tell City gets another and Goldsberry JETTS through!
 
1st - Delaney Ruhlman Bloomington South, 2nd - Jett Goldsberry Heritage Hills, 3rd - Noah Clouser Center Grove, 4th - Noah Terry Tell City
 
Donnie Bakers Bet the Boat Shocker of Saturday - Jasper’s Victor Peter gets to workout w/ Jeb  Precthel every day….. Victor will be the VICTOR over Goldsberry and advance. Take that Randy!
 
182: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 7/12
After a run of 7 straight LOCKS, Navy80 said naaahhhhh enough of that. The LOCK wasn’t top SS ranked Caden Brewer but rather Highlander Bray Emerine, Navy likes Brewer. 
 
This weight class does appear to be a 2 horse race w/ Emerine and Brewer, but there could be several spoilers littered throughout the bracket. Jackson Fox made his 182 debut at sectionals and promptly knocked off always game Van Skinner two weeks in a row. Speaking of Skinner, a two time ticket rounder who took John Purdy to the limit last year in the first round of SS. This is Skinner’s last chance, can he knock off Emerine in the ticket round?
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - This is the first weight class were nothing really jumps off the page. The only opening match between two ranked wrestlers is Emerine vs. #9 Alex Ramsey of Ben Davis. 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Call me a homer…. Van Skinner is a stud that has shown multiple times he could be on the podium. His SS draw has gone - Gabe Sollars, Gabe Sollars, John Purdy. This year he gets Bray Emerine. It’s a turrrrrrrrrilble draw….. for Emerine as the Madison Cub finally punches that ticket (*Warning those thoughts are those strictly of TripleB)
 
Don’t sleep on…. Richard Alexander, on paper, would be the favorite over Jackson Fox. It’s more of an issue that the Olympian dropped late and I just wasn’t sure where to place him. Fox is the favorite, Alexander has big moves and has had a great year. Don’t sleep on Alexander getting one over Fox here. 
 
Donnie Baker was either in a meat coma by this point of just sleeping but he stirred and started yelling “Johnson, JOHNSON I SAY!!” I asked him what he meant and like a bear he arose and bellowed “I SAID CALE JOHNSON OVER WEEMS!!”
 
Ford Fab 4 - Despite Navy 80’s Pleas, Donnie’s Demands, and TripleB Guarantees - Emerine is the favorite, followed by Weems, Brewer and Fox
 
1st - Bray Emerine Floyd Central, 2nd - Julian Weems Center Grove, 3rd - Caden Brewer Brownsburg, 4th - Jackson Fox Columbus East

 
195:  State ranked/Semi State ranked = 5/10
 
After taking a small detour of a weight class without a lock, we have resumed our normal activities with our 9th LOCK, Castle’s John Purdy. Purdy is pretty good and a 2x time state medalist. He’s currently ranked #1 in the state and SS. 
 
Purdy might be a lock, but weight class features the #1, #2, #3 and #7 state ranked wrestlers. 
 
Brownsburg’s Gunnar Henry is a returning state semi-finalist, Purdy is a 2x medalist,Southridge’s Reid Schroeder is a 2x qualifier and a medalist last year. Kaden McConnel from Center Grove knocked off Henry last weekend! The semis here should be lights out!
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - SS#5 Blake Driver from Whiteland vs SS#8 Parker Hart from Heritage Hills will be entertaining. The only other first round match of SS ranked wrestlers is #7 Stevie Drake vs #1 Purdy. 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Another homer selection - Scottsburg Sophomore Bryson TANK Mata is an alum of the Bentz DoJo. He’s 42-1 and won both Sectionals and Regionals in dominating fashion, pinning everyone. Imagine if Gunnar Henry had stayed at Pekin Eastern? These two would have battled multiple times!  Now these sophomores will go at it for a chance to go to state. Turrible draw for……. Henry!!!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. It only took 12 weights to get here, but this our first “chalk” weight where the pickers all picked the same 4 kids to advance. There were some disagreements on the order that’s about it
 
Ford Fab 4 - LOCK and Chalk - Purdy, Henry, McConnel, Schroeder
 
1st - John Purdy Castle, 2nd - Reid Schroeder Southridge, 3rd Gunnar Henry Brownsburg, 4th - Kaden McConnell Center Grove 
 
220:   State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/10
 
STOP THE PRESSES… STOP THE PRESSES…. After having everything ready and my TRIPLEB_Guarantee of Clay Martin ready, he’s disappeared!!! Abracadabra!! Gone!! Good thing I was the odd man out and I blame it on my wildcat obsession. We also do not have a lock here, with 3 returning State Qualifiers and no medalists, it’s a 3 man between Tommy 220, Alex Kissed By A Rose, and Nate “Dog” Johnson! Also a dark horse looms at 220 as Tecumseh Senior Mason Hines brings in a 34-2 record along w/ a Old Capitol Classic, PAC, Sectional and Regional. Despite all that, he’s not ranked in the Semi-State…. Yeah I messed up…
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerker - Give me #9 Spencer Watson from Tri-West and #10 Malachi Rios from Charlestown. Both have 30 plus wins, the winner gets Mason HInes and they both have to feel like that was the best draw possible. 
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws -Eli Henshaw is a2 time Semi-State Quarter finalists. He’s battled all year w/ Alex Rose - They both have 2 wins over each other. But Rose’s wins have came at Sectionals and Regionals. This leaves Hinshaw, ranked #8 in state and #3 in Semi State, taking on #8/#2 Nate Johnson from Center Grove in the ticket round. Two big boys going at it, this is Hinshaw's last shot… Trips says FIREWORKS BABY!!!!!
 
Don’t sleep on…. Jakarrey Oliver of Whiteland has been in the talks of being a state qualifier for a few years. This year he just hasn’t been able to solve Nate Johnson. Good news is, he doesn’t have Nate Johnson, he has Alex Rose. I wouldn’t look past Oliver, he’s tough and capable of grabbing the Dub.
 
Ford Fab 4 - Tommy 220 was almost a lock, but Alex Rose got some gold love. They are followed by Johnson and Hines
 
1st - Tommy 220 Morrill Columbus East, 2nd - Alex Rose Terre Haute South, 3rd - Nate Johnson Center Grove, 4th - Mason Hines Tecumseh
 
Joe, Joe, Joe don’t ya know - Secret guest picker says Hinshaw over Johnson!
 
285: State ranked/Semi State ranked = 6/10
Let’s just get this out of the way, Leighton Jones should be going for his third state championship. I refuse to acknowledge 2 years ago and I wasn’t around last year. So in Trips eyes, he IS a 2x state champ. He’s a 4x sectional, 3x regional, 2x SS and now a 3x LOCK! 
 
This is also a weird bracket where one wrestler got more people votes, but another got more points. That’s the only time this happened in 2023. HWT also had 7 unique individuals get votes, also the most of any weight class in 2023. 
 
Barry Horowitz Best Curtain Jerkers - Don’t run to the bathroom yet… there’s some matches here worth sticking around for. #6 Hunter Kolley from Heritage Hills and #10 Ben Land from Jeffersonville will feature two big dudes looking for big moves. Land was an ISWA Cadet Triple Crowner a year ago. 
 
Here’s another interesting one - SS #7 Ben Craig has two losses, both to Patrick McMahon from Columbus East. He’ll take on State ranked #15 (but not ranked in SS) Austin Vanover from Mater Dei. Some like Vanover to move on!
 
Charles Barkley Turrible Draws - Columbus East Heavyweight Senior Patrick McMahon is in his first year of being a varsity wrestler and he’s done okay, just kidding he’s done phenomenal. He’s won the Columbus East Invite, Hoosier Hills Conference, Sectionals, and Regionals. He’s currently ranked #19 in the state and #3 in the semi-state. He will go to battle w/ State ranked #16 and #4 semi-state ranked Tyler Schott from Center Grove. Both have good wins this year, this match should be fun. 
 
Don’t sleep on…. The already mentioned Austin Vanover and Kelton Farmer as a champ. Kelton is a 2x State Qualifier, Jones has shown he’s not invincible. I could totally see a Kelton Farmer win here and a Leighton Jones 3rd state championship next weekend. 
 
Ford Fab 4 - Our last LOCK, Leighton Jones of Brownsburg leading an absolute crew of studs behind him. Austin Vanover had 3 voters rank him 4th, but Bryce Mills had 2 rankers place him 3rd. So Mills gets the nod!
 
1st - Leighton Jones Brownsburg, 2nd - Kelton Farmer Evansville Memorial, 3rd - Tyler Schott Center Grove, 4th - Bryce Mills Owen Valley 
 
TripleB_Guarantee - Erick Ousley finally gets out of my shadow and gets him a state qualifier that he can claim all on his own, Patrick McMahon will punch his ticket!
 
Man we made it…….let’s end w my favorite - food recommendations
 
Hilltop Inn - Fried Brain sandwiches. Brains aren’t your thing? Turonis is a local pizza place that’s dynamite. Like German? Gerst Haus is phenomenal. Want to head out for some adult beverages? Go to Franklin St, Gerst Haus is there and a number of other watering holes and great restaurants. I’m never up early enough for Breakfast so I have no clue. I hear the nachos at the Ford are great and worth the $. And a tradition on the way home used to be Stoll’s Country Diner (RIP). 
 
It’s been a pretty dramatic year for TripleB. I’m just happy to be here, typing this letter. My life took a huge turn the Monday after semi-state last year. My health bottomed out and for about a week we weren’t sure I was going to see another Semi-State. That being said, I can’t freaking wait to be there Saturday. Have a great time Saturday, I love the Evansville Semi-State experience. I’ll be there slumming around, feel free to say hey, you can’t miss me! Good luck to all my coaching buddies and all 224 grapplers. Use this to pump you up and get mad bc you were slighted and parents have fun with this as we at Indianamat are just trying to bring attention to our favorite sport, wrestling!
 
See everybody at the FORD and onto The Bridge!
 

By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
David Wolf was surprised to learn a few years back that Switzerland County High School even had a wrestling program. Now, in addition to being the Chief of Police in Vevay, the county seat, he’s also the wrestling coach.
 
His goal with both jobs is to make a difference in his community. He’s certainly doing just that.
 
Before Wolf, the Pacers had never had a single wrestling sectional champion. This year the team had three. Two of those wrestlers went on to win the school’s first regional championships. Wolf is hoping the success keeps coming.
 
“It feels awesome to see what these guys are accomplishing,” Wolf said. “I don’t do this to praise myself. I do it for the kids. To see them reach their goal is amazing. We sent six kids to regional this year. We had never had more than two go before. It’s just awesome.”
 
Wolf’s strategy has been simple. Make the team a family. He coached his own twin sons, who went on to be the first two Pacer wrestlers to ever qualify for semistate. Now three of the four coaches on the staff have kids that wrestle on the team.
 
“Our number one thing is that we want to create that family culture,” Wolf said. “We want to be positive figures to the team. I want to be a positive influence and we want to look out for each other.”
 
This season the Pacers have four wrestlers qualify for the Evansville semistate. Freshman Peyton Richards goes in as a regional champ at 120 pounds.
 
Peyton’s mental mindset is on a whole new level,” Wolf said. “His drive, his will to work, it’s hard to match. I haven’t seen anyone that mentally prepares the way he does. He wakes up at 5:30 every morning and practices in his basement. He leads by example.”
 
Sophomore Gabe Rose won regional at 138 pounds.
 
“Game is a little bulldog,” Wolf said. “He is mentally prepared. He is physically prepared. The kid doesn’t like losing and it drives him to do better. He lost to a kid earlier in the season and since then they have wrestled two more times and Gabe won in the first period. He is on a mission.”
 
Freshman Ethan Rose (Gabe’s brother) finished second in regional to qualify for semistate.
 
“Ethan is an animal,” Wolf said. “If he ever makes it to 106 pounds he can be a state contender. He walks around at about 96 pounds and eats everything he wants. He has to drink two bottles of water to qualify. He’s outsized, bad, but he’s a fighter.”
 
Sophomore Dakota Fields placed third at 113 pounds in the Jeffersonville regional.
 
“Dakota quit wrestling for a few years and just came back this year,” Wolf said. “He didn’t wrestle as a freshman. He came back and has been a huge asset to this team. He’s a hard worker and he’s an all-around great kid.”
 
Part of the reason for the Pacers’ success is the youth program in the area.
 
“We are finally getting kids in high school that have come up through our youth programs,” Wolf said. “My assistant coaches started the youth programs and it has helped us tremendously.”
 
The Pacers are a very young team and Wolf has hopes that in the next couple of years the team can qualify for 1A Team State.
 
“We don’t lose anybody after this year,” Wolf said. “We are a freshman and sophomore led team.”
 
The team’s success has not gone unnoticed in the community.
 
“With this success the recognition is really growing,” Wolf said. “People keep coming up to me in town and they talk about how awesome our team is doing. The community is growing and recognizing our success. More and more people are coming to our home meets.”
 
Before this year, Switzerland County had never had a winning season in wrestling. They finished this season with a dual meet record of 24-6.
 
As the Chief of Police, Wolf deals with a lot of problems on a daily basis. In the short time it took to interview for this article multiple people in the community came up asking for his help with things related to his job as a policeman. He tries to handle each issue in a positive manner and be a good influence on the community, just like he does with his team. He learned from the former police chief, James Richards. Richards was the Chief of Police for 16 years. Now he’s an assistant wrestling coach for Wolf.
 
“We want to be positive figures to these kids,” Wolf said. “I’m excited for these guys. I’m excited for the future of the program. My coaches invest 100 percent in this program. We really think we are going to turn some heads in the next few years.”

By Anna Kayser
 
If you’re on the outside looking in as Brownsburg wrestling approaches the 2023 State Series, you may not know or see that there is a lot different about Leighton Jones now compared to last season.  
 
For one, his bathroom mirror is covered in words written in dry erase marker.
 
To explain how Leighton has grown into who he is today, we have to go through what happened in the IHSAA State Championships last year.
 
As the No. 1 ranked heavyweight in the state, Leighton was the odds-on favorite to win the championship after losing his ticket round match during his freshman year and placing third at state as a sophomore. However, the viewpoint was a lot sunnier from the outside looking in on a kid who had high prospects for his future and a solid season on the purple Brownsburg mat.
 
Internally, he was exhausted.
 
Following his official, game day visit to the University of Iowa in which they secured a statement win over Indiana University in early September 2021, nothing slowed down for Leighton. His recruitment was peaking, with multiple football and wrestling programs looking to woo him into a commitment.
 
However, the offers weren’t coming from football programs, not yet. Indiana had offered Leighton a full scholarship package to wrestle for the Hoosiers in Bloomington. So, he had options, but there was only one option that he was really looking for.
 
“In the back of his mind, he was still wanting football but knew that he was going to have more control over his own destiny with wrestling,” Marshall Jones, Leighton’s dad, said. “So that added much more pressure.”
 
Leighton’s quiet, describing himself ‘lead by example’ type of figure until his senior wrestling season when he really strived to fill the ‘senior heavyweight’ shoes and instill accountability in his teammates. So, when the stress started creeping up, it didn’t present itself until the toll became physical.
 
“[Leighton] internalizes a lot, doesn’t say too much, so we didn’t really see too much stress until a tournament up in Crown Point [in December],” Marshall said. “He was just so tentative, lost [by one point] and Leighton should have beaten him, probably should have majored him if nothing else. You could tell that he wasn’t wrestling like Chad [Red] had taught him to wrestle.”
 
The next weekend, he was beaten again – this time by a takedown with five seconds left in an overtime period.
 
“You could see in Leighton’s face, ‘I don’t know if I want to do this,’” Marshall recalled.
 
The pressure from both his sports colliding over the winter months was beating down on Leighton. His schedule was packed, moreso than any normal high school junior beginning the college search. It wasn’t just academics he was looking at; he was reaching for a place that would help him grow toward the next level of athletics. A place that would help him reach his goals of the NFL.
 
In the back of his mind, Leighton had already found the perfect spot: Iowa City. But without the offer on the table – without many offers on the table at all – he was still an overly active recruit.
 
“I would come home from wrestling, and I would eat and get on the phone with four different programs,” Leighton said. “By the time I got off the phone every night, it would be 10:30-11 [at night] and I would have to do the same thing over again the next night.”
 
Leighton was actively texting in the Jones family group chat almost every single day – someone called him, wanted to talk to him, or followed him on Twitter. It was constant.
 
He was being bombarded from all sides. Schools were calling about both wrestling and football, people around him were continuously reminding him of their expectation for an individual title in February, and his drive diminished with mounting stress placed on his shoulders.
 
“I just wasn’t having fun,” Leighton said. “I was kind of in my own head.”
 
In seeing all of the stress and anxiety bubble to the surface in a physical way, the Jones family sought help from a sports psychologist, recommended by a friend whose son was in a similar boat.
 
For six weeks through the end of the wrestling season, Leighton was taught coping skills to handle all the weight on his shoulders. He was also taught to narrow his focus in on what was right in front of him.
 
“Just that six-week period that we sought that professional help was huge,” Laurie said. “Leighton is a big picture kid – he would look at the big picture, he would look at the challenges ahead and he would kind of overwhelm himself. We got him seeing someone who had him focus, step-by-step, on what he needed to accomplish things and have that focus and mental strength to handle the stress.”
 
The family also allotted some down time, a window for Leighton to have no responsibility and hopefully avoid burnout. That free time came in the form of Sundays at home.
 
“We made sure he had time, especially on the weekends, just to have complete down time because if he didn’t, then he couldn’t have given too much more,” Laurie said. “Just giving him that amount of time that we had on those weekends, we tried not to talk about anything as far as any stress of any sports especially after he was done competing on Saturdays.
 
“On Sundays after his workout, he had very little responsibilities because we just wanted him to still be able to manage and be a kid.”
 
They also got Leighton back into the Red Cobra wrestling room, bringing him back to his wrestling roots with something Marshall felt like he was missing.
 
Leighton had the physical tools he needed to succeed on the mat, but the mentality of wrestling always dominates.
 
“It was just more of a mental thing of keeping his mind set and getting him to believe in what he’s capable of doing,” Red said. “Me personally, I thought he was a state champion his sophomore year, I thought he was capable of it his junior year and now we’re in his senior year. That’s our plan, that’s definitely his plan, and hopefully we’ll get that job done coming into February.”
 
Meanwhile, the Jones family watched as other recruits around the Midwest began to collect offers and commit to schools, creating their own timeline in their minds.
 
They were looking for the shoe to drop, that offer from the University of Iowa that would – finally – solidify Leighton’s future.
 
“That’s what [Leighton] really wanted,” Marshall said. “He fell in love with the campus the first time we stepped foot on it. Every place we went, he compared it back to Iowa.”
 
Come January, the official offers began to ramp up: Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Illinois State, Toledo, Miami (Ohio), Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Ball State, Bowling Green and Ohio.
 
He already knew where he wanted to go, but he was made to wait for it. Iowa was locked in on him – as was Purdue, which would officially offer him around the same time – but knew he had a state championship run to focus on during the time.
 
As the influx of offers came in, so did the high-pressure tournaments designed to award only the best-of-the-best with a bid to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in February.
 
For those around him, wrestling season was leading up to a hopeful heavyweight state title – again, he was ranked No. 1 in the state. For Leighton, it was a countdown.
 
“I came into state and was like, ‘Alright, I have four matches left.’ And after Friday night, I was like, ‘Alright, three matches left.’ And then it was semifinals, and I was like ‘Alright, two more matches and I’m done.’” Leighton said. “I just wanted to get it over with. I was confident, but I wasn’t having confident feelings just going into the whole thing.”
 
Leighton won his first two state matches by three and two-point decisions, respectively. He was then defeated in the semifinals by an 8-5 decision and dropped to the third-place match.
 
“I think he, just like all of us, was devastated. We felt like we were the best heavyweight, and it was hard to watch him lose because I know how bad he wants it,” Brownsburg head coach Darrick Snyder said. “Honestly, I just gave him a hug and we didn’t really immediately talk about it. There’s nothing to be said, especially the guys who have trained the right way and they really want to win it.”
 
He bounced back from the loss with a shutout of his next opponent for third place, 6-0, adapting his goals to accomplish what ended up being right in front of him.
 
With wrestling season in his peripheral mirror, the waves of relief came in a rush for Leighton.
 
“The coaches told him they did not want to offer him during wrestling season because they knew it was hard enough, and once Iowa offers an offensive lineman… that recruit just starts to blow up,” Marshall said. “They didn’t want to do that to him while he was still on the hunt for the state championship.”
 
On Monday morning, less than 48 hours after his junior wrestling season came to a close, Leighton got the call he had been waiting for from the George Barnett, the Hawkeyes’ offensive line coach, with one message: ‘Don’t forget why you liked Iowa.’
 
As promised, the programs started calling. The Jones family even had a visit set up to go visit Notre Dame, Leighton’s favorite school growing up.
 
Despite the increased attention and pressure to open his mind to somewhere other than Iowa, the answer didn’t change: Thanks, but Iowa’s the place.
 
“He was like, ‘I don’t want to go,’ and we were like ‘You don’t want to go to Notre Dame? You don’t just want to go see?’” Laurie said. His answer was the same, as his mom remembers it: “No, I don’t. I feel like I’m lying to these people pretending that I’m interested. I’m not interested.”
 
On Feb. 26, mere days after receiving his call from Iowa and tons other from programs now eyeing him, Leighton announced his commitment with a tweet saying, “Iowa City, I’m coming home.”
 
From the beginning, he knew that’s where he wanted to be. On Dec. 21 when he signed his national letter of intent, he officially became a Hawkeye.
 
“Every place we visited just never quite checked all the boxes like Iowa did,” Laurie said. “It’s got this feel that makes you want to go back.”
 
It goes back to the list of accomplished Iowa football players who wrestled in high school, too. Iowa has a strong resume of building former wrestlers into forces to be reckoned with on the offensive line and seeing the success of Hawkeyes in the NFL was a sticking point for the Brownsburg heavyweight.
 
“I’ve always wanted to play in the NFL – that’s always been there,” Leighton said. “And then when I got offered to Iowa, I was like ‘Alright, I can make this happen. If it’s anywhere, it’s here. Right when I committed, I realized I could be something special, and they told me that too.”
 
Now, that eight-, nine-year old kid who Chad Red called “NFL” has a real shot at continuing to make his dreams come true – as long as he doesn’t look too far ahead of where his feet lie.
 
Although Leighton is now removed from regularly seeing a sports psychologist, he still puts into practice coping mechanisms to keep his stress and anxiety at a low level. The things that stuck with him will also take him through to his first year as a student-athlete at Iowa.
 
One of the biggest things he learned is to write all his goals on his bathroom mirror, so he has a visual each day of what is in front of him and can see all that he’s accomplishing each day.
 
“Once he started to focus on the small things, it was so much better,” Laurie said. “That’s going to be a tool he’s absolutely going to have to use next year and we see him still using it now. I mean, his bathroom mirror is all covered up and written on with everything he wants to accomplish this year in wrestling.”
 
It’s not uncommon for football players to forgo their second semester senior year to join their college programs for spring practice. That wasn’t an option on the table for Leighton, and the Iowa coaches wanted to see him accomplish his goals on the wrestling mat.
 
“There are a lot of kids that wouldn’t be wrestling right now – he’s on a full ride to go play football at Iowa,” Snyder said. “It would have been real easy for him to say, ‘I’m going to Iowa,’ but he wants to help us win and wants to try to win a state title.”
 
So, that’s where he’s headed. He’s received his meal plan and workout program in the mail from Iowa, but the first step is to tackle what awaits him at sectionals, regionals and then state at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
 
“I can definitely tell I’m embracing it this year, my last season,” Leighton said. “I’ve put in so much work since third grade to get to this point, and I just want to finish it out on the right note.”
 

By Anna Kayser
 
On Saturday in Brownsburg, fans from the top two wrestling teams in 4A – and arguably the entire state of Indiana – took to the Bulldog gym for what is likely a preview of the 2023 IHSAA State Championship race on the horizon.
 
After making it’s way through a tough slate of opponents in Indianapolis Cathedral and Center Grove, Brownsburg clawed it’s way back from a deep and early deficit against No. 1 ranked Crown Point but ultimately fell short in the IHSWCA Dual State championships, losing 39-24.
 
“Crown Point’s really good, and we knew they were really good,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “Our guys fought and battled hard, they have a handful of guys paired up with some of our guys that aren’t quite at that level yet, so we knew they’d score bonus in those.”
 
Crown Point jumped out to a commanding 20-0 lead after the first four bouts, sweeping Brownsburg’s 170-220 weights in style with two pins and a technical fall.
 
Brownsburg then countered in dominant fashion, taking each of the next four and six of the next seven to tighten the deficit to just one point (25-24). After heavyweight Leighton Jones put the purple Bulldogs on the board, Revin Dickman (106) followed with a third-period fall and off they went. Jake Hockaday’s technical fall at 120 and Brady Ison’s major decision at 132 tallied bonus points for the team.
 
“I thought our guys did everything they could to win, Crown Point’s just a better team right now,” Snyder said. “I thought we battled well, I was proud of the effort but never happy getting second place. Just have to refocus, we have conference coming up and then the tournament series so we’ll get back to work.”
 
Dickman, Hockaday and Ison all went 3-0 for Brownsburg on Saturday, with Parker Reynolds going 2-0 over the final two duals.
 
“You know who’s really clicking for us right now is Brady Ison,” Snyder said. “We went up to Ironman and he went 1-2, and I don’t remember the last time he didn’t place at a tournament, he’s been wrestling his whole life. I told the guys that when you start taking those losses, there’s two roads – you’re either going to go down the road to get better and fix things, or you’re just going to be happy losing.
 
“[Ison] went up to Brecksville and won it, and he looked lights out today.”
 
With a four-point lead entering the final two matches of a long day of wrestling, Crown Point clinched it’s second consecutive IHSWCA Dual State title with a technical fall to put the red Bulldog out of reach in the final bout.
 
The tournament kicks off a season-ending stretch of strong Indiana-based competition for the purple Bulldogs, culminating in the IHSAA State Championships at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in February. On Jan. 14, they again take to the Brownsburg gymnasium for the HCC Championships. Two weeks later, the state series begins.
 
In December, the focus shifted into getting some wrestlers national recognition by battling some of the toughest competition across state lines. Now, they’re looking for that hard work to pay off with a strong performance in the state series.
 
“Take a kid like Preston Haines, who in Ohio lost some really tough, close matches at Brecksville then lost a close one in overtime in the semis,” Snyder said. “He’s been in that situation 10 times this year, and this was the first time he didn’t get down on himself.
 
“You see guys breathing heavy and a lot of times it’s just anxiety and nerves because the match isn’t going their way. He was calm and collected the entire time, and we’re starting to see more of our guys do that because they’ve been in all of these tough matches.”

By Anna Kayser
 
As the rumble of the crowd simmered following a palm to the mat in favor of acting 126-pounder Jake Hockaday on Tuesday night, the usual boom of speakers announcing 132-pound No. 4 Brady Ison took the tone of another.
 
With nine points already on the board in favor of those joining him in the purple and white singlets, the smoke cleared to reveal freshman Tommy Gibbs – winner of Brownsburg’s coveted “pin chain” following last week’s dual vs. Westfield as he boasted the second of three consecutive falls by the Bulldog lineup.
 
“It was a big confidence booster,” Gibbs said of his season-opening win by fall. “I thought I was going to win, but I didn’t think I was going to win that fast and make a statement.”
 
Facing Avon’s No. 11 Seth Syra, Gibbs’ confidence rolled him to a 6-1 win via decision.
 
“Tommy’s a coach’s dream, he just does everything right – in the hallways, in the classroom, and then in his approach,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “He doesn’t care about rankings… or anything like that. He’s just trained so hard that he can wrestle the entire match and he feels even better in the third period than he does in the first.”
 
Behind Gibbs’ standout win, a gritty 3-1 decision by No. 2 Revin Dickman over No. 4 Nathan Rioux and five pins, the Bulldogs clinched their seventh consecutive victory over the Orioles, 62-3, continuing the tone they have set and elevated to a now 7-0 record through the first week of official competition.
 
Dickman’s 3-1 decision put an exclamation point on a strong dual performance in which Brownsburg took 13 of 14 bouts for their second-largest victory over Avon since Snyder’s coaching career with the Bulldogs began, second only to last season’s 65-3 win. Since losing to Avon, 28-26, in Snyder’s first year as a coach, the Bulldogs have outscored the Orioles in regular-season duals, 326-91.
 
“They’ve wrestled 100 times and they’re both really talented,” Snyder said. “Revin’s always been able to kind of gain the advantage – he did get away from Revin, and not many people can get away from him so I know that bothered him.
 
“Fortunately or unfortunately, I think we’re going to see that match several more times throughout the year.”
 
Brownsburg’s lone loss on the evening came from the weightiest battle of the dual at 138 pounds, featuring No. 4 Parker Reynolds against No. 3 Cheany Schoeff, freshman against a senior.
 
Reynolds kept his pace with Schoeff, dropping the match by a 5-2 decision.
 
“We told him, he’s going to come out and bully you,” Snyder said. “Parker gave up that early takedown and then did a nice job battling for positions. I liked how he responded – that kid’s going to get some more mat time in high school varsity matches so we’re going to try to correct some things, but I liked his energy and effort.”
 
Rolling through the dual with falls were Hockaday, 145-pound Mason Day, 170-pound Tyler Jones, 182-pound Caden Brewer and 113-pound Kye Callahan. The Bulldogs put up bonus points in nine total matches, including a forfeit at heavyweight against Leighton Jones.
 
This weekend, eight representatives from Brownsburg’s lineup will take on arguably their biggest competition this season at the nationally recognized Ironman Invitational in Ohio. With representatives joining the gauntlet from across state lines, the highly-ranked Bulldogs are set to battle some of the best high school wrestlers in the nation.

By Anna Kayser
 
As the clocked ticked down toward the end of November into the beginning of December and the temperature dropped below freezing, the heat of the 2022-23 IHSAA wrestling season was cranked to high and since, the Brownsburg Bulldogs have surged. 
 
No match of which, in the first official varsity competition, was more indicative of that than No. 9 Mason Day’s electric, overtime win over No. 6 Ike O’Neill – a senior and 2022 state qualifier at 138 pounds – with the entire gymnasium on its feet last Wednesday. 
 
Sandwiching a quartet of pins by No. 11 Landon Haines (126), Tommy Gibbs (132), No. 138 Parker Reynolds (138) and No. 20 Jesse Derringer (152), Day gritted his way through a season-opening victory. After opening the match with a takedown late in the first period, he found himself in a one-point deficit in the waning seconds of the third until an escape in the waning seconds forced overtime. 
 
“We went into overtime, and I could see that he was tired,” Day said. “I kind of looked over at my coaches and smiled. I was ready to work.”
 
With an escape forcing a number of overtime periods and his entire team, coaching staff and fanbase behind him as he clung to O’Neill’s leg to avoid a point scored against him, he raised his hand in triumph for his first varsity victory after the ultimate ride out.
 
“We felt pretty good going into overtime because Mason’s a tough kid,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “He’s only a sophomore, but the kid’s been wrestling his entire life. He’s been in dozens and dozens of overtime matches, so I would just think his mentality [was the biggest part].”
 
And without a number of prominent, ranked wrestlers on the mat, Brownsburg kicked off its season in a frenzy, defeating the Westfield Shamrocks, 60-13. 
 
“I thought we competed well, and I was really excited,” Snyder said. “We had some young kids – some backups –perform really, really well. Overall, I thought it was good considering it was our first meet.”
 
Most notably missing from the Bulldogs’ Wednesday night lineup were No. 1 Preston Haines (113), No. 2 Jake Hockaday (120) and No. 2 Leighton Jones (285), but as the week came to a close, those three made their presence known.
 
In Harrison, OH at the William Henry Harrison Invitational, the Bulldogs continued their dominant opening to the season with a perfect 5-0 record in duals against Oak Hills, Miamisburg, Lebanon, East Central and Harrison. Leading the squad were nine undefeated wrestlers donning purple singlets – Revin Dickman, Kyle Callahan, Preston Haines, Hockaday, Landon Haines, Gibbs, Brady Ison, Gunner Henry and Jones. 
 
As the campaign – and winter cold and flu season – progresses and the Bulldogs lineup shifts due to injury and illness, having a stacked lineup of wrestlers who can compete at a high level brings advantages not only to team success, but individual success as well. 
 
“You can’t replace their experience and success,” head coach Darrick Snyder said. “I think when you’re competing for a team state championship, when you have all your guns and you have some of the dudes we have, it leaves a little room for error.
 
“I think it allows everyone to relax a little more, wrestle free because they know they’ve got some friends that can pick up the slack if they have an off match or a tough tournament.”
 
After getting into the weeds on how the Bulldog wrestling program – now rated No. 2 in the IndianaMat State Power Poll behind Crown Point – was built from the ground up with Snyder at the helm over nearly a decade, now we look forward. 
 
Snyder isn’t shy about building his schedule to make the athletes better in their quest to reach the podium at Gainbridge Fieldhouse come February. 
 
Tonight, Brownsburg opens its home schedule to take on Avon before heading to – arguably – its biggest non-championship event of the season: the Walsh Jesuit Ironman Invitational.
 
Dickman, Preston Haines, Hockaday, Ison, Reynolds, Caden Brewer, Henry and Jones will take the mat in the nationally recognized tournament to kick the season into full gear, especially with the lack of matches leading up to the tournament from Dec. 9-10. 
 
“We’re hoping everyone gets at least four or five matches just because the way I [put together] our season, we don’t compete early because I think it takes a lot of time to get into wrestling shape,” Snyder said. “We’re not going to have a lot of opportunities to compete before Ironman, so we’re trying to get as many matches as we can this weekend.”
 
Of the Bulldogs’ eight representatives at Ironman this weekend, four are returning placers at IHSAA state last season and are anchors to a lineup that is hard to score points against: Hockaday, who became the first freshman to win a state title in team history; Preston Haines, runner-up at 113; Henry, third-place at 182 and Jones, who is entering his senior season with a drive for a title after placing third at heavyweight. 
 
Following this weekend, the schedule doesn’t slow until the holiday break approaches. On Dec. 17, Brownsburg travels to the Crown Point Invitational, hosted by the team’s main competitive rival following a second-place team finish in the state tournament last year. 
 
Even as the level of competition rises, one of the main focuses of Bulldog wrestlers is keeping an even mentality, despite what might have occurred – good or bad – in the last match. 
 
“I wouldn’t say [my win against Westfield] really changes anything. I go into every match thinking the same – that I need to win it no matter what,” Day said. “You’ve got to keep a good, good, good head. You’ve got to stay clear minded and just work for your goals.”