Dingo Brigade

Mat 1 Lykins rides Garrett entire 2nd period...6-0 heading into 3rd. Lykins just brutalizing Garrett, FINALLY gets free with 40 secs left, trails 8-1. Lykins with another TD, leads 10-1....Lykins wins dominantly 10-1 Mat 2 Esc Johnson to start the 3rd, leads 3-1, Molloy not being super-aggressive, finally with 45 secs in, he telegraphs a low-single, Johnson counters, gets the TD, leads 5-1, wins 5-1

Mat 1 Wow, Brandon James came out in beast mode, gets first period fall over Jourdan....Is Perry in trouble? They've lost Cottey, Kenny and Hawkins so far...they're far from out, but not how they would've liked this first round to start. Lykins up early on Garrett, leads 4-0, working hard on top. Mat 2 Molloy and Johnson, Johnson gets a late TD to lead 2-0 heading into the 2nd period. Esc Molloy to start the 2nd, 2-1, back to neutral, seem to be evenly matched

I was just saying I can't recall a match like Johnson/Sinko. Sinko wasn't just winning, he appeared to be physically dominating and Johnson, quite frankly, looked like he was broken. Instead, he pulled the okie-doke on Sinko and got the HUGE fall. BLF went nuts, by far the loudest it's been here today. For anyone wondering, it appears that Brock Hudkins forfeited (I've heard due to sickness, but not positive), so semi-state alternate Black will be a state placer. Mat 1 Campbell 1st period TD, esc for Warner...2-1 to start the 2nd Campbell down to start the 2nd...Warner pretty tough on top, pretty active, but no tilts so far....sudden reversal for Campbell, gets the fall! Mat 2 Early just too much for McCarty, leads 8-2, riding tough, esc. McCarty 8-3...they're discussing something with the officials, and now it's 8-4? 44 secs left, another TD for Early 10-4, esc and another TD....Early wins 12-5

Mat 1 Davis quick fall of Harris. Campbell and Warner up now Mat 2 Early 2 1st period TDs of McCaryty, leads 4-1 heading into the 2nd. Esc McCarty to start the 2nd....4-2 Early

Glogouski gets a controversial TD with almost no time left, wins 10-8....great match on Mat 1 Still on Mat 1, Chastain up 2-0 on Aldrich, gets a near side cradle, leads 5-0 heading into the 2nd. Chastain reversal, leads 7-0....dominating with mat wrestling....he better avoid what happened to Sinko, lol....in full control, Aldrich looks helpless on the mat...late reversal for ALdrich, Chastain wins 7-3 Mat 2 McKinney and Gayfield scoreless thru 1. McKinney down to start the 2nd, Gayfield riding tough, rides him the entire period...scoreless into the 3rd. Gayfield down, now it's McKinney's turn to ride. Esc Gayfield, caution on restart for McKinney, 2-0 Gayfield wins

Mat 1 Lorraine comes back in the 3rd,cuts it to 8-7, releases Turner, Turner immediately shoots in, to win 11-7. great match Cottey vs. Glog....Cottey deep on a shot, Glog wizzers his way to a stalemate. A lot of action without a score. Cottey very aggressive, finally gets a TD. Crowd "encouraging" refs to call the 2. Cottey riding, Glog active on the bottom....gets the reversal...2-2. Glog down to start the 2nd, gets another reversal, leads Cottey 4-2 heading into the 3rd. Cottey on top, Glog looking for another reversal, gets it, leads 6-2....mat wrestling really winning this for Glog....uh oh, Cottey gets a headlock, nearly gets the fall...we are tied at 8-8 Mat 2 Sinko with a quick TD, rides out Johnson entire period basically. Johnson down to start the 2nd. Sinko just keeps grinding and chopping meat....gets a tilt, esc Johnson, another TD for Sinko, starting to pull away...leads 7-1. Just too much on top for Johnson. Sinko leads 10-1...HOLY CRAP, Johnson somehow gets the fall....HUGE comeback for Johnson. SInko must feel sick

Mat 1 Smith down to start the 3rd...Laughlin rides well for a minute, Smith then reverses, leads 8-1, looking for the fall all the way up to the end....wins 8-1 Turner gets the TD, locks up a cradle, can't finish, but gets 3 backs, leads 5-0 30 secs into the match. Late reversal for Loraine, trails 5-2 to start the 2nd. Loraine is down to start the period. Loraine quick escape, TD again for Turner, leads 7-3...inj time for Turner Mat 2 Holmes gets reversed, escapes, we are all knotted up 3-3 late in the first period. Holmes down to start the 2nd, escapes, leads 4-3. They are trying to beat each others hands and elbows, seem very evenly matched. Holmes gets a TD late in the period, leads 6-3 to start the 3rd. Becker down to start the 3rd, Holmes grinding hard....60 sec down, still 6-3. Holmes rides him the entire 3rd period...great job of grinding on top...wins 6-3

Mat 1 Smith continues to control Laughlin....rides him the majority of the 2nd...leads 6-1 heading into the 3rd Mat 2 Crary gets some late backs, wins 10-0. Holmes gets a quick TD on Becker, Becker esc, 2-1 Holmes leads

Mat 1 Smith up 4-1, controlling the action to start 2nd period. Reversal Smith, leads 6-1 Mat 2 Crary leads 4-0 in the 3rd, Pritchett riding tough, but not able to turn Crary. Might want to let him go and try for something on his feet. Esc Crary, 5-0

Mat 1 Long leads 7-0 early in 2nd, runs out of gas while Hatch pressures him and comes all the way back using takedowns and releases.....13-12, Hatch with the big comeback win Alec White up big, gets the tech over Kaufer Smith quick TD, leads 2-1 in 1st Mat 2 Reitz with a quick fall over Katzer Egli outlasts and outmuscles Hawkins, wins 10-4 Crary up 2-0 in 2nd over Pritchett

awesome kid, fantastic story...best of luck in the future

another terrific article by Steve Brooks, a huge and loyal friend of the wrestling community. If not for Steve, the Star would be very silent on the topic of wrestling. Thanks, Steve, keep up the great work!

Great job, Chad. Very well done.

Not surprised at all....you do a phenomenal job

Ruberg is very, very good and should be a force his entire HS career. The other unranked, undeafeated wrestler at New Castle, Noah Schrader of Chatard, was also very impressive. Beating Manns in a shootout really opened my eyes. He is a junior and I wouldn't be surprised at all if he places at state next season. A little more off the radar, Bryant White of Anderson is a spectacular athlete. I don't know how long he's wrestled, and he's maybe a little smallish for 195, but he's only a sophomore and could be very, very good. He upset Perry's tough senior Kaz Koehring in the opening round, and then got pushed around a bit by Aven in the ticket round, but he really impressed me in a short time. Nathaniel Ryan of Alexandria pulls the upset of the day, IMO, by knocking off Roncalli's Conner James, but he also beat a really tough kid in South Dearborn's Brandon Manning in the opening round Chance Brown of Southmont wrestled the best I've seen him wrestle--if he competes at that level next weekend, he could make a very deep run. These are some of the less obvious ones that impressed me yesterday. In the other direction, Roncalli wrestlers, as a whole, had a tough day. It just happens sometimes--Coach Ellis and his staff have still done a great job turning the program around. Hamilton Heights' HWT Andre Porter is a powerful, dynamic kid, but he seemed to be focused on a limited array of techniques. It's a bummer that he had such a tough draw to end his career.

138 Eldred-W 12-0 Kitko-N Pruitt-WC WBF Folson-LC Cash WBF Hendon Howe Ruberg-Lburg 13-8 Riggeman-Rit 145 Harvey-Cath 6-2 Herrick WC VanCamp-L 4-0 Hale-Shen Lile-F TF 19-4 Gutapfel-EC LeCount-PM 4-0 Duerson-LN Duerson really made LeCount work 152 Brown-SM 3-1 Day-Con Here's the big upset..... Ryan-Alexandria 4-3 over James-Roncalli Steele-W 12-6 Hill-Law Carlson-Car 6-2 Noon-Nob

I'm with you TanK...it's hard to picture Cottey losing again to McKinney 126 Kenny-PM 12-0 Cole-E Belden-W 8-5 Barrantes-N McCarty-NP 9-1 Loos-FrCo Chastain-HSE 13-2 Smith-LN 132 Wilson-WC WBF Patterson-C Syverson-F 4-2 Bane-R James-PM WBF Eldred-W Devine-Cath 8-6 Westerfeld-Bates Cathedral and Perry and Warren all rolling

120, favorites continue to win Red-NP WBF Jenkins-Cen Stansberry-HSE 21-8 Lonneman-Mi McKinney WC 7-2 Anderson-NC Cottey-PM WBF O'Neal-Tri C

113 Turner-Cath 13-3 Weliever SM Elliott-PM WBF Bocock-L Holmes-HSE 10-8 Starks-NP huge comeback from a deep hole for Holmes Flood-PH 6-0 Hayes-Car

106 Matches getting closer and more competitive White-NP WBF Bryant-PH Wilhelm-C WBF Allen-F Hawkins-PM 10-3 Schaefer-SD Bailey-Cath 5-0 Dawkins BG no surprises yet

Just minutes away now, as the first round is over....

just a few at New Castle 113 Hayes (Carmel) WBF Coffman (Union County) 126 Cole (Elwood) 7-2 over Boggs (South Dearborn) 220 Cooper (Triton Central) 9-8 over Miller (Rushville)

195 Seven ranked wrestlers, paced by returning state placers Katrell Moss and Brian Wagner, lead a very talented group overall. In addition to the numerous ranked competitors, there is an undefeated junior, a one-loss sophomore and a two-loss senior, who also happens to be a regional champ. In short, this is a stacked group. Oh, and it also helps everyone involved that Mitch Sliga is gone from this group. Last year's champ: Mitch Sliga, Fishers Ranked wrestlers: #4 Katrell Moss, Warren Central #7 Brian Wagner, New Palestine #9 Jacob Aven, Zionsville #10 Robert Manns, Crawfordsville #11 Kaz Koehring, Perry Meridian #17 Sam Hipple, Carmel #19 Jeff Dixon, Hamilton Southeastern Feature matchups: Noah Schrader, Chatard vs. #10 Manns (Ticket round) – Manns is very tough, but undefeated is undefeated. This battle of juniors could go either way. Layne Harnishfeger, Franklin County/#17 Hipple vs. #7 Wagner (Ticket round) – Wagner caught fire last season right about now. Harnishfeger is an accomplished senior and a regional champ. Hipple is one of a number of Pendoski disciples who is very fit and doesn’t have any obvious weaknesses. #9 Aven vs. #11 Koehring (Ticket round) – Aven has had an outstanding season, and looked very impressive en route to winning sectional and regional crowns. He seems to have benefitted from competing this year at 195 versus 220 last year. Koehring is battle-tested and dangerous, and won’t shy away from a tough challenge. Dingo's picks to advance: Moss, Manns, Wagner and Aven The Alpha Dog: Katrell Moss 220 Four ranked athletes are joined by several other accomplished and/or dangerous grapplers. Undefeated Dylan Faulkenberg is the favorite, but there are several tough customers who will challenge him for supremacy. Faulkenberg stumbled in his Ticket match with Milan’s Lindemann last year, so he will be ready to take the next step. This weight is likely to have some upsets. Last year's champ: Max Hernandez, Warren Central Ranked wrestlers: #4 Dylan Faulkenburg, Ritter #6 Seth Vaughn, Franklin Central #9 Courvoisier Morrow, Warren Central #19 Tremayne Perryman, Lawrence North Feature matchups: Georges Brantley, Hamilton Southeastern vs. #19 Perryman (Opening round) – Perryman has a rough record, but faced some formidable competition. Brantley appears to be improving as the season goes on. The winner of this match has a solid shot at advancing to State. Ryan Guhl, Cathedral/Daryn Milton, Westfield vs. #6 Vaughn (Ticket round) – Guhl has had an excellent year, and comes in as a regional champ. Milton, well, is prison-strong, according to those in the know. Sometimes strength like that comes into play. The winner of the tough 1-4 match faces a real stud in the one-loss senior Vaughn. Christian Warner, Zionsville vs. #9 Morrow (Ticket round) – Warner has a tough opening match vs. Hamilton Heights’ Cole Leininger, but he has been competing at a very high level all season. Morrow has thrived, despite competing against Warren’s brutal schedule. Whichever kid earns this Ticket will have earned it. Dingo's picks to advance: Brantley, Faulkenberg, Vaughn and Warner The Alpha Dog: Dylan Faulkenburg 285 Four top-11 heavies grace the 285 field. Unfortunately, #5 and #6 will face each other in a nightmarish Ticket match. Nationally ranked stud Wesley Bernard is the clear favorite here, and he should be able to avoid the upset, using his staunch defense and elite mat skills. He won the semistate last year, beating Fargo runner-up and eventual state champ Donte Winfield in the process. Interestingly, last year’s #18 ranked heavyweight, Rushville’s Joe Garland, finished fourth in this semistate. Needless to say, he got hot at Banker’s Life and finished as the state runner-up. Last year's champ: Wesley Bernard, Cathedral Ranked wrestlers: #1 Wesley Bernard, Cathedral #5 Andre Porter, Hamilton Heights #6 Nate Trawick, Richmond #10 Tyler Beeson, Greenfield Central Feature matchups: Chet Maxey, Hamilton Southeastern vs. Jordan Clay, Broad Ripple (Ticket round) – Clay has the superior record, but Maxey is wrestling his best right now. This is a tough one to call. #5 Porter vs. #6 Trawick (Ticket round) – This should be one of the premier Ticket matches of them all. Each has only two losses on the season and is hungry for a State berth. Dingo's picks to advance: Maxey, Bernard, Beeson and Trawick The Alpha Dog: Wesley Bernard

Thank you all very much. I'm very sorry for the delay. Not to make excuses, but the reality is I just don't have the available time I have had in past years

160 While not as loaded as last year’s group, which produced 3 state placers including the state champ and runner-up, this year’s field at 160 features #1 Corsaro and #3 Borta, either of whom could be this year’s state champion. Those two appear to be clear front-runners, but there are two additional ranked wrestlers and some quality non-ranked grapplers. To be sure, the likely match between Corsaro and Borta is worth the price of admission alone; don’t be surprised if the state sees a rematch next weekend as well. Last year's champ: Riley McClurg, Perry Meridian Ranked wrestlers: #1 Vinny Corsaro, Cathedral (Nationally, #9 Intermat) #3 Nick Borta, North Montgomery #12 Ben Krege, Carmel #16 Max Dole, East Central Feature matchups: Garrett Wilson, Perry Meridian vs. #16 Dole (Ticket round) – Dole has had an extremely impressive season, and is a returning semistate qualifier. Wilson has benefitted from his transfer to Perry, and this is one of the matches that Perry really wants to win, in order to solidify their chances at State. Earlier this season, Dole beat Brickens, who won Wilson’s regional last week, but this should be a great match. #1 Corsaro vs. #16 Krege/Cody Steele, Connersville (Ticket round) – Steele made the Ticket round last year, losing to Borta. Krege was a state qualifier last year, and has only improved this season. Unfortunately for each of them, despite being excellent senior wrestlers, they have to get by the Sicilian Sensation to punch a Ticket. That is some tough sledding. Nick Brickens, New Palestine vs. Luke Decker, New Castle (Ticket round) – Brickens comes into this match as a regional champ and a semistate qualifier last year. Decker is a regional runner-up to Dole this year; he came in last year as a regional runner-up and drew eventual state champ Farrell in the Ticket round. Decker has been close in the past; is this his time? #1 Corsaro vs. #3 Borta (Championship round) – This is a real clash of the titans. Corsaro has had a phenomenal high school career, sustaining a high level of success that started as a freshman. Borta is a physical specimen, a returning state placer and wrestles a dynamic, dangerous style on his feet. He is always capable of throwing his opponent to his back. However, Corsaro is so well-rounded and smart, it’s hard to picture that happening to him. Dingo's picks to advance: Borta, Dole, Corsaro and Decker The Alpha Dog: Vinny Corsaro 170 Six ranked young men, plus a slew of tough non-ranked athletes, will be competing at 170 this weekend. This is likely one of the most wide-open weight classes of the day. Undefeated Colton Gonzalez has had a superior season and is the probable favorite. However, Scott beat him in the Ticket round last year, so a rematch could be very exciting. Among the other favorites, Johnson owns a win over Tonte and Tonte beat Stewart earlier in the season. Last year's champ: Logan Floor, Westfield Ranked wrestlers: #8 Colton Gonzalez, Connersville #9 Ben Stewart, Cathedral #13 Greg Johnson, Jr., Arsenal Tech #14 Jeffery Scott, Clinton Central #17 Tristen Tonte, Perry Meridian #18 John Theriot, Carmel Feature matchups: #8 Gonzalez vs. #18 Theriot/Sammy Mireles, Elwood (Ticket round) – Mireles, the state’s all-time leading rusher on the gridiron (finished 4th in the Mr. Football vote), made the Ticket round last season and is a dangerous opening match for Theriot. If Theriot gets by Mireles, he could give Gonzalez a very difficult match. #17 Tonte vs. #9 Stewart (Ticket round) – This is a huge potential match, for a couple of reasons: one, it’s two very tough, very successful freshmen going head to head for a state qualification and, two, this match could be crucial in the team race dynamic, as this is one of the most likely Perry/Cathedral matchups. Spencer McCool, Pendleton Heights vs. #13 Johnson (Ticket round) – McCool has been here before, and he comes in as a regional champ. Johnson has faced a little tougher level of competition, perhaps, and might have an advantage with practice partners, but this one could go either way. #8 Gonzalez vs. #14 Scott (Final round) – This would be an excellent rematch from last year’s Ticket round, if it takes place. Neither is a mortal lock to waltz into the finals, but neither would be a surprise, either. Dingo's picks to advance: Johnson, Scott, Gonzalez and Tonte The Alpha Dog: Jeffery Scott 182 Last year’s 182 class had only 4 ranked wrestlers, and yet New Castle had 4 state-placers at the weight. This year, there are five ranked wrestlers, led by #1 Blake Rypel. Rypel is a very strong favorite in this group, but the battle for places 2 through 4 should be very wide open. There are eleven grapplers here with 7 or fewer losses, so this is a very solid group. Last year's champ: Jake Masengale, Perry Meridian Ranked wrestlers: #1 Blake Rypel, Cathedral #11 Ben Elliot, Noblesville #13 Nathan Warman, Perry Meridian #18 Garrett Hittle, Rushville #20 Jonathan Morales, Western Boone Feature matchup: #18 Hittle vs. #11 Elliot (Ticket round) – These two are rugged, well-rounded seniors. Each dropped a close Ticket round match last year and hungers for a state qualification this year. Pick the one you like. Dingo's picks to advance: Rypel, Warman, Morales and Elliot The Alpha Dog: Blake Rypel