hook and half

If this looks familiar, it is! It has been a couple of years since i have posted this. A couple of folks asked for an update. Here it is: The annual Reitz/Mater Dei football game has been recognized as the greatest football rivalry among Indiana high schools. West siders will tell you the Panthers and Wildcats also enjoy the best wrestling rivalry the Hoosier state has to offer. Ask any wrestler who has donned the Red & Gold or Blue & Grey and he will tell you about his greatest glory—or nadir of agony—and how it related to the annual Reitz/Mater Dei meet. For over three-quarters of a century, young wrestlers on the west side have grown up with the dream of wearing his school colors and having his hand raised, signifying a win over his arch-rival. One-year-old Mater Dei got a head start on the Panthers, fielding its first team in 1950. Three years later, Reitz followed suit. Mater Dei hosted Reitz on January 15, 1953, in what would be the first wrestling dual of the series. The Wildcats were led by volunteer coach and ex-Chicago Bear, Gus Peters. Reitz legend Allan Horn coached the Panthers. Both would later be elected to the Indiana High School Wrestling Hall of Fame. “The Mater Dei and Reitz rivalry was in full swing,” said Bob Drone, Mater Dei class of 1953. “There were about 150 fans showed up for it. No one knew much about wrestling, but they cheered for their team.” “Reitz had some big-name football players on the wrestling team,” said Tom Scheller, Mater Dei class of 1954. “But, we were so fired up, it didn’t matter. This was wrestling, not football. Everyone was very determined.” The Wildcats’ experience and pluck proved to be too much for the Panthers and Allan Horn’s grapplers succumbed, 51-2. By the mid-1960s, wrestling had taken a firm foothold in Evansville and was spreading to neighboring counties. Harrison, North, Bosse, Central, Reitz and Mater Dei had full, or nearly full, varsity, junior varsity and freshman rosters. Reitz and Mater Dei had established themselves as local powerhouses and players in the State wrestling scene. Mater Dei claimed two State Champions, Fred Happe and Bill Trainer, while both schools boasted several State Placers. The rivalry entered its golden era. Fan interest was sky-high for January 23, 1966 dust up. Reitz coach Don Henry tapped Reitz’s pool of athletes to field a physical and tough team. 13 years into its program, Reitz, the owner of only two wins and a draw against the Wildcats, had made enormous strides. The Hilltoppers felt that this could be the team to defeat the ‘Cats. Henry put the match into perspective. “If a person who doesn’t know a thing about wrestling can go out and sit through a Reitz/Mater Dei match without getting excited, he’s just not a competitor,” he said. On the heels of pins by 95-pound Larry Barchet and 103 pound Steve Jarboe, Reitz jumped out to a 10-0 lead. The Wildcats clawed their way back in and took a 21-16 lead when Bill Hausmann turned in a pin at 154 pounds. Reitz’s Larry Merritt and Bill Hape claimed back-to-back decision victories to post the Panthers a one-point lead. The meet came down to the heavyweights. Mater Dei’s Bill Pfister took the mat to face Reitz’s Dan Labhart. To the screams of 1,100 rabid fans, Pfister wasted no time, going after Labhart and getting the fall at the 3:04 mark. Big Ten referee Bill Bruce officiated the match. “You know,” he said. “I’ve never seen as big a wrestling crowd as this anywhere in Indiana. Not even in the sectional or regional.” Final score: Mater Dei- 26, Reitz- 22. The following season, Reitz and Mater Dei, both undefeated in City play, met on January 19, 1967. Don Henry was bullish about his team’s prospects. “This is one of the best teams we have had in eight or nine years,” declared Henry. Reitz hit Mater Dei hard, early and often, opening the match with wins by Larry Barchet, Steve Jarboe, Tony Trammel, Randy Hahn, Bill Majors and Dick Metz. Only Mater Dei’s Gary Martin stopped the Panthers from claiming all of the first seven bouts. The Wildcats won some matches in the upper weights, but the damage was done as the Panthers turned in a dominating, 26-13 victory in front of 1,000 delirious Panther fans in Reitz’s gym. The defeat marked the first City loss for Mater Dei since 1959 and earned Reitz the City title. In 1968, Harrison dominated the local wrestling scene. Although Harrison had already clinched the City title, interest was extremely high for the Reitz/Mater Dei dual. On January 25, 1,500 fans filed into Mater Dei’s gym to witness a classic. Reitz jumped on Mater Dei early, getting pins from Bill Steiner and Larry Barchet to grab a 10-0 lead. Mater Dei dominated the middle weights, getting wins from Greg Kempf, Art Happe, and Tom Schapker. Reitz answered with their own run, posting wins by Randy Hahn, Bill Bish and Dick Metz. With three bouts remaining and a 22-13 lead, one more win by the Panthers would guarantee a win. Mater Dei narrowed Reitz’s lead when Mike Forche beat Reitz’s Bill Hewig, 6-4. At 180 pounds, the Wildcats’ Steve Pfister got a first period takedown and never trailed, holding on for a nail biting, 4-2 win. With Reitz clinging to a 22-19 lead, the dual would be decided by the heavyweights. Wildcat Frank Buerger immediately attacked Walter Carr and scored a first period fall, sending the Mater Dei Nation into hysterics. Final score: Mater Dei- 24, Reitz- 22. “These guys have overcome a lot of adversity,” praised Mater Dei boss Joe Gossman. “To come in here and win a match like this, well, it just means a lot.” In 1969, 2000 fans, a new attendance record, gathered in Reitz’s gym on January 30 to witness the annual donnybrook. The Panthers came out on fire, opening with six wins in the first seven weight classes. The strong start ignited Reitz’s fans making the Wildcats task even more desperate in hostile territory. Despite winning matches in the upper weights, the deficit was too large to overcome and the Panthers prevailed, 26-16. “To those who understand wrestling,” said Don Henry, “It would be the winning in our lower weight classes, because we’re weaker in the heavier divisions. If we hadn’t won those at first, we could have been in trouble.” A frustrated Joe Gossman agreed. “You can’t come out and lose like we did in the beginning and expect to win,” he said. Reitz’s Gil Barchet, Larry Barchet, Bill Steiner, Craig Deig and Charlie Cook all turned in wins to maintain their unblemished records. Mater Dei’s Art Happe and John Cartwright also kept their unbeaten seasons intact. The see-saw series continued, with Reitz grabbing a 23-15, 1970 verdict. Mater Dei returned the favor with a 34-8 victory over the Panthers in 1971. The contests between 1966 and 1971 were the highest-attended wrestling meets in Indiana. Most years, the annual dual sets the standard for Indiana wrestling attendance. On December 18, 1975, the Panthers handed Mater Dei at 32-22 setback. This defeat marked the beginning of an undefeated Mater Dei home dual meet that would last until January 14, 2010. Reitz broke the 35-year hex, beating Mater Dei, 36-21, in Mater Dei’s gym. Josh Boots opened the match, scoring a pin in the second period. Reitz’s Jeff Fentress came back with a pin at 189, to tie the dual, followed by a Justin Van Winkle win at 215 to snatch the lead back. Reitz got a pin at heavyweight to take their first lead. The hits kept coming as Reitz piled on wins at 103, 112 and 119 pounds. The Panthers never trailed again. "We always came up short in this match until this year," said Reitz senior Bryan Kuhn. “We won the close matches and got pins like Mater Dei used to always do to us. I'm still pretty shocked, but we were ready to wrestle, everybody was prepared and we all came through tonight." The win was a watershed moment for Reitz coach Scott Ferguson. Ferguson, a Castle graduate, had never been a member of a team or coached a team that had defeated the Wildcats. "I've waited for this a long time," said Ferguson, "But even when we were ahead, I wanted our kids to keep wrestling and they did." Greg Schaefer did not mince words. "We just flat got out-wrestled tonight," said Schaefer. "They took it to us." This Thursday’s match marks the 86th meeting of the west side powers. For the series, Mater Dei has claimed 75 wins, while Reitz owns eight. Two of the matches ended in a tie. Now in its eighth decade, the rivalry thrives. Fans and coaches circle this date on the calendar with a red pen. For the coaches and spectators, there are only two outcomes: euphoria or misery. For the combatants, the evening always carries special importance. While many of the boys are neighbors and friends off the mat, the conviviality ends when the grapplers toe the line. This is the night to perform. For many of the athletes, this will be the biggest stage on which they will ever compete. Any wrestler, who grows up on the wrestling-mad west side, has daydreamed about delivering his team to victory in front of a packed, raucous house. At stake is a lifetime of bragging rights. This is the night for dreams to come true.

WC pulled out; General Heavy Hands' dad did not. You see the result. To all of you Karens and Chads: I kid. Can @TeamGarcia show me how to automatically put a footer on my posts that contain a trigger warning?

This may be the top-recycled topic on this board: Mater Dei is on the slide/cannot compete/no longer relevant/not what they used to be. Go back to the archives of the 2012/2013 board. MD had two seniors and forfeited two weight classes. That team was dominated by freshmen and sophomores. There were several lengthy threads replete with thoughtful and non-partisan observances that the demise of MD wrestling had arrived. BTW- That team had two dual meet losses on the season (both to Bloomington South) and finished fifth at the IHSCWA duals. Two years later, MD won said event. Since then, Mater Dei has fielded a couple of competitive teams and won one or two big matches at Gainbridge. This year's edition of the Wildcats reminds me a lot of the 2012/13 team. Lots of inexperience! Two of the starters are first year wrestlers. Do you reckon any of the other seven 4A teams at the IHSCWA have a single first year starter? A month ago, this team was hammered by Avon. MD pulled out the win over the talented Orioles with a spirited team effort. I love what Center Grove is doing with their program. They are tough, top to bottom. Even still, MD put up a good fight and managed to take a couple of chunks of meat out of CG. Tiny Mater Dei has an enrollment of 483 students. It is a perennial challenge to field a competitive team. It is amazing how far this team has come in the course of this season. While I don't see a team State Championship or any future D1 National Champs in this line-up, I consider this product as one of Greg Schaefer and Company's greatest coaching jobs.

it had to do with...

great broadcast, fellas!

As always, excellent job, Jeremy. Not very many kids pile up losses and stay at it. One can get their feelings hurt in wrestling.

Tough day for the zebras. one got bonked in the head with a towel; the other was taken out at the knee by a wrestler from an adjacent mat. he was down for a while, but fortunately got back up. he is going to feel that on Sunday morning. Avon was impressive. Their coaches and bench brought a lot of intensity.

What time does it start?

Great show guys, i appreciate it! Center Grove wrestles like they are mad at you.

Unfortunately, I had to miss this one. How did it go done?

Penn met MD in 2014 in an epic dual. The match opened with MD's unknown 113-pound freshman, Kyle "Sweet" Luigs, breaking off a defensive pin to spot the 'Cats a 6-0 lead. Two matches later, a well-known freshman--Nick Lee--majored Penn's (Penn, Penn State. Oh, the irony) hammer and returning State runner-up. MD won three more, before Penn rattled off SEVEN consecutive wins. The match came down to the 106 pounders, MD's Will Egli and Penn's (And future Penn Stater) Drew Hildebrandt. Egli prevailed with a razor-thin victory in a colliseum environment. The intensity of the crowd, coaches, wrestlers and benches was off the chain. I have seen some incredible duals, but this one is at/near the top.

Is Alex Johns the coach at Avon? As a wrestling fan, I loved that guy. As a Mater Dei fan...not so much. Does that "R" auger into the calculus?

did they withdraw voluntarily? or were they told kicked out? is les miles consulting for the pa team?

Work out weak positions in practice. Matches are for winning!

think we could get them to move the all star weekend?

What a great tournament run! Very humble kid. He came across great in the interview

caliboy is back!

Destroyed. Hashtag era is over?

buy a powerball ticket tonight

Two things: 1. This is about as even of a distribution you are going to get. For all intents and purposes, each SS has the same amount of medalists. 2. While EVSS definitely dominated the high-end talent side, CP is there to offer some balance!

the guy that beat her possesses really great cuticles. the guy that beat her possesses great cuticles. i stand by my statement.

she lost to a guy with really great cuticles. i just moved you into second place for the best non sequitur of the evening.

B'Burg to FW? The purple send 14 to state as number one seeds every year? are you freaking kidding?

Farmer is so big and strong, he just imposes his will upon people. Was shocked when Jones double underhooked him, jacked him up and took him straight to his back.

@TripleB in 2024, let's resurrect the wrestling meet and greet at the gerst haus. it was a great collection of wrestling illuminaties, media personalities, bloggers and celebrated authors.