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Found 9 results

  1. We'll have Mike, Caleb, and myself on tonight talking about the East Chicago and Fort Wayne semi-states. We'll try a dual broadcast on YouTube and Facebook
  2. Here...we....GO! The Fort Wayne semi-state has been dominated by the Tigers of Yorktown High the past five years. Will it change this year? Could there be a new sheriff in town? Likely not, but if the Tigers falter there will be others waiting to take the semi-state plaque home. The friendly confines of the War Memorial Coliseum will play host to 224 wrestlers with only 56 coming away with a ticket to the state finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Look for lots of drama and upsets as this day is always chalk full of it. This year we are adding picks to the preview again, however they are those of our Fort Wayne ranking guru Caleb Spires. Good luck to all the competitors this Saturday. Team Race This is Yorktown’s title to lose at this point. With 12 qualifiers and many of them with very favorable draws they are the heavy favorites to capture their 5th straight semi-state title. However, if they have any missteps there are plenty of teams that will be ready to take the title. Elkhart Memorial has three guys that could win titles, that may not be enough, but they could be near the top. Bellmont always pulls out some upsets none of the prognosticators pick, so they are always dangerous. Carroll could pose a threat as they have three early head to head matches with Yorktown. They would do themselves a HUGE favor by winning those matches. Lastly, you cannot overlook the mighty Panthers of Prairie Heights. The draw gods didn’t do them any favors, but they are battle tested and ready. They aren’t opposed to crashing anyone’s party and cannot be overlooked in the team race. Jimtown is the third team with a shot at making a dent in the team race. They feature two returning state placers in Hunter Watts and Kenny Kerrn along with the Gimson twins that will contend for semi-state titles. Early #SlobberKnockers- Early matches you can't miss State Street Fights- Ticket round matches that will peak your interest #WAYL2- Who Are Your Losses To? 106 The head of the class in the lightest weight class is Yorktown’s Brayden Curtis. He finished 7th at state last year and is ranked #1. He has the state experience and is poised to repeat as semi-state champion. He will be pushed however by seniors JC Herring and Fernando Flores. Herring was a state qualifier last year. Garrett’s Brayden Shearer has turned it up during the post season and is a dangerous wrestler from all positions. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 4) - Isaac Weimer (West Noble) vs. Payton Lechner (Western) (Bout 5) - JC Herring (Oak Hill) vs. Jon-Matthew Spaw (East Noble) State Street Fights Brayden Shearer (Garrett) vs. Nick Buchanan (Prairie Heights) Brayden Curtis (Yorktown) vs. Isaac Weimer (West Noble) or Payton Lechner (Western) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Brayden Curtis 2. JC Herring 3. Fernando Flores 4. Brayden Shearer #WAYL2 Curtis(0) Herring(1)- Andrew Black Flores(2)- Gabe Smith, Danny Tolin, Weimer(4)- Spaw, Buchanan(3), Spaw(5)- Brendan Mattingly, Tyson Coon, Flores, Weimer, Buchanan Lechner(5)- Tyson Coon, Herring(3), Sturgill(6)- Lechner, Herring, Ty Haskins, Martin Cruz, Flores, Trevor Penrod, Buchanan(6)- Flores(2), Evan Light, Danny Tolin, Weimer, Andrew Black, Rupp(6)- Weimer, Logan Boe, Jordan George, Aaron Adkins, Suhas Chundi, Curtis, Shearer(7)- Tanner Schoeff(3), Hunter Watts(2), Gabe Smith, Wyatt Miller, 113 Last year at semi-state Hunter Watts pulled a couple upsets to make his way to the finals. This year he’ll come in as the favorite. He will have a somewhat easier road to punch his ticket, but he cannot overlook Adams Central’s Logan Mosser in the ticket round. The other big names in this field include South Adam’s Wyatt Miller. Miller has stumbled at semi-state the past two years. This year he looks to be peaking at the right time and has the tools to give Watts all he can handle. The other quarter-brackets are tossups with Joe Just of Carroll and Yorktown’s Zachary Todd banging heads in the first round. Like we said earlier that match could have an important part in the team race. At the bottom, we have two guys that have had breakout seasons in Woodlan’s Chris Schuller and Evan Beasley of Northridge. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 9) - Gerald Pearson (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Travis Miller (Fairfield) (Bout 10) - Zachary Todd (Yorktown) vs. Joe Just (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) State Street Fights Hunter Watts (Jimtown) vs. Logan Mosser (Adams Central) Wyatt Miller (South Adams) vs. Tanner Schoeff (Central Noble) Chris Schuller (Woodlan)vs. Evan Beasley (Northridge) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Hunter Watts 2. Wyatt Miller 3. Chris Shuller 4. Joe Just #WAYL2 Schoeff(2)- Beasely(2) Pearson(2)- Miller(Fairfield), Tyler Bowling, Watts(2)- Kory Cavanaugh(2) Miller(3)- Mosser, Davaugh Anderson, Kobe King Schuller(5)- Mosser, Zakk Atkins, Wyatt Miller(2), AJ Selvaggio(OH), Chauhan(6)- Mosser, Pearson(3), Anderson, ??, Brooks(6)- Pearson, Anderson(2), Justin Ristin, Just, ?? Beasley(7)- Schoeff, Wyat Miller, Watts(2), Travis Miller, Brayden Curtis, Fernando Flores, Just(8)- Keegan Overton, Brayden Shearer, Evan Lawhead, Brooks Hartz, Kane Egli, Kory Cavanaugh, Sebastian Cortez, Chris Schuller, Miller(9)- Brayden Shearer(2), Beasley, Watts, Schoeff, ??, ??, ??, ??, Todd(9)- Mosser, Gavin Rose, Jacob Fiew, Logan Bailey, Keeghan Overton, Dylan Phelphs(MI), ??, ??, ?? 120 Last year Christian Mejia had an impressive run at state making his way under the lights. However, he didn't even win semi-state, it was Jabin Wright who ran away with the title. Both return and highlight a deep weight class. Others to watch include Yorktown's Josh Stephenson and Homestead's Blaigh Rushing who both won their respective regionals. Non-regional champs to watch include Dekalb's Trevor Boyce who has been knocking on the state door most of his career. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 18) - Jaylyn Yoder (Fairfield) vs. Owen Krider (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) (Bout 20) - Dane Martin (Leo) vs. Trevor Boyce (DeKalb) State Street Fights Josh Stephenson (Yorktown) vs. Jaylyn Yoder (Fairfield) or Owen Krider (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) Jabin Wright (Kokomo) vs. Dane Martin (Leo) or Trevor Boyce (DeKalb) Blaigh Rushing (Homestead) vs. Nick Liter (Adams Central) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Christian Mejia 2. Jabin Wright 3. Josh Stephenson 4. Blaigh Rushing #WAYL2 Wright(1)- Jon Anderson Mejia(2)- Colin Poynter, Tylor Triana, Smith(3)- Wright(2), ??, Boyce(4)- Joe Wright(OH), Sencer Good(OH), Martin, Mejia, Stephenson(5)- Justice Cash, Keaton Fisher, Lukasz Walendzak, Mejia, ?? Rushing(5)- Boyce, Stephenson(2), Lukasz Walendzak, Spencer Cox, Martin(8)- Krider, Boyce(2), Rushing, Nick Brady(2), Chase Wilkerson, ??, 126 This weight class has numerous storylines and is one that could have a multitude of outcomes. The first storyline is the emergence of Gimson 1. He has had a fine season with only two losses on the season. Then you have the super frosh from Western Hunter Cottingham. Does he have what it takes to punch his ticket to state? He will be a tough out for sure. Back up top you have Garrett’s Dylan DeMarco who had a great regional and could make his first trip to the coliseum a memorable one. Lastly you have three wrestlers that could have a say in the team race in Xayvier Curtis, Joel Byman, and Ryan Rasler. That last quarter bracket will be fun to watch with each wrestler being one that could play spoiler on Saturday. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 26) - Kasey Deardorff (North Miami) vs. William Fiechter (Southern Wells) (Bout 32) - Joel Byman (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) vs. Ryan Rasler (Prairie Heights) State Street Fights Hunter Cottingham (Western) vs. Kyle Davis (Leo) Xayvier Curtis (Yorktown) vs. Joel Byman (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) or Ryan Rasler (Prairie Heights) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Matt Gimson 2. Joel Byman 3. Hunter Cottingham 4. Dylan Demarco #WAYL2 Cottingham(1)- Aaron Castillas Gimson(2)- Jon Becker, Graham Rooks, Gibson(5)- Jordan Vinson, Cottingham(2), ??, ??, Davis(6)- Jon Becker, Jacob Hall(2), Seth Burns, DeMarco, ?? Curtis(6)- Dalton Craig, Robinson, Jon Becker, Alec White, Jordan Slivka, ??, Deardorff(8)- Gibson, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, Rasler(8)- Seth Burns, Dallas Pugsley, Noah Hunt, Byman, DeMarco, Cummings, ??, ??, Fiechter(8)- Curtis, DeMarco, Ledesma, Sanders, ??, ??, ??, ??, Byman(8)- Dallas Pugsley, Chase Poynter, Carson Willis, Matt Lee, Michael DeLapena, Matt Gimson, Jacob Robinson, Kyle Davis, Robinson(9)- Byman(2), Jadon Galvin, Davis, Jake Jenkins(2), DeMarco, Carson Willis, ?? Demarco(10)- Jayce Meyer, Austin Moore, Zane Standridge, Adam Davis, Gimson(2), Rasler, Noah Hunt, Byman, Davis Sanders(10)- Tanner Yenter(OH), Josh Beeks, Cole Houser(OH), Carson Alfred, Larry Evans, Robinson, Jake Jenkins, Fiechter, Curtis, Dylan McClure 132 This is another weight where a Tiger will be the favorite. Yorktown’s Christian Hunt has grown into this weight after placing at state at 106lbs two years ago. He is a tough wrestler that is hard to score on and usually scoring more points is how you win wrestling matches. Others to watch here include Gimson 2. Conner Gimson suffered his first loss of the year at regional and will be the favorite in his quarter bracket. Central Noble’s Austin Moore was the one that handed Gimson his lone loss this year. He seems to be peaking at the right time. The most intriguing ticket round battle will be Columbia City’s Matthew Wright against Adams Central’s Anthony Mosser. Mosser was a state qualifier two years ago at 113lbs. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 38) - Jayce Meyer (Angola) vs. Anthony Mosser (Adams Central) State Street Fights Matthew Wright (Columbia City) vs. Anthony Mosser (Adams Central) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Christian Hunt 2. Conner Gimson 3. Austin Moore 4. Anthony Mosser #WAYL2 Gimson(1)- Moore Mosser(2)- Jack Servies, Hunt, Moore(2)- Hayden Lohrey, Mosser, Hunt(2)- Breyden Bailey(2) Price(3)- Standridge, Wright, Briar Goodwin Wright(5)- Kyle Davis, Jon Becker, Reilly Heater(OH), Maxwell Hertensteiner(OH), Austin Roemer Morrisett(5)- Tim Wright, Jaylon Gibson, Zach Burrell, Cordell Cowan, Colin Fletcher Schliessman(8)- Cainan Schaefer, Gimson, Noah Robinson, Drew Kreitzer, Hunt, Mosser, 138 It is looking like a familiar theme with another Tiger being the favorite here. Yorktown’s Eric Hiestand is another great wrestler from the family and has been on a tear this year. He is hard to score on and will be a threat from any position for big points. After him the weight is wide open. You have some great matches and rivalries that could match up in the first round onward. Dillon Yoder and Joe Leazier will renew their NECC rivalry with the winner getting a crack at Hiestand. Others to watch include a ticket round tussle with Ethan Hicks of Carroll and Logan Macklin of Adams Central. Both have had very similar results against common opponents so it should be a fun one. On the bottom quarter there are about three or even four guys with a chance for that last ticket. Most of them are relative unknowns so it will be who wants it more. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 46) - Dillon Yoder (Fairfield) vs. Joe Leazier (Churubusco) (Bout 48) - Ben Macias (F.w. South Side) vs. Chaz Boyd (Elkhart Central) State Street Fights Ethan Hicks (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) vs. Logan Macklin (Adams Central) Owen Eveler (Northridge) vs. Grant Gutierrez (Bellmont) Lorenzo Trevino (Marion) vs. Ben Macias (FW South Side) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Eric Hiestand 2. Ethan Hicks 3. Grant Gutierrez 4. Ben Macias #WAYL2 Hiestand(2)- Donald Campbell, Zach Melloh, Leazier(4)- Hicks(2), Dillon Yoder, Austin Moore Macias(4)- Chase Hissong, Leazier, Lorenzo Trevino, Zack Bullock, Yoder(5)- Dylan DeMarco, Graham Calhoun, Boyd, ??, ?? Hicks(5)- Robert Deters, Kris Rumph, Jake Schoenegge, Grant Gutierrez, Joe Leazier Trevino(6)- Cody McCune, Matt Wright, Treyven McKinley, Jadon Crisp, Owen Eveler, ??, Macklin(6)- Calvin Brown(OH), Blake Hohleer(OH), Matt Laughlin, Derek Blubaugh, Payton Asbury, Eric Hiestand, Eveler(6)- Hiestand, Graham Calhoun(2), Leazier, Jayce Meyer, Yoder Jones(7)- Leazier, Hiestand, Macklin, Gutierrez, ??, ??, ?? Gutierrez(8)- Sam Osho, Antwaun Graves, Colt Rutter, Hicks, Jacob Laplace, Brooks Davis, Logan Macklin, Hiestand, 145 The theme this year seems to be the finals are in the SEMI-finals. This weight is another one with arguably the top two or even three guys in the same half. At the top we have some interesting match-ups with a quarter bracket that is a virtual pick’em. The wrestler with the least number of losses is the #4 seed, while two guys have 10+ losses. There is no big favorite here, so we’ll see who is ready to wrestle on Saturday. Going down the bracket we will get Wyro and Barr III. They have split matches this year with Barr winning early in the season and Wyro taking the match at Christmas time. Teams in the hunt for a semi-state title will be keeping tabs on this match-up. The bottom bracket will provide some fireworks. Jay County’s fab freshman Mason Winner drew the tough Riley Rasler from Prairie Heights. Winner has only one loss in the state and is as tough as they come. On the bottom side the favorite is Super Charger Joel Arney who will need to get pumped for his potential semi-final match. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 52) - Brady Wyro (Homestead) vs. Xander Stroud (Elkhart Central) (Bout 56) - Parker Bates (Adams Central) vs. Cole Ridgeway (Oak Hill) State Street Fights Eli Elkins (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Carlos Aguirre (Garrett) Alex Barr (Yorktown) vs. Brady Wyro (Homestead) or Xander Stroud (Elkhart Central) Riley Rasler (Prairie Heights) vs. Mason Winner (Jay County) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Mason Winner 2. Alex Barr 3. Joel Arney 4. Carlos Aguirre #WAYL2 Rasler(1)- Kasper McIntosh Arney(2)- Rasler, Mario Traficanti, Winner(2)- Barr, Eric Beck(OH), Barr(4)- Wyro, Jack Ferraro, Colby Deberry(MI), ??, Stroud(4)- Romeo Hoover, Kassius Breathitt, Haden Hensley, Rasler, Young(6)- Winner, Barr, Bates, Owen Conklin, Richardson, ??, Wyro(6)- Barr, Aguirre, Winner, Brayton Lee, Rasler, Tristan Lerch, Elkins(7)- Kyle Wagner, Chad Rothwell, Ridgeway, Jeffery Closser, Ruger Ranney(MI), Carter Ciscell, ?? Aguirre(10)- Arney(3), Cooper Abramson, Rasler(2), Grant Gutierrez, Mike Humbert, Malik Hoover, Blake Webb 152 We knew coming into this weight there could be some cringeworthy ticket round matches here. The bracket gods were at least partially kind, but they still didn’t make it easy for anyone of the top guys to punch their tickets to state. Three wrestlers here have state experience with the fantastic Jimmie Kenny Kerrn leading the way after bringing a medal home last year. Nate Weimer earned a state medal two years ago at 126lbs and Yorktown’s Colt Rutter was a qualifier last year. Sprinkled in with those guys are tough outs in the Patriot Tyler Leonard, three-time ticket rounder Garrett Griffin of Northwood, an undefeated Christian Bratcher of Eastbrook, four loss Dylan Torbush, and finally the mighty Knight Chandler Woenker. There will be some great matches from start to finish here. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 60) - Garrett Griffin (Northwood) vs. Corbin Hetzner (Eastern (Greentown)) (Bout 64) - Dylan Torbush (Wes-Del) vs. Chandler Woenker (F.w. Bishop Luers) State Street Fights Tyler Leonhard (Jay County) vs. Nathaniel Weimer (East Noble) Hunter Reed (Columbia City) vs. Garrett Griffin (Northwood) or Corbin Hetzner (Eastern (Greentown)) Christian Bratcher (Eastbrook) vs. Colt Rutter (Yorktown) Kenny Kerrn (Jimtown) vs. Chandler Woenker (F.w. Bishop Luers) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Kenny Kerrn 2. Hunter Reed 3. Nate Weimer 4. Christian Bratcher #WAYL2 Bratcher(0) Reed(1)- Weimer Kerrn(1)- Kyle Hatch Woenker(3)- Reed, Javier Johnson, Bratcher Evans(3)- Jacob Suski, France, Bratcher Torbush(4)- Leonard(2), Rutter, ?? Green(4)- Kerrn, Torbush(2), Rutter Weimer(4)- Hunter Reed, Kenny Kerrn, Michael Lictenberger, Heiniger(Default), Leonhard(4)- Hunter Perdue(OH), Andrew Negangard, Tony Mosconi, Reed, Hetzner(5)- Bratcher(3), Clayton Cowan, Reed Rutter(6)- Josh Cooper, Adam Hall(MI), Tyler Leonhard, Trevor Reese, Riley White, Robert Deters, Griffin(7)- Kyle Hatch(2), Denver Aydelott, Logan Coyle, Sam Gobeyn, Kerrn(2) 160 Three wrestlers with state experience will come into this weight and they all seem to have some history with each other. Leading the way is state #1 and nationally ranked Brad Laughlin. He has adjusted to the 15lbs jump from last year and been extremely dominant. He will be pushed by Tony Busse who has had a fine senior year after qualifying for state last year. Both cannot overlook the ever dangerous Jed Levitz who had a defensive fall against Busse at the Al Smith this year. Levitz isn’t afraid to get funky and he is not afraid to headhunt. The last qualifying spot will be tough with three talented wrestlers looking to punch their tickets to state. Nick Potter has lost to Levitz and Busse the past two years in the ticket round. Tykease Baker and Ivan Hemmelgarn are both game competitors that could push Potter for the last ticket. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 72) - Ivan Hemmelgarn (Jay County) vs. Tykease Baker (Elkhart Central) State Street Fights Jed Levitz (Prairie Heights) vs. Javier Johnson (F.w. Wayne) Delton Moore (Manchester) vs. Tony Busse (Bellmont) Nick Potter (New Haven) vs. Ivan Hemmelgarn (Jay County) or Tykease Baker (Elkhart Central) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Brad Laughlin 2. Tony Busse 3. Jed Levitz 4. Nick Potter #WAYL2 Laughlin(1)- Burk Van Horn Moore(3)- Evan Jeubehussen, Micah Calhoun, Nate Weimer Levitz(3)- Laine Frazee, Gleason Mappes, Laughlin Busse(4)- Carson Brewer, Levitz, Chase Wilson, Draker Guerrero, Potter(5)- Busse(2), Sam Hauke, ??, ??, Hemmelgarn(5)- Michael Baker(OH), Alston Bane, Jonyvan Johnson, Busse, Laughlin King(6)- Ethan Stock, Josh Gee, Moore, ??, ??, ??, Johnson(7)- Potter(3), Weimer, Dru Berkebile, Busse, Carson Brewer Lone(7)- Lentz, Micah Calhoun, Brenden Montgomery, Micah Wray, Jordan Siddons, Baker, Levitz Baker(9)- David Sheley, Dalton Heintzberger, Travis Sloffer, Laik Minnick, Bryce Baumgartner, Lucas Scott, Quentin Moore, Levitz, Tavonte Malone 170 Three returning wrestlers with state experience headline a loaded 170lbs class at Fort Wayne. Tristan Goering made the move from South Bend and is the only one with a state medal. Bryce Baumgartner has made three trips to the Bank, but never has made it to Saturday. Peru’s Jordan Rader was a state qualifier in 2015. All three were at the Al Smith this year, with only Goering making the medal stand. Look for all three to be contenders for a medal next week. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 74) - Thomas Hemmelgarn (Jay County) vs. Isaac Cornewell (F. W. Bishop Dwenger) (Bout 78) - Coye Blodgett (Prairie Heights) vs. Brody Hardcastle (Oak Hill) State Street Fights Jonyvan Johnson (New Haven) vs. Brody Hardcastle (Oak Hill) Bryce Baumgartner (Bellmont) vs. Quentin Moore (Manchester) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Bryce Baumgartner 2. Jordan Rader 3. Tristan Goering 4. Brody Hardcastle #WAYL2 Baumgartner(1)- Zack Fattore Rader(2)- Tristan Goering, Thomas Penola, Goering(3)- Jonah Hays, Ismael Cornejo, Conner Graber Hardcastle(4)- Eli Stock, Silas Allred, Rader(2) Johnson(5)- Baumgartner, Joe Mazero, Tanner Webster, Caden Friedt, ?? Moore(6)- Rader(2), Conner Graber, Colten Schuler, Hardcastle, ?? Pease(7)- Jake Orschell, Heintzberger, Eli Stock, Justin Miller, Hunter Gulden, Baumgartner, conner Brown Cardwell(7)- Chirstopher Adams, Trizton Carson, Rader(2), Hardcastle, Moore(2) Minnick(8)- Blodgett, Sloffer, Hayden McGee(OH), Patric Keown(OH), Johnson, Hardcastle, Cornwell(2) Edwards(8)- Tevonte Malone, Evan Jones, Tanner Webster, Thomas Penola, Sloffer, Goering(3), Hemmelgarn(9)- Rylee Schindler, Javier Johnson(2), Sam Smith, Dylan Hicks, Andrew Meyer(OH), Tucker Wallace, Baumgartner(2) 182 This weight is going to be another one that you will see some slugfests in the ticket round. Returning state placers Jacob Gray and Joey Blakeley headline this group. Gray’s only losses this year are to #1 and former #800lbGorilla teammate Nathan Walton. Blakeley is currently 1-1 this year with Conner Graber of Northridge who has had a breakout season. However, Graber will have to get past the amazin’ Apache Noah Cressell for a chance to see Blakeley for a third time. If you snuck ahead and read the #WAYL2 you will see that Cressell’s only loss this season is to Graber. Others to watch here is the Saint Stephen Nix who will have to fend off a tough Brave freshman Caden Friedt...weird there have been approximately 8,374 Friedts in the history of Bellmont. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 84) - DaShaun Barbary (Kokomo) vs. Jaxson Savieo (New Haven) State Street Fights Joey Blakeley (Prairie Heights) vs. Blaney Harrison (Oak Hill) Stephen Nix (F. W. Bishop Dwenger) vs. Caden Friedt (Bellmont) Noah Cressell (Wabash) vs. Conner Graber (Northridge) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Jacob Gray 2. Conner Graber 3. Joey Blakely 4. Stephen Nix #WAYL2 Graber(1)- Blakeley Cressell(1)- Graber Gray(2)- Nathan Walton(2) Harrison(2)- Cressell(2) Nix(3)- Jacob Hendrich(2), Cameryn Smith, Blakeley(3)- Lucas Davison, Graber, Cameryn Smith Barbary(6)- Graber, Evan Stambaugh, Isaac Fruits, Harrison(2), Cressell McCann(6)- Blakeley(2), Cressell, Cole Houtz(MI), Scott Sutton(2), Friedt(7)- Joey Szydlo, Jacob Bondon, Tyler Schlegel, Tevonte Malone, Anthony Cicciarelli, Gray, Savieo 195 This weight has a little bit of both state experienced wrestlers and others waiting to break out and make a name for themselves. Leading the way is two-time state placer David Eli who has all the tools to challenge the top guys in the state here. He cannot overlook recent St. Francis Cougar commit Caleb Hankenson who was a state qualifier last year. Before Hankenson takes his skills to the gridiron next fall he will take care of some unfinished business on the mat. Others to watch in this weight is a relative unknown in Wayne’s Dalyn Hart. He could play spoiler this Saturday if he is overlooked. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 90) - Tony Fuller (Oak Hill) vs. Draven Rasler (West Noble) (Bout 95) - Gavin Herrera (Kokomo) vs. Codey Shafer (Prairie Heights) (Bout 96) - Kelly Watson (Yorktown) vs. Devonte Brown (New Haven) State Street Fights Dalyn Hart (F.w. Wayne) vs. Tony Fuller (Oak Hill) or Draven Rasler (West Noble) David Eli (Elkhart Memorial) vs. Isaiah Baumgartner (South Adams) Gavin Herrera (Kokomo) vs. Kelly Watson (Yorktown) or Devonte Brown (New Haven) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. David Eli 2. Caleb Hankenson 3. Dalyn Hart 4. Gavin Herrera #WAYL2 Hankenson(1)- Andrew Davison Eli(1)- Andrew Davison Sedwick(2)- Tyler Moser, Herrera, Hart(3)- Ben Stewart, Hankenson, Victor Lee Rasler(5)- Eli, Dylan McCune, Tyler Moser, ??, ?? Herrera(6)- Trenton Bixler, Cole Slavens, Fuller, ??, ??, ??, Fuller(6)- Cavin Beavers, Nash Brunner, Herrera, Sedwick, ??, ??, Baumgartner(6)- Jacob Elkins, Cordell Camp, Jayden Elwood, Hankenson(2), Levi Leffers 220 The light heavies will be knocking heads early. If you peak down to the ticket round matches you will see all four will be doozies. The two wrestlers in this bracket with state experience could face off for a ticket to state. Last year Corbin Maddox had a great year finishing 7th at 195 and Garrett’s mighty Railroader Beck Davis qualified for state at 195. In the top you’ll have a rubber match between NECC rivals JT Kilgore and Austin Evans, no better way to settle your differences than in the ticket round. Nick Fox and Gaven Hare could also have a great match, both are built very similar and both have the experience to punch their ticket to state. On the bottom half of the bracket you’ll have Trenton Bixler who has put up a fine season facing the Charger Tyler McKeever. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 99) - Nick Fox (Kokomo) vs. Austin Amstutz (New Haven) (Bout 104) - Beck Davis (Garrett) vs. Max Clark (Northwestern) State Street Fights J.T. Kilgore (Churubusco) vs. Austin Evans (Lakeland) Nick Fox (Kokomo) vs. Gaven Hare (Jay County) Trenton Bixler (Northridge) vs. Tyler McKeever (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) Corbin Maddox (Daleville) vs. Beck Davis (Garrett) or Max Clark (Northwestern) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Corbin Maddox 2. J.T. Kilgore 3. Tyler McKeever 4. Nick Fox #WAYL2 Maddox(0) Clark(1)- Fox Kilgore(3)- Hare, McKeever, Evans Evans(3)- Bixler(2), Kilgore, Davis(4)- McKeever(2), Evans(2), Fox(5)- Joey Myren, Jacob McClaine, Dalton Clouse, ??, ?? Hare(5)- Wyatt Hillard(OH), Jared Brinkman, Blake Ripperger, Zach Klostrman(OH), Maddox Bixler(5)- Watson, Devonte Brown, Kilgore(2), Cordell Camp(2), Amstutz(7)- Ethan Bailey, Joe Myren, Jaden Elwood, Kilgore(2), Davis, Ryan Leslie, McKeever(8)- Tahji Irving, Cordell Camp, Kilgore(2), Riley Peterson, Justin Akers, Michael Boots, Eli Pokorney 285 From the beginning of the year we have known this could be a fun weight class to watch. Evan Ellis is the only one with a state medal in the group while Owen Perkins has been to state twice. Carroll's big man Jessie Lawson has had a fine season, but suffered some hiccups along the way. If he's consistent he might give Ellis a good match. Jacob Rhoades had a great season last year, but suffered an injury and was not able to wrestle the state series. He will have a really good ticket round match with Perkins. Don’t overlook the BIG Brave Braiden Shaw, he is a very formidable opponent that has some impressive wins this year. The bottom quarter bracket is a virtual pick’em with Ault and Conner being the favorites to wrestle for a ticket to state. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 106) - Avery Jones (Peru) vs. Vince Yoder (Fairfield) State Street Fights Jacob Rhoades (Yorktown) vs. Owen Perkins (Oak Hill) Evan Ellis (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Braiden Shaw (Bellmont) Nick Conner (Elkhart Central) vs. Dakota Ault (F.w. North Side) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Evan Ellis 2. Jessie Lawson 3. Jacob Rhoades 4. Dakota Ault #WAYL2 Ellis(0) Rhoades(2)- Rickie Clark, ??, Lawson(3)- Rickie Clark, Robert Samuels, Shaw Ault(3)- Lawson(2), Ellis, Perkins(4)- Ellis(4) Conner(5)- Lawson, Gio Murillo, Alex Faulkner, Isaiah McWilliams, ?? Shaw(6)- Brett Henson, Tyler Selm, Rhoades(2), Robert Samuels, Steve Woolbright Jacobs(7)- Yoder, Conner(2), Elisha Tipping, Watson, Nick Fox, Rhoades, Yoder(8)- Chase Leeper, Conner(2), Alexander McBee, Contreras, Jacobs, ??, ?? Camp(8)- Yoder, JT Kilgore(2), Max Steward, Brian Fuller, Chase Leeper, Ault, Lawson Contreras(9)- Chanlder Austgen, Lawson, Shaw, Conner(2), Ault, Yoder(2), Jacobs
  3. Here...we....GO! The Fort Wayne semi-state has been dominated by the Tigers of Yorktown High the past five years. Will it change this year? Could there be a new sheriff in town? Likely not, but if the Tigers falter there will be others waiting to take the semi-state plaque home. The friendly confines of the War Memorial Coliseum will play host to 224 wrestlers with only 56 coming away with a ticket to the state finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Look for lots of drama and upsets as this day is always chalk full of it. This year we are adding picks to the preview again, however they are those of our Fort Wayne ranking guru Caleb Spires. Good luck to all the competitors this Saturday. Team Race This is Yorktown’s title to lose at this point. With 12 qualifiers and many of them with very favorable draws they are the heavy favorites to capture their 5th straight semi-state title. However, if they have any missteps there are plenty of teams that will be ready to take the title. Elkhart Memorial has three guys that could win titles, that may not be enough, but they could be near the top. Bellmont always pulls out some upsets none of the prognosticators pick, so they are always dangerous. Carroll could pose a threat as they have three early head to head matches with Yorktown. They would do themselves a HUGE favor by winning those matches. Lastly, you cannot overlook the mighty Panthers of Prairie Heights. The draw gods didn’t do them any favors, but they are battle tested and ready. They aren’t opposed to crashing anyone’s party and cannot be overlooked in the team race. Jimtown is the third team with a shot at making a dent in the team race. They feature two returning state placers in Hunter Watts and Kenny Kerrn along with the Gimson twins that will contend for semi-state titles. Early #SlobberKnockers- Early matches you can't miss State Street Fights- Ticket round matches that will peak your interest #WAYL2- Who Are Your Losses To? 106 The head of the class in the lightest weight class is Yorktown’s Brayden Curtis. He finished 7th at state last year and is ranked #1. He has the state experience and is poised to repeat as semi-state champion. He will be pushed however by seniors JC Herring and Fernando Flores. Herring was a state qualifier last year. Garrett’s Brayden Shearer has turned it up during the post season and is a dangerous wrestler from all positions. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 4) - Isaac Weimer (West Noble) vs. Payton Lechner (Western) (Bout 5) - JC Herring (Oak Hill) vs. Jon-Matthew Spaw (East Noble) State Street Fights Brayden Shearer (Garrett) vs. Nick Buchanan (Prairie Heights) Brayden Curtis (Yorktown) vs. Isaac Weimer (West Noble) or Payton Lechner (Western) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Brayden Curtis 2. JC Herring 3. Fernando Flores 4. Brayden Shearer #WAYL2 Curtis(0) Herring(1)- Andrew Black Flores(2)- Gabe Smith, Danny Tolin, Weimer(4)- Spaw, Buchanan(3), Spaw(5)- Brendan Mattingly, Tyson Coon, Flores, Weimer, Buchanan Lechner(5)- Tyson Coon, Herring(3), Sturgill(6)- Lechner, Herring, Ty Haskins, Martin Cruz, Flores, Trevor Penrod, Buchanan(6)- Flores(2), Evan Light, Danny Tolin, Weimer, Andrew Black, Rupp(6)- Weimer, Logan Boe, Jordan George, Aaron Adkins, Suhas Chundi, Curtis, Shearer(7)- Tanner Schoeff(3), Hunter Watts(2), Gabe Smith, Wyatt Miller, 113 Last year at semi-state Hunter Watts pulled a couple upsets to make his way to the finals. This year he’ll come in as the favorite. He will have a somewhat easier road to punch his ticket, but he cannot overlook Adams Central’s Logan Mosser in the ticket round. The other big names in this field include South Adam’s Wyatt Miller. Miller has stumbled at semi-state the past two years. This year he looks to be peaking at the right time and has the tools to give Watts all he can handle. The other quarter-brackets are tossups with Joe Just of Carroll and Yorktown’s Zachary Todd banging heads in the first round. Like we said earlier that match could have an important part in the team race. At the bottom, we have two guys that have had breakout seasons in Woodlan’s Chris Schuller and Evan Beasley of Northridge. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 9) - Gerald Pearson (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Travis Miller (Fairfield) (Bout 10) - Zachary Todd (Yorktown) vs. Joe Just (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) State Street Fights Hunter Watts (Jimtown) vs. Logan Mosser (Adams Central) Wyatt Miller (South Adams) vs. Tanner Schoeff (Central Noble) Chris Schuller (Woodlan)vs. Evan Beasley (Northridge) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Hunter Watts 2. Wyatt Miller 3. Chris Shuller 4. Joe Just #WAYL2 Schoeff(2)- Beasely(2) Pearson(2)- Miller(Fairfield), Tyler Bowling, Watts(2)- Kory Cavanaugh(2) Miller(3)- Mosser, Davaugh Anderson, Kobe King Schuller(5)- Mosser, Zakk Atkins, Wyatt Miller(2), AJ Selvaggio(OH), Chauhan(6)- Mosser, Pearson(3), Anderson, ??, Brooks(6)- Pearson, Anderson(2), Justin Ristin, Just, ?? Beasley(7)- Schoeff, Wyat Miller, Watts(2), Travis Miller, Brayden Curtis, Fernando Flores, Just(8)- Keegan Overton, Brayden Shearer, Evan Lawhead, Brooks Hartz, Kane Egli, Kory Cavanaugh, Sebastian Cortez, Chris Schuller, Miller(9)- Brayden Shearer(2), Beasley, Watts, Schoeff, ??, ??, ??, ??, Todd(9)- Mosser, Gavin Rose, Jacob Fiew, Logan Bailey, Keeghan Overton, Dylan Phelphs(MI), ??, ??, ?? 120 Last year Christian Mejia had an impressive run at state making his way under the lights. However, he didn't even win semi-state, it was Jabin Wright who ran away with the title. Both return and highlight a deep weight class. Others to watch include Yorktown's Josh Stephenson and Homestead's Blaigh Rushing who both won their respective regionals. Non-regional champs to watch include Dekalb's Trevor Boyce who has been knocking on the state door most of his career. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 18) - Jaylyn Yoder (Fairfield) vs. Owen Krider (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) (Bout 20) - Dane Martin (Leo) vs. Trevor Boyce (DeKalb) State Street Fights Josh Stephenson (Yorktown) vs. Jaylyn Yoder (Fairfield) or Owen Krider (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) Jabin Wright (Kokomo) vs. Dane Martin (Leo) or Trevor Boyce (DeKalb) Blaigh Rushing (Homestead) vs. Nick Liter (Adams Central) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Christian Mejia 2. Jabin Wright 3. Josh Stephenson 4. Blaigh Rushing #WAYL2 Wright(1)- Jon Anderson Mejia(2)- Colin Poynter, Tylor Triana, Smith(3)- Wright(2), ??, Boyce(4)- Joe Wright(OH), Sencer Good(OH), Martin, Mejia, Stephenson(5)- Justice Cash, Keaton Fisher, Lukasz Walendzak, Mejia, ?? Rushing(5)- Boyce, Stephenson(2), Lukasz Walendzak, Spencer Cox, Martin(8)- Krider, Boyce(2), Rushing, Nick Brady(2), Chase Wilkerson, ??, 126 This weight class has numerous storylines and is one that could have a multitude of outcomes. The first storyline is the emergence of Gimson 1. He has had a fine season with only two losses on the season. Then you have the super frosh from Western Hunter Cottingham. Does he have what it takes to punch his ticket to state? He will be a tough out for sure. Back up top you have Garrett’s Dylan DeMarco who had a great regional and could make his first trip to the coliseum a memorable one. Lastly you have three wrestlers that could have a say in the team race in Xayvier Curtis, Joel Byman, and Ryan Rasler. That last quarter bracket will be fun to watch with each wrestler being one that could play spoiler on Saturday. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 26) - Kasey Deardorff (North Miami) vs. William Fiechter (Southern Wells) (Bout 32) - Joel Byman (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) vs. Ryan Rasler (Prairie Heights) State Street Fights Hunter Cottingham (Western) vs. Kyle Davis (Leo) Xayvier Curtis (Yorktown) vs. Joel Byman (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) or Ryan Rasler (Prairie Heights) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Matt Gimson 2. Joel Byman 3. Hunter Cottingham 4. Dylan Demarco #WAYL2 Cottingham(1)- Aaron Castillas Gimson(2)- Jon Becker, Graham Rooks, Gibson(5)- Jordan Vinson, Cottingham(2), ??, ??, Davis(6)- Jon Becker, Jacob Hall(2), Seth Burns, DeMarco, ?? Curtis(6)- Dalton Craig, Robinson, Jon Becker, Alec White, Jordan Slivka, ??, Deardorff(8)- Gibson, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, ??, Rasler(8)- Seth Burns, Dallas Pugsley, Noah Hunt, Byman, DeMarco, Cummings, ??, ??, Fiechter(8)- Curtis, DeMarco, Ledesma, Sanders, ??, ??, ??, ??, Byman(8)- Dallas Pugsley, Chase Poynter, Carson Willis, Matt Lee, Michael DeLapena, Matt Gimson, Jacob Robinson, Kyle Davis, Robinson(9)- Byman(2), Jadon Galvin, Davis, Jake Jenkins(2), DeMarco, Carson Willis, ?? Demarco(10)- Jayce Meyer, Austin Moore, Zane Standridge, Adam Davis, Gimson(2), Rasler, Noah Hunt, Byman, Davis Sanders(10)- Tanner Yenter(OH), Josh Beeks, Cole Houser(OH), Carson Alfred, Larry Evans, Robinson, Jake Jenkins, Fiechter, Curtis, Dylan McClure 132 This is another weight where a Tiger will be the favorite. Yorktown’s Christian Hunt has grown into this weight after placing at state at 106lbs two years ago. He is a tough wrestler that is hard to score on and usually scoring more points is how you win wrestling matches. Others to watch here include Gimson 2. Conner Gimson suffered his first loss of the year at regional and will be the favorite in his quarter bracket. Central Noble’s Austin Moore was the one that handed Gimson his lone loss this year. He seems to be peaking at the right time. The most intriguing ticket round battle will be Columbia City’s Matthew Wright against Adams Central’s Anthony Mosser. Mosser was a state qualifier two years ago at 113lbs. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 38) - Jayce Meyer (Angola) vs. Anthony Mosser (Adams Central) State Street Fights Matthew Wright (Columbia City) vs. Anthony Mosser (Adams Central) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Christian Hunt 2. Conner Gimson 3. Austin Moore 4. Anthony Mosser #WAYL2 Gimson(1)- Moore Mosser(2)- Jack Servies, Hunt, Moore(2)- Hayden Lohrey, Mosser, Hunt(2)- Breyden Bailey(2) Price(3)- Standridge, Wright, Briar Goodwin Wright(5)- Kyle Davis, Jon Becker, Reilly Heater(OH), Maxwell Hertensteiner(OH), Austin Roemer Morrisett(5)- Tim Wright, Jaylon Gibson, Zach Burrell, Cordell Cowan, Colin Fletcher Schliessman(8)- Cainan Schaefer, Gimson, Noah Robinson, Drew Kreitzer, Hunt, Mosser, 138 It is looking like a familiar theme with another Tiger being the favorite here. Yorktown’s Eric Hiestand is another great wrestler from the family and has been on a tear this year. He is hard to score on and will be a threat from any position for big points. After him the weight is wide open. You have some great matches and rivalries that could match up in the first round onward. Dillon Yoder and Joe Leazier will renew their NECC rivalry with the winner getting a crack at Hiestand. Others to watch include a ticket round tussle with Ethan Hicks of Carroll and Logan Macklin of Adams Central. Both have had very similar results against common opponents so it should be a fun one. On the bottom quarter there are about three or even four guys with a chance for that last ticket. Most of them are relative unknowns so it will be who wants it more. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 46) - Dillon Yoder (Fairfield) vs. Joe Leazier (Churubusco) (Bout 48) - Ben Macias (F.w. South Side) vs. Chaz Boyd (Elkhart Central) State Street Fights Ethan Hicks (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) vs. Logan Macklin (Adams Central) Owen Eveler (Northridge) vs. Grant Gutierrez (Bellmont) Lorenzo Trevino (Marion) vs. Ben Macias (FW South Side) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Eric Hiestand 2. Ethan Hicks 3. Grant Gutierrez 4. Ben Macias #WAYL2 Hiestand(2)- Donald Campbell, Zach Melloh, Leazier(4)- Hicks(2), Dillon Yoder, Austin Moore Macias(4)- Chase Hissong, Leazier, Lorenzo Trevino, Zack Bullock, Yoder(5)- Dylan DeMarco, Graham Calhoun, Boyd, ??, ?? Hicks(5)- Robert Deters, Kris Rumph, Jake Schoenegge, Grant Gutierrez, Joe Leazier Trevino(6)- Cody McCune, Matt Wright, Treyven McKinley, Jadon Crisp, Owen Eveler, ??, Macklin(6)- Calvin Brown(OH), Blake Hohleer(OH), Matt Laughlin, Derek Blubaugh, Payton Asbury, Eric Hiestand, Eveler(6)- Hiestand, Graham Calhoun(2), Leazier, Jayce Meyer, Yoder Jones(7)- Leazier, Hiestand, Macklin, Gutierrez, ??, ??, ?? Gutierrez(8)- Sam Osho, Antwaun Graves, Colt Rutter, Hicks, Jacob Laplace, Brooks Davis, Logan Macklin, Hiestand, 145 The theme this year seems to be the finals are in the SEMI-finals. This weight is another one with arguably the top two or even three guys in the same half. At the top we have some interesting match-ups with a quarter bracket that is a virtual pick’em. The wrestler with the least number of losses is the #4 seed, while two guys have 10+ losses. There is no big favorite here, so we’ll see who is ready to wrestle on Saturday. Going down the bracket we will get Wyro and Barr III. They have split matches this year with Barr winning early in the season and Wyro taking the match at Christmas time. Teams in the hunt for a semi-state title will be keeping tabs on this match-up. The bottom bracket will provide some fireworks. Jay County’s fab freshman Mason Winner drew the tough Riley Rasler from Prairie Heights. Winner has only one loss in the state and is as tough as they come. On the bottom side the favorite is Super Charger Joel Arney who will need to get pumped for his potential semi-final match. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 52) - Brady Wyro (Homestead) vs. Xander Stroud (Elkhart Central) (Bout 56) - Parker Bates (Adams Central) vs. Cole Ridgeway (Oak Hill) State Street Fights Eli Elkins (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Carlos Aguirre (Garrett) Alex Barr (Yorktown) vs. Brady Wyro (Homestead) or Xander Stroud (Elkhart Central) Riley Rasler (Prairie Heights) vs. Mason Winner (Jay County) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Mason Winner 2. Alex Barr 3. Joel Arney 4. Carlos Aguirre #WAYL2 Rasler(1)- Kasper McIntosh Arney(2)- Rasler, Mario Traficanti, Winner(2)- Barr, Eric Beck(OH), Barr(4)- Wyro, Jack Ferraro, Colby Deberry(MI), ??, Stroud(4)- Romeo Hoover, Kassius Breathitt, Haden Hensley, Rasler, Young(6)- Winner, Barr, Bates, Owen Conklin, Richardson, ??, Wyro(6)- Barr, Aguirre, Winner, Brayton Lee, Rasler, Tristan Lerch, Elkins(7)- Kyle Wagner, Chad Rothwell, Ridgeway, Jeffery Closser, Ruger Ranney(MI), Carter Ciscell, ?? Aguirre(10)- Arney(3), Cooper Abramson, Rasler(2), Grant Gutierrez, Mike Humbert, Malik Hoover, Blake Webb 152 We knew coming into this weight there could be some cringeworthy ticket round matches here. The bracket gods were at least partially kind, but they still didn’t make it easy for anyone of the top guys to punch their tickets to state. Three wrestlers here have state experience with the fantastic Jimmie Kenny Kerrn leading the way after bringing a medal home last year. Nate Weimer earned a state medal two years ago at 126lbs and Yorktown’s Colt Rutter was a qualifier last year. Sprinkled in with those guys are tough outs in the Patriot Tyler Leonard, three-time ticket rounder Garrett Griffin of Northwood, an undefeated Christian Bratcher of Eastbrook, four loss Dylan Torbush, and finally the mighty Knight Chandler Woenker. There will be some great matches from start to finish here. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 60) - Garrett Griffin (Northwood) vs. Corbin Hetzner (Eastern (Greentown)) (Bout 64) - Dylan Torbush (Wes-Del) vs. Chandler Woenker (F.w. Bishop Luers) State Street Fights Tyler Leonhard (Jay County) vs. Nathaniel Weimer (East Noble) Hunter Reed (Columbia City) vs. Garrett Griffin (Northwood) or Corbin Hetzner (Eastern (Greentown)) Christian Bratcher (Eastbrook) vs. Colt Rutter (Yorktown) Kenny Kerrn (Jimtown) vs. Chandler Woenker (F.w. Bishop Luers) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Kenny Kerrn 2. Hunter Reed 3. Nate Weimer 4. Christian Bratcher #WAYL2 Bratcher(0) Reed(1)- Weimer Kerrn(1)- Kyle Hatch Woenker(3)- Reed, Javier Johnson, Bratcher Evans(3)- Jacob Suski, France, Bratcher Torbush(4)- Leonard(2), Rutter, ?? Green(4)- Kerrn, Torbush(2), Rutter Weimer(4)- Hunter Reed, Kenny Kerrn, Michael Lictenberger, Heiniger(Default), Leonhard(4)- Hunter Perdue(OH), Andrew Negangard, Tony Mosconi, Reed, Hetzner(5)- Bratcher(3), Clayton Cowan, Reed Rutter(6)- Josh Cooper, Adam Hall(MI), Tyler Leonhard, Trevor Reese, Riley White, Robert Deters, Griffin(7)- Kyle Hatch(2), Denver Aydelott, Logan Coyle, Sam Gobeyn, Kerrn(2) 160 Three wrestlers with state experience will come into this weight and they all seem to have some history with each other. Leading the way is state #1 and nationally ranked Brad Laughlin. He has adjusted to the 15lbs jump from last year and been extremely dominant. He will be pushed by Tony Busse who has had a fine senior year after qualifying for state last year. Both cannot overlook the ever dangerous Jed Levitz who had a defensive fall against Busse at the Al Smith this year. Levitz isn’t afraid to get funky and he is not afraid to headhunt. The last qualifying spot will be tough with three talented wrestlers looking to punch their tickets to state. Nick Potter has lost to Levitz and Busse the past two years in the ticket round. Tykease Baker and Ivan Hemmelgarn are both game competitors that could push Potter for the last ticket. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 72) - Ivan Hemmelgarn (Jay County) vs. Tykease Baker (Elkhart Central) State Street Fights Jed Levitz (Prairie Heights) vs. Javier Johnson (F.w. Wayne) Delton Moore (Manchester) vs. Tony Busse (Bellmont) Nick Potter (New Haven) vs. Ivan Hemmelgarn (Jay County) or Tykease Baker (Elkhart Central) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Brad Laughlin 2. Tony Busse 3. Jed Levitz 4. Nick Potter #WAYL2 Laughlin(1)- Burk Van Horn Moore(3)- Evan Jeubehussen, Micah Calhoun, Nate Weimer Levitz(3)- Laine Frazee, Gleason Mappes, Laughlin Busse(4)- Carson Brewer, Levitz, Chase Wilson, Draker Guerrero, Potter(5)- Busse(2), Sam Hauke, ??, ??, Hemmelgarn(5)- Michael Baker(OH), Alston Bane, Jonyvan Johnson, Busse, Laughlin King(6)- Ethan Stock, Josh Gee, Moore, ??, ??, ??, Johnson(7)- Potter(3), Weimer, Dru Berkebile, Busse, Carson Brewer Lone(7)- Lentz, Micah Calhoun, Brenden Montgomery, Micah Wray, Jordan Siddons, Baker, Levitz Baker(9)- David Sheley, Dalton Heintzberger, Travis Sloffer, Laik Minnick, Bryce Baumgartner, Lucas Scott, Quentin Moore, Levitz, Tavonte Malone 170 Three returning wrestlers with state experience headline a loaded 170lbs class at Fort Wayne. Tristan Goering made the move from South Bend and is the only one with a state medal. Bryce Baumgartner has made three trips to the Bank, but never has made it to Saturday. Peru’s Jordan Rader was a state qualifier in 2015. All three were at the Al Smith this year, with only Goering making the medal stand. Look for all three to be contenders for a medal next week. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 74) - Thomas Hemmelgarn (Jay County) vs. Isaac Cornewell (F. W. Bishop Dwenger) (Bout 78) - Coye Blodgett (Prairie Heights) vs. Brody Hardcastle (Oak Hill) State Street Fights Jonyvan Johnson (New Haven) vs. Brody Hardcastle (Oak Hill) Bryce Baumgartner (Bellmont) vs. Quentin Moore (Manchester) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Bryce Baumgartner 2. Jordan Rader 3. Tristan Goering 4. Brody Hardcastle #WAYL2 Baumgartner(1)- Zack Fattore Rader(2)- Tristan Goering, Thomas Penola, Goering(3)- Jonah Hays, Ismael Cornejo, Conner Graber Hardcastle(4)- Eli Stock, Silas Allred, Rader(2) Johnson(5)- Baumgartner, Joe Mazero, Tanner Webster, Caden Friedt, ?? Moore(6)- Rader(2), Conner Graber, Colten Schuler, Hardcastle, ?? Pease(7)- Jake Orschell, Heintzberger, Eli Stock, Justin Miller, Hunter Gulden, Baumgartner, conner Brown Cardwell(7)- Chirstopher Adams, Trizton Carson, Rader(2), Hardcastle, Moore(2) Minnick(8)- Blodgett, Sloffer, Hayden McGee(OH), Patric Keown(OH), Johnson, Hardcastle, Cornwell(2) Edwards(8)- Tevonte Malone, Evan Jones, Tanner Webster, Thomas Penola, Sloffer, Goering(3), Hemmelgarn(9)- Rylee Schindler, Javier Johnson(2), Sam Smith, Dylan Hicks, Andrew Meyer(OH), Tucker Wallace, Baumgartner(2) 182 This weight is going to be another one that you will see some slugfests in the ticket round. Returning state placers Jacob Gray and Joey Blakeley headline this group. Gray’s only losses this year are to #1 and former #800lbGorilla teammate Nathan Walton. Blakeley is currently 1-1 this year with Conner Graber of Northridge who has had a breakout season. However, Graber will have to get past the amazin’ Apache Noah Cressell for a chance to see Blakeley for a third time. If you snuck ahead and read the #WAYL2 you will see that Cressell’s only loss this season is to Graber. Others to watch here is the Saint Stephen Nix who will have to fend off a tough Brave freshman Caden Friedt...weird there have been approximately 8,374 Friedts in the history of Bellmont. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 84) - DaShaun Barbary (Kokomo) vs. Jaxson Savieo (New Haven) State Street Fights Joey Blakeley (Prairie Heights) vs. Blaney Harrison (Oak Hill) Stephen Nix (F. W. Bishop Dwenger) vs. Caden Friedt (Bellmont) Noah Cressell (Wabash) vs. Conner Graber (Northridge) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Jacob Gray 2. Conner Graber 3. Joey Blakely 4. Stephen Nix #WAYL2 Graber(1)- Blakeley Cressell(1)- Graber Gray(2)- Nathan Walton(2) Harrison(2)- Cressell(2) Nix(3)- Jacob Hendrich(2), Cameryn Smith, Blakeley(3)- Lucas Davison, Graber, Cameryn Smith Barbary(6)- Graber, Evan Stambaugh, Isaac Fruits, Harrison(2), Cressell McCann(6)- Blakeley(2), Cressell, Cole Houtz(MI), Scott Sutton(2), Friedt(7)- Joey Szydlo, Jacob Bondon, Tyler Schlegel, Tevonte Malone, Anthony Cicciarelli, Gray, Savieo 195 This weight has a little bit of both state experienced wrestlers and others waiting to break out and make a name for themselves. Leading the way is two-time state placer David Eli who has all the tools to challenge the top guys in the state here. He cannot overlook recent St. Francis Cougar commit Caleb Hankenson who was a state qualifier last year. Before Hankenson takes his skills to the gridiron next fall he will take care of some unfinished business on the mat. Others to watch in this weight is a relative unknown in Wayne’s Dalyn Hart. He could play spoiler this Saturday if he is overlooked. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 90) - Tony Fuller (Oak Hill) vs. Draven Rasler (West Noble) (Bout 95) - Gavin Herrera (Kokomo) vs. Codey Shafer (Prairie Heights) (Bout 96) - Kelly Watson (Yorktown) vs. Devonte Brown (New Haven) State Street Fights Dalyn Hart (F.w. Wayne) vs. Tony Fuller (Oak Hill) or Draven Rasler (West Noble) David Eli (Elkhart Memorial) vs. Isaiah Baumgartner (South Adams) Gavin Herrera (Kokomo) vs. Kelly Watson (Yorktown) or Devonte Brown (New Haven) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. David Eli 2. Caleb Hankenson 3. Dalyn Hart 4. Gavin Herrera #WAYL2 Hankenson(1)- Andrew Davison Eli(1)- Andrew Davison Sedwick(2)- Tyler Moser, Herrera, Hart(3)- Ben Stewart, Hankenson, Victor Lee Rasler(5)- Eli, Dylan McCune, Tyler Moser, ??, ?? Herrera(6)- Trenton Bixler, Cole Slavens, Fuller, ??, ??, ??, Fuller(6)- Cavin Beavers, Nash Brunner, Herrera, Sedwick, ??, ??, Baumgartner(6)- Jacob Elkins, Cordell Camp, Jayden Elwood, Hankenson(2), Levi Leffers 220 The light heavies will be knocking heads early. If you peak down to the ticket round matches you will see all four will be doozies. The two wrestlers in this bracket with state experience could face off for a ticket to state. Last year Corbin Maddox had a great year finishing 7th at 195 and Garrett’s mighty Railroader Beck Davis qualified for state at 195. In the top you’ll have a rubber match between NECC rivals JT Kilgore and Austin Evans, no better way to settle your differences than in the ticket round. Nick Fox and Gaven Hare could also have a great match, both are built very similar and both have the experience to punch their ticket to state. On the bottom half of the bracket you’ll have Trenton Bixler who has put up a fine season facing the Charger Tyler McKeever. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 99) - Nick Fox (Kokomo) vs. Austin Amstutz (New Haven) (Bout 104) - Beck Davis (Garrett) vs. Max Clark (Northwestern) State Street Fights J.T. Kilgore (Churubusco) vs. Austin Evans (Lakeland) Nick Fox (Kokomo) vs. Gaven Hare (Jay County) Trenton Bixler (Northridge) vs. Tyler McKeever (Carroll (Fort Wayne)) Corbin Maddox (Daleville) vs. Beck Davis (Garrett) or Max Clark (Northwestern) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Corbin Maddox 2. J.T. Kilgore 3. Tyler McKeever 4. Nick Fox #WAYL2 Maddox(0) Clark(1)- Fox Kilgore(3)- Hare, McKeever, Evans Evans(3)- Bixler(2), Kilgore, Davis(4)- McKeever(2), Evans(2), Fox(5)- Joey Myren, Jacob McClaine, Dalton Clouse, ??, ?? Hare(5)- Wyatt Hillard(OH), Jared Brinkman, Blake Ripperger, Zach Klostrman(OH), Maddox Bixler(5)- Watson, Devonte Brown, Kilgore(2), Cordell Camp(2), Amstutz(7)- Ethan Bailey, Joe Myren, Jaden Elwood, Kilgore(2), Davis, Ryan Leslie, McKeever(8)- Tahji Irving, Cordell Camp, Kilgore(2), Riley Peterson, Justin Akers, Michael Boots, Eli Pokorney 285 From the beginning of the year we have known this could be a fun weight class to watch. Evan Ellis is the only one with a state medal in the group while Owen Perkins has been to state twice. Carroll's big man Jessie Lawson has had a fine season, but suffered some hiccups along the way. If he's consistent he might give Ellis a good match. Jacob Rhoades had a great season last year, but suffered an injury and was not able to wrestle the state series. He will have a really good ticket round match with Perkins. Don’t overlook the BIG Brave Braiden Shaw, he is a very formidable opponent that has some impressive wins this year. The bottom quarter bracket is a virtual pick’em with Ault and Conner being the favorites to wrestle for a ticket to state. Early #SlobberKnockers (Bout 106) - Avery Jones (Peru) vs. Vince Yoder (Fairfield) State Street Fights Jacob Rhoades (Yorktown) vs. Owen Perkins (Oak Hill) Evan Ellis (Eastern (Greentown)) vs. Braiden Shaw (Bellmont) Nick Conner (Elkhart Central) vs. Dakota Ault (F.w. North Side) Caleb's Concrete Calls 1. Evan Ellis 2. Jessie Lawson 3. Jacob Rhoades 4. Dakota Ault #WAYL2 Ellis(0) Rhoades(2)- Rickie Clark, ??, Lawson(3)- Rickie Clark, Robert Samuels, Shaw Ault(3)- Lawson(2), Ellis, Perkins(4)- Ellis(4) Conner(5)- Lawson, Gio Murillo, Alex Faulkner, Isaiah McWilliams, ?? Shaw(6)- Brett Henson, Tyler Selm, Rhoades(2), Robert Samuels, Steve Woolbright Jacobs(7)- Yoder, Conner(2), Elisha Tipping, Watson, Nick Fox, Rhoades, Yoder(8)- Chase Leeper, Conner(2), Alexander McBee, Contreras, Jacobs, ??, ?? Camp(8)- Yoder, JT Kilgore(2), Max Steward, Brian Fuller, Chase Leeper, Ault, Lawson Contreras(9)- Chanlder Austgen, Lawson, Shaw, Conner(2), Ault, Yoder(2), Jacobs Click here to view the article
  4. Individual State Rankings Per Semi-State Total: Evansville - 62 New Castle - 58 East Chicago - 57 Fort-Wayne - 47 106 New Castle - 6 Fort Wayne - 4 Evansville - 4 East Chicago - 2 113 New Castle - 5 Fort-Wayne - 4 East Chicago - 4 Evansville - 3 120 East Chicago - 6 New Castle - 4 Fort-Wayne - 3 Evansville - 3 126- Evansville - 6 East Chicago - 5 New Castle - 3 Fort-Wayne - 2 132- New Castle - 5 Evansville - 4 East Chicago - 4 Fort-Wayne - 3 138- East Chicago - 5 Evansville - 5 New Castle - 4 Fort-Wayne - 2 145- East Chicago - 5 New Castle - 5 Fort-Wayne - 3 Evansville - 3 152- East Chicago - 5 Fort-Wayne - 4 Evansville - 4 New Castle - 3 160- Evansville - 5 New Castle - 4 East Chicago - 4 Fort-Wayne - 3 170- New Castle - 5 Evansville - 4 East Chicago - 4 Fort-Wayne - 3 182- Evansville - 6 Fort-Wayne - 5 New Castle - 2 East Chicago - 2 195- New Castle - 5 Evansville - 4 Fort-Wayne - 3 East Chicago - 3 220- Evansville - 6 New Castle - 4 Fort-Wayne - 3 East Chicago - 3 285- Fort-Wayne - 5 Evansville - 5 New Castle - 3 East Chicago - 3
  5. Fort Wayne is quickly becoming the wrestling hub in Indiana and the War Memorial Coliseum plays host to three of the big events. This weekend the friendly confines will hold the all-important semi-state wrestling tournament. With that comes 56 golden tickets to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This year’s semi-state will provide a great day of wrestling with some very good entertainment from start to finish. At both ends, 106 and 285 you have weights that have many close competitors that will battle it out from the first whistle. Look for some hot and heavy action from all the weights as this might be the most unpredictable year in recent memory for this semi state. On the team side you have the regulars vying for the title with Yorktown looking like a slight favorite over regional foes Bellmont and Delta, along with Carroll and Elkhart Memorial in the mix. On paper Yorktown has the horses and enough ponies to out distance the field, however that is on paper. Never count out Bellmont in big matches, nor look past a solid Carroll squad. Elkhart Memorial and Delta have the potential for a couple champs and could get a few others through to score some points. Overall with about eight weights that are total toss-ups, the team race will also be fun to watch. As a friendly reminder all you men out there make sure you get your Valentine’s Day cards, flowers, and chocolate on Friday so you aren’t getting the “draw of death” from your lady on Sunday. As with last year, due to many wrestlers from Carroll at the event I will refrain from mostly biased picks on the weight classes. 106lbs Don’t sleep in on Saturday, get to the Coliseum early because if you don’t you’ll miss some of the best wrestling of the day. Returning State Streeter…Ben Streeter was a semi state finalist last year, but he’ll be pushed early on by a couple freshmen in Hunter Watts and Kade Zadylak. Brayden Curtis of Yorktown has come on strong this year. Curtis will have to manage a solid quarter bracket to punch his first ticket to state. The mighty little Panther Tanner DeMien is as tough as they come and was on the podium at state last year. The top of the bottom half has some interesting matches with JC Herring of Oak Hill sporting only one blemish on his record, but he can’t overlook the firepower of the Starfire Wyatt Miller, nor the Cougar little man Tanner Schoeff. #WAYL2 Curtis- Jordan Slivka, Seth Horty, Christian Mejia(113) DeMien- Cayden Rooks, Christian Mejia(113) Zadylak- Brayden Curtis, Wyatt Miller Herring- Brycen Denny Streeter- Gavis Rose, Goeffrey Davis(113), KeeghanOverton Schoeff- Brayden Shearer, Kade Zadylak, Hunter Watts(2 times) Miller- Geoffrey Davis(113), Kade Zadylak, Brayden Curtis, Chris Schuller Early #SlobberKnockers Tanner Schoeff- Central Noble vs. Wyatt Miller- South Adams Kade Zadylak- Norwell vs. Hunter Watts- Jimtown Ticket Round Tussles JC Herring- Oak Hill vs. Schoeff/Miller winner Ben Streeter- North Side vs. Zadylak/Watts winner 113lbs Moving up to 113lbs we have another SAC favorite in the heralded General Geoffrey Davis. Last year he was the semi state champ and brought back a 4th place medal to the south side of Fort Wayne. The other big name to watch for is the Wildkat Jabin Wright. He was at state last year and comes in with expectations of going back this year. Others to watch are #9 Josh Stephenson and #20 Christian Mejia who both come in as regional champions. Some guys to watch that had a blemish last week include Zach Johnson, Trevor Boyce, and Hunter Whitman. #WAYL2 Mejia- Colin Poynter, Jake Schoennegge, Austin Slates Johnson- Geoffrey Davis(2 times), Owen Krider, Donavon Johnson Wright- Jordan Slivka, Donavon Johnson(2 times), Jack Franklin(126), Blake Glogouski(120) Davis- Skylour Turner, Jordan Slivka Stephenson- Alec White, Nick Weaver, Matt Gimson, Noah Hunt Summers- Jabin Wright(3 times), Geoffrey Davis, Alex DeLuna Whitman- Austin Slates(2 times), Christian Mejia(3 times) Early #SlobberKnockers Andrew Wertman- Garrett vs. Nick Liter- Adams Central Garrett Summers- Marion vs. Trevor Boyce- Dekalb Ticket Round Tussles Geoffrey Davis- Wayne vs. Trevor Boyce- Dekalb Josh Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Hunter Whitman- Jimtown 120lbs This weight will feature three wrestlers with state medals along with another one that has state experience. Unfortunately the bracket gods did not separate them all and one will be sent to the showers early. Both Christian Hunt and Blake Glogouski finished 5th last year in the state finals at 106lbs and 120lbs respectively. Hunter Langeloh has had a great senior campaign after placing as a sophomore and qualifying for state last season. Flying Jet Anthony Mosser caught fire last year and made his way to Banker’s Life at 113lbs, but this year he’ll have to punch his ticket by going through Glogouski. This weight should be one of the more open weights with lots of great matches from start to finish. #WAYL2 Langeloh- Michael Higley(Michigan) Moore- Blake Glogouski(2 times) Hunt- Breyden Bailey, Blake Mulkey, Marcus Mejia(126) Glogouski- Hunter Langeloh Mendez- Christian Hunt, Graham Rooks, Noah Hunt, David Clayton, Kyle Davis, Dylan Culp Early #SlobberKnockers Anthony Mosser- Adams Central vs. Joel Byman- Carroll Ticket Round Tussles Austin Moore- Central Noble vs. Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City Blake Glogouski- Fairfield vs. Mosser/Byman winner 126lbs Jon Becker of Bellmont is the only wrestler in this weight with state experience, however it was in 2014. Past him you have a lot of guys with good records and solid resumes, which will make for a very eventful weight to watch. At the top you have a very solid senior in Oak Hill’s Travis Davenport. He has been to semi-state what it seems like about 14 times, this year could be his year to punch his ticket to state. Marcus Mejia is a tough wrestler from Elkhart that was painstakingly close to punching his ticket last year. At the bottom you’ll have the favorite in Homestead’s Jack Franklin, but he can’t overlook a pair of seniors that will want one more week of wrestling in Brock House and Chad Elmore. #WAYL2 Mejia-Brock Hudkins, Blake Glogouski(120) Davenport- Chris Loy, Jayce Meyer Franklin- Breyden Bailey, Isaac Gomez, Blake Glogouski(120) Becker- Michael DeLaPena, Ryan Hardesty, Standridge- Jack Franklin, Ryan Bigelow, Ryan Hardesty, Michael DeLaPena, Dawson Combest, Drake Rhodes Early #SlobberKnockers Brock House- Delta vs. Chad Elmore- Taylor Ticket Round Tussles Travis Davenport- Oak Hill vs. Zane Standridge- Carroll Jack Franklin- Homestead vs. House/Elmore winner 132lbs This weight has been one that people have been talking about all season long. This was probably the first weight most fans clicked on when the brackets came out to see the draws. Starting off you had four returning state qualifiers and another that has been knocking on the door. Unfortunately one of the state qualifiers Kobe Raypole has pulled out of the weight, but that still leaves a lot of great matches on Saturday. The top bracket could be interesting to say the least, Drake Rhodes has been on fire this year until he was upended the past two weeks by Owen Doster. Rhodes will be pushed by Delta’s Noah Richardson and Northwestern’s Hunter Kellogg who is having a very good post season run. Fernando Luevano returns to this weight after qualifying last year for the Chargers. He has yet to be defeated and is one that is very exciting to watch. Returning state qualifiers Daniel Gunsett and Owen Doster are both the favorites in their quarter brackets. Gunsett could face one of two wrestlers with only 6 losses in Kaleb Mooney and Drew Clark. Doster will have the winner of Devin Maggard and Dillon Yoder, both who have good wins on their resume. #WAYL2 Rhodes- Doster(2 times) Doster- Drake Rhodes, Zach Melloh, Chris Donovan(Ohio) Gunsett- Owen Doster(2 times), Brendan Black Maggard- Drew Clark, Dallas Dudelston, ??? Kellog- Hunter Haynes, Caleb Archibald, ???, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Chase Hissong- Leo vs. Dallas Dudelston- Jay County Drew Clark- Northfield vs. Kaleb Mooney- Central Noble Devin Maggard- Marion vs. Dillon Yoder- Fairfield Ticket Round Tussles Daniel Gunsett- Bellmont vs. Clark/Mooney winner Owen Doster- New Haven vs. Yoder/Maggard winner 138lbs Last year at 132lbs it was the Sage Coy show, this year seems to be more of the same up at 138lbs. Coy finished a fantastic junior campaign with a 3rd place medal and is eyeing the top step of the podium this year. Others to watch include Riley Rasler who has had a very good year for the Panthers and comes in with only one loss. Joel Arney has come on strong for the Super Chargers the past few weeks after taking some lumps during the regular season. He will have the winner of a tough match between Blade Corpe and Colt Rutter. In the bottom bracket you will have four seniors duking it out for their state ticket. This one is a pick’em and your guess is as good as mine on who advances. #WAYL2 Rasler- Kris Rumph, Jason Crary, Drake Rhodes Hall- Joel Arney, TT Allen, Brad Smith Woenker- Joel Arney, Devin Maggard(132), Austin Ochoa, ??? Corpe- Dillon Humbert, Jason Crary, Trace Manspeaker, Kyle Hatch, Nathan Housholder Arney- Anthony Williams, Kris Rumph, Sage Coy, Cale McCory, Evan Eldred, Nick Ellis, Kody Wagner Rutter- Sage Coy(2 times), Brooks Wathen, Austin Ramsey, Riley Rasler, James Pritchett, Jaycob Bechtol(Michigan) Brown- Sage Coy(3 times), Colt Rutter(2 times), ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Colt Rutter- Yorktown vs. Blade Corpe- Elkhart Memorial Nathan Housholder- East Noble vs. Exuse Brown- Muncie Central Ticket Round Tussles Riley Rasler- Prairie Heights vs. Skyler Hall- Wabash Joel Arney- Carroll vs. Corpe/Rutter winner TT Allen- Kokomo vs. Brown/Householder winner 145lbs I’m wiping the drool off my screen just looking at this bracket. First you start with two state placers in Isaac Eicher and Brad Laughlin at this weight. Let’s throw in another state placer in Nathan Weimer for some added spice. What? You say you want MORE spice…well here goes, let’s add a little Kerrn, Kenny Kernn that is! This weight is going to be F-U-N to watch. Even the ticket round matches will be interesting with Eicher having a tough Christian Bratcher or NE8 rival Grant Gutierrez. Kerrn will have a very game Corbin Hetzner of Eastern. Ohhh Laughlin will have Weimer in the ticket round most likely. The bottom quarter bracket lacks the drama, but will be one to watch as there is no clear cut favorite. #WAYL2 Laughlin- Cayden Whitaker(160) Bratcher- TC Perry, Szhantrayle Roberson Kerrn- Denzyl Prentice, Triston Rodriguez(2 times) Capps- Corbin Hetzner, Isaac Eicher, Alberto Solis, Tucker Coffman, Nate Weimer Weimer - Jamal Scott, Isaac Eicher, Jack Eiteljorge(2 times), Patrick Waugh, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Vince Prescott- Winchester vs. Corbin Hetzner- Eastern Jamal Scott- Elkhart Central vs. Ethan Hicks- Carroll Ticket Round Tussles Brad Laughlin- Yorktown vs. Nathan Weimer- East Noble Szhantrayl Roberson- Kokomo vs. Scott/Hicks winner Isaac Eicher- Leo vs. Christian Bratcher- Eastbrook 152lbs Three returning state qualifiers highlight this weight at Fort Wayne. The head of the class is probably Cael McCormick of Yorktown who has two state medals, but he cannot look past Doug Levitz or Peyton Sturgill on his way to another semi-state title. Levitz will have the toughest route to qualify for state as he will need to avenge a mid-season loss to Hunter Bates. Sturgill will be pushed by a tough Nick Miller of Snider. In the middle you have a very interesting bracket with Cross Dietrich who has two losses to out of state competition as the regional champ. He will have the winner of Brody Hardcastle and Tyler Leonard to punch his ticket. #WAYL2 Dietrich- Kohle Clellan(Ohio), Quintin Smith(Michigan) Levitz- Steven Lawrence, Hunter Bates, Brad Laughlin(160) Sturgill- Tavris Evans, Denzyl Prentice, Micah Calhoun, Kassius Breathitt Bates- Cael McCormick(2 times), Tyler Leonhard, Ethan Stock, Trent Pruitt Miller- Elijah Dunn, TC Perry(160), Cross Dietrich, ???, ??? Griffin- Doug Levitz, Micah Calhoun, Nick Miller Early #SlobberKnockers Tyler Leonard- Jay County vs. Brody Harcastle- Oak Hill Ticket Round Tussles Doug Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. Hunter Bates- Adams Central Nick Miller- Snider vs. Peyton Sturgill- Peru Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. Garrett Griffin- Northwood Cross Dietrich- Columbia City vs. Leonard/Hardcastle winner 160lbs This weight is one that will probably have much less drama than most. The favorite is state qualifier Josh Garman of Carroll. After him it looks as if anyone can beat anyone at this weight. One loss Blaney Harrison is the wildcard as he has come on strong this year. Don’t overlook Tony Busse of Bellmont either, he has been battle tested throughout the season. One of the most intriguing matches in the ticket round will be Nick Potter against Jed Levitz. Potter won round one, but this round has much more at stake. #WAYL2 Garman- Jacob Gray(170) Harrison- Will Bratcher Levitz- Jordan Rader(2 times), Nick Potter, Cael McCormick(152), Gage Delong Perry- Tony Busse, Brad Laughlin(145), Hunter Bates, Cody Widner, Doug Levitz Busse- Jordan Rader, Tavonte Malone, TC Perry, Blake Dager, Noah Warren Early #SlobberKnockers Ronnie Longbrake- Elkhart Memorial vs. TC Perry- Southern Wells Ticket Round Tussles Blaney Harrison- Oak Hill vs. Longbrake/Perry winner Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. Nick Potter- New Haven 170lbs As we get to the upper weights the action will heat up with a lot of intriguing matches. You’ll likely see round two of Baumgartner and Gray as long as they navigate the semi state minefield. There are some very good wrestlers including one loss Quentin Moore, returning state qualifier Zach Davis amongst others that they will need to beat in order to meet again. Seven wrestlers sport five or less losses with most of them at the hands of another semi state competitor. Nick Ritchie could be a surprise wrestler as his only losses were at the Al Smith. #WAYL2 Baumgartner- Drew Hughes Moore- Amere Dozier Gray- Bryce Baumgartner Ritchie- Coy Park, Eli Pokorney Burns- Caleb Partin, Zach Davis, Robbie Bowers(Ohio) Davis- Caleb Partin, Noah Cressell, ??? Partin- Tate Burns(2), Tykease Baker, Hunter Mote, Zach Davis Early #SlobberKnockers Noah Cressell- Wabash vs. Brady Johnson- Prairie Heights Tykease Baker- Elkhart Central vs. DaShaun Barbary- Kokomo Caleb Partin- Churubusco vs. Jacob Gray- Delta Ticket Round Tussles Zach Davis- Concordia vs. Cressell/Johnson winner Quentin Moore- Manchester vs. Partin/Gray winner Nick Ritchie- Elkhart Memorial vs. Tate Burns- Eastside 182lbs Before sectional this weight was looking to be really nasty. Even with a couple guys moving up this weight still is going to be one to watch. The bracket gods separated the better guys with no killer ticket round matches. Probably the most intriguing early match will be a rematch of last year’s ticket round between Andy Kohler and Wyatt Clem. Kohler was a state qualifier at this weight last year, while #800lbGorilla David Eli placed 7th. Look for some great matches in the semi-finals and finals at this weight. #WAYL2 Kohler- Caleb Hankenson Blakeley- David Eli(2 times), Isaac James Eli- Cam Jones(2 times), Alejandro Castro Hankenson- Andy Kohler, Rhett Mappes, David Eli, Joey Blakely Ault- Stephen Nix(2 times), Caleb Blevins, Stephen Possell, Sam Moon Clem- Andy Kohler, CJ Damler, Hunter Dalton, DaShaun Barbary, Joey Blakely, Stephen Nix Graber- Jeremy Splix(2 times), David Eli, Joey Blakely, Wyatt Clem, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Stephen Nix- Bishop Dwenger vs. Conner Graber- Northridge Heath Ault- Northrop vs. Joey Blakeley- Prairie Heights Ticket Round Tussles Caleb Hankenson- Bellmont vs. Nix/Graber winner Andy Kohler- Jay County vs. Wyatt Clem- Homestead Aaron Sedwick- Maconaquah vs. Ault/Blakeley winner 195lbs Both Corbin Maddox and Luke Elliott wrestled most of the season at 182lbs and made a late jump to this weight even though they both only had one loss during the regular season. Those two added quite a bit of spice to an already wide open weight. Delta’s Scottie Evans is the only returning state qualifier at this weight and will need to navigate a solid quarter-bracket to punch another ticket to Banker’s Life. At the top you’ll have the last(thankfully for most in this area) of the Davis brothers from Garrett against Austin Evans of Lakeland. The two NECC rivals are 1-1 against eachother with Evans getting the win just three weeks ago. Going down the bracket Corbin Maddox has come on strong, but he’ll be pushed by two Al Smith placers in Nate Williams and runner-up Erik Hobbs. Jarod Hayes won regional last week…his reward is a potential pre-Valentine date with state qualifier Scottie Evans. In the bottom bracket you have one loss Elliott with a couple up and comes Isaiah Baumgartner and Tyson Whitner. #WAYL2 Elliott- Corbin Maddox Maddox- Andy Kohler(182) Davis- Erik Hobbs, Michael Leonard, Nick Fox, Austin Evans, Austin Evans- Jennigns Nickolson, Anthony Neal(Michigan), Beck Davis, Jarod Hayes Baumgartner- Scottie Evans, Andy Kohler, ??? Hobbs- Luke Elliott, Scottie Evans, Cole Slavens, Chris Kidwell, Jake Kleimola Eckrote 5- Michael Leonard, Erik Hobbs, Luke Elliott, ???, ??? Scottie Evans 5- Corbin Maddox(2 times), Landon Burton, David Delph, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Lane Eckrote- North Miami vs. Austin Evans- Lakeland Nate Williams- Elkhart Memorial vs. Erik Hobbs- Peru Tyson Whitner- North Side vs. Isaiah Baumgartner- South Adams Ticket Round Tussles Beck Davis- Garrett vs. Eckrote/Evans winner Corbin Maddox- Daleville vs. Williams/Hobbs winner Jarod Hayes- Jimtown vs. Scottie Evans- Delta Luke Elliott- Eastbrook vs. Whitner/Baumgartner winner 220lbs All season long this weight has seemed to have three competitors that are ahead of the field. With that said it leaves open a 4th spot that is ripe for the taking. Returning semi state runner-up Evan Ellis comes in undefeated, while Blake Davis is the only other wrestler with state experience in the field. Goshen RedHAWK Derek Paz is as tough as they come and will look to punch his first ticket to state. The bottom of the top bracket will be the interesting one with three wrestlers who can all get to state in Joey Pier, Max Clark, and JT Kilgore. Davis and Ellis should navigate their brackets to setup a semi-finals match. #WAYL2 Paz- Kobe Woods, Trent Bixler, Evan Ellis Isaacson- Jacob McClaine, Blake Davis, JT Kilgore Asher- JT Kilgore, PJ Ernst, John Isaacson, Blake Davis Davis- Braxton Amos(285), Derek Paz, Sam Hipple, Tyler McKeever Kilgore- Blake Davis(3 times), Tyler McKeever, PJ Ernst Clark- Trevor Brown, Nick Fox, Tyler Moser, Evan Ellis, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers JT Kilgore- Churubusco vs. Max Clark- Northwestern Evan Ellis- Eastern vs. Noah Asher- Concordia Ticket Round Tussles Derek Paz- Goshen vs. John Isaacson- Leo Joey Pier- Yorktown vs. Clark/Kilgore winner 285lbs Much like 195, this weight is one that is a pick’em from start to finish. If you wrestle this weight 10 times you’ll get 10 different outcomes. As Coach P said on Tuesday, it will come down to who manages risks the best. Two surprise regional champs are at the top half in Bellmont’s Braiden Shaw and Dwenger’s Landon Campbell. Shaw will be pushed by Braxton Amos in the ticket round while Campbell will have a good one with the winner of Jose Montanez and DeAndre Hodge. In the bottom half Owen Perkins qualified for state in 2014 and will have to go through Carroll’s Jessie Lawson to get another ticket to state. Nick Mammolenti of Jimtown had a great regional and will have to get through a tough Ryan George in the quarters. In a weight usually dominated by seniors, we only have five in the field this year. This could be very interesting not only this year, but next! #WAYL2 Perkins- Garrett Clark Hodge- Owen Perkins(2 times), Jordan Rogers, ??? George- Jessie Lawson, Braiden Shaw(2 times), Ethan Heffernan Lawson- Robert Samuels(2 times), Nick Mammolenti, Sean Galligar, Landon Campbell Amos- Blake Davis(220), Givoni Murillo, Sean Galligar, Ethan Bunce, Nick Mammolenti, ??? Mammolenti- Landon Campbell, Isaiah McWilliams, Givoni Murillo, Scott Fuller, William Vakalahi, Blake Davis(220), Braxton Amos Campbell- Jessie Lawson, Dakota Ault(2 times), Jordan Libby, Jacob Obst, Nick Conner,William Vakalahi Shaw- Jessie Lawson, Dylan Schumm, Nick Mammolenti, Sean Galligar, Dan Cutter, Chris Ridle Early #SlobberKnockers DeAndre Hodge- Marion vs. Jose Montanez- Goshen Ticket Round Tussles Braiden Shaw- Bellmont vs. Braxton Amos- Prairie Heights Landon Campbell- Bishop Dwenger vs. Montanez/Hodge winner Owen Perkins- Oak Hill vs. Jessie Lawson- Carroll Nick Mammolenti- Jimtown vs. Ryan George- Delta
  6. Fort Wayne is quickly becoming the wrestling hub in Indiana and the War Memorial Coliseum plays host to three of the big events. This weekend the friendly confines will hold the all-important semi-state wrestling tournament. With that comes 56 golden tickets to Bankers Life Fieldhouse. This year’s semi-state will provide a great day of wrestling with some very good entertainment from start to finish. At both ends, 106 and 285 you have weights that have many close competitors that will battle it out from the first whistle. Look for some hot and heavy action from all the weights as this might be the most unpredictable year in recent memory for this semi state. On the team side you have the regulars vying for the title with Yorktown looking like a slight favorite over regional foes Bellmont and Delta, along with Carroll and Elkhart Memorial in the mix. On paper Yorktown has the horses and enough ponies to out distance the field, however that is on paper. Never count out Bellmont in big matches, nor look past a solid Carroll squad. Elkhart Memorial and Delta have the potential for a couple champs and could get a few others through to score some points. Overall with about eight weights that are total toss-ups, the team race will also be fun to watch. As a friendly reminder all you men out there make sure you get your Valentine’s Day cards, flowers, and chocolate on Friday so you aren’t getting the “draw of death” from your lady on Sunday. As with last year, due to many wrestlers from Carroll at the event I will refrain from mostly biased picks on the weight classes. 106lbs Don’t sleep in on Saturday, get to the Coliseum early because if you don’t you’ll miss some of the best wrestling of the day. Returning State Streeter…Ben Streeter was a semi state finalist last year, but he’ll be pushed early on by a couple freshmen in Hunter Watts and Kade Zadylak. Brayden Curtis of Yorktown has come on strong this year. Curtis will have to manage a solid quarter bracket to punch his first ticket to state. The mighty little Panther Tanner DeMien is as tough as they come and was on the podium at state last year. The top of the bottom half has some interesting matches with JC Herring of Oak Hill sporting only one blemish on his record, but he can’t overlook the firepower of the Starfire Wyatt Miller, nor the Cougar little man Tanner Schoeff. #WAYL2 Curtis- Jordan Slivka, Seth Horty, Christian Mejia(113) DeMien- Cayden Rooks, Christian Mejia(113) Zadylak- Brayden Curtis, Wyatt Miller Herring- Brycen Denny Streeter- Gavis Rose, Goeffrey Davis(113), KeeghanOverton Schoeff- Brayden Shearer, Kade Zadylak, Hunter Watts(2 times) Miller- Geoffrey Davis(113), Kade Zadylak, Brayden Curtis, Chris Schuller Early #SlobberKnockers Tanner Schoeff- Central Noble vs. Wyatt Miller- South Adams Kade Zadylak- Norwell vs. Hunter Watts- Jimtown Ticket Round Tussles JC Herring- Oak Hill vs. Schoeff/Miller winner Ben Streeter- North Side vs. Zadylak/Watts winner 113lbs Moving up to 113lbs we have another SAC favorite in the heralded General Geoffrey Davis. Last year he was the semi state champ and brought back a 4th place medal to the south side of Fort Wayne. The other big name to watch for is the Wildkat Jabin Wright. He was at state last year and comes in with expectations of going back this year. Others to watch are #9 Josh Stephenson and #20 Christian Mejia who both come in as regional champions. Some guys to watch that had a blemish last week include Zach Johnson, Trevor Boyce, and Hunter Whitman. #WAYL2 Mejia- Colin Poynter, Jake Schoennegge, Austin Slates Johnson- Geoffrey Davis(2 times), Owen Krider, Donavon Johnson Wright- Jordan Slivka, Donavon Johnson(2 times), Jack Franklin(126), Blake Glogouski(120) Davis- Skylour Turner, Jordan Slivka Stephenson- Alec White, Nick Weaver, Matt Gimson, Noah Hunt Summers- Jabin Wright(3 times), Geoffrey Davis, Alex DeLuna Whitman- Austin Slates(2 times), Christian Mejia(3 times) Early #SlobberKnockers Andrew Wertman- Garrett vs. Nick Liter- Adams Central Garrett Summers- Marion vs. Trevor Boyce- Dekalb Ticket Round Tussles Geoffrey Davis- Wayne vs. Trevor Boyce- Dekalb Josh Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Hunter Whitman- Jimtown 120lbs This weight will feature three wrestlers with state medals along with another one that has state experience. Unfortunately the bracket gods did not separate them all and one will be sent to the showers early. Both Christian Hunt and Blake Glogouski finished 5th last year in the state finals at 106lbs and 120lbs respectively. Hunter Langeloh has had a great senior campaign after placing as a sophomore and qualifying for state last season. Flying Jet Anthony Mosser caught fire last year and made his way to Banker’s Life at 113lbs, but this year he’ll have to punch his ticket by going through Glogouski. This weight should be one of the more open weights with lots of great matches from start to finish. #WAYL2 Langeloh- Michael Higley(Michigan) Moore- Blake Glogouski(2 times) Hunt- Breyden Bailey, Blake Mulkey, Marcus Mejia(126) Glogouski- Hunter Langeloh Mendez- Christian Hunt, Graham Rooks, Noah Hunt, David Clayton, Kyle Davis, Dylan Culp Early #SlobberKnockers Anthony Mosser- Adams Central vs. Joel Byman- Carroll Ticket Round Tussles Austin Moore- Central Noble vs. Hunter Langeloh- Columbia City Blake Glogouski- Fairfield vs. Mosser/Byman winner 126lbs Jon Becker of Bellmont is the only wrestler in this weight with state experience, however it was in 2014. Past him you have a lot of guys with good records and solid resumes, which will make for a very eventful weight to watch. At the top you have a very solid senior in Oak Hill’s Travis Davenport. He has been to semi-state what it seems like about 14 times, this year could be his year to punch his ticket to state. Marcus Mejia is a tough wrestler from Elkhart that was painstakingly close to punching his ticket last year. At the bottom you’ll have the favorite in Homestead’s Jack Franklin, but he can’t overlook a pair of seniors that will want one more week of wrestling in Brock House and Chad Elmore. #WAYL2 Mejia-Brock Hudkins, Blake Glogouski(120) Davenport- Chris Loy, Jayce Meyer Franklin- Breyden Bailey, Isaac Gomez, Blake Glogouski(120) Becker- Michael DeLaPena, Ryan Hardesty, Standridge- Jack Franklin, Ryan Bigelow, Ryan Hardesty, Michael DeLaPena, Dawson Combest, Drake Rhodes Early #SlobberKnockers Brock House- Delta vs. Chad Elmore- Taylor Ticket Round Tussles Travis Davenport- Oak Hill vs. Zane Standridge- Carroll Jack Franklin- Homestead vs. House/Elmore winner 132lbs This weight has been one that people have been talking about all season long. This was probably the first weight most fans clicked on when the brackets came out to see the draws. Starting off you had four returning state qualifiers and another that has been knocking on the door. Unfortunately one of the state qualifiers Kobe Raypole has pulled out of the weight, but that still leaves a lot of great matches on Saturday. The top bracket could be interesting to say the least, Drake Rhodes has been on fire this year until he was upended the past two weeks by Owen Doster. Rhodes will be pushed by Delta’s Noah Richardson and Northwestern’s Hunter Kellogg who is having a very good post season run. Fernando Luevano returns to this weight after qualifying last year for the Chargers. He has yet to be defeated and is one that is very exciting to watch. Returning state qualifiers Daniel Gunsett and Owen Doster are both the favorites in their quarter brackets. Gunsett could face one of two wrestlers with only 6 losses in Kaleb Mooney and Drew Clark. Doster will have the winner of Devin Maggard and Dillon Yoder, both who have good wins on their resume. #WAYL2 Rhodes- Doster(2 times) Doster- Drake Rhodes, Zach Melloh, Chris Donovan(Ohio) Gunsett- Owen Doster(2 times), Brendan Black Maggard- Drew Clark, Dallas Dudelston, ??? Kellog- Hunter Haynes, Caleb Archibald, ???, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Chase Hissong- Leo vs. Dallas Dudelston- Jay County Drew Clark- Northfield vs. Kaleb Mooney- Central Noble Devin Maggard- Marion vs. Dillon Yoder- Fairfield Ticket Round Tussles Daniel Gunsett- Bellmont vs. Clark/Mooney winner Owen Doster- New Haven vs. Yoder/Maggard winner 138lbs Last year at 132lbs it was the Sage Coy show, this year seems to be more of the same up at 138lbs. Coy finished a fantastic junior campaign with a 3rd place medal and is eyeing the top step of the podium this year. Others to watch include Riley Rasler who has had a very good year for the Panthers and comes in with only one loss. Joel Arney has come on strong for the Super Chargers the past few weeks after taking some lumps during the regular season. He will have the winner of a tough match between Blade Corpe and Colt Rutter. In the bottom bracket you will have four seniors duking it out for their state ticket. This one is a pick’em and your guess is as good as mine on who advances. #WAYL2 Rasler- Kris Rumph, Jason Crary, Drake Rhodes Hall- Joel Arney, TT Allen, Brad Smith Woenker- Joel Arney, Devin Maggard(132), Austin Ochoa, ??? Corpe- Dillon Humbert, Jason Crary, Trace Manspeaker, Kyle Hatch, Nathan Housholder Arney- Anthony Williams, Kris Rumph, Sage Coy, Cale McCory, Evan Eldred, Nick Ellis, Kody Wagner Rutter- Sage Coy(2 times), Brooks Wathen, Austin Ramsey, Riley Rasler, James Pritchett, Jaycob Bechtol(Michigan) Brown- Sage Coy(3 times), Colt Rutter(2 times), ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Colt Rutter- Yorktown vs. Blade Corpe- Elkhart Memorial Nathan Housholder- East Noble vs. Exuse Brown- Muncie Central Ticket Round Tussles Riley Rasler- Prairie Heights vs. Skyler Hall- Wabash Joel Arney- Carroll vs. Corpe/Rutter winner TT Allen- Kokomo vs. Brown/Householder winner 145lbs I’m wiping the drool off my screen just looking at this bracket. First you start with two state placers in Isaac Eicher and Brad Laughlin at this weight. Let’s throw in another state placer in Nathan Weimer for some added spice. What? You say you want MORE spice…well here goes, let’s add a little Kerrn, Kenny Kernn that is! This weight is going to be F-U-N to watch. Even the ticket round matches will be interesting with Eicher having a tough Christian Bratcher or NE8 rival Grant Gutierrez. Kerrn will have a very game Corbin Hetzner of Eastern. Ohhh Laughlin will have Weimer in the ticket round most likely. The bottom quarter bracket lacks the drama, but will be one to watch as there is no clear cut favorite. #WAYL2 Laughlin- Cayden Whitaker(160) Bratcher- TC Perry, Szhantrayle Roberson Kerrn- Denzyl Prentice, Triston Rodriguez(2 times) Capps- Corbin Hetzner, Isaac Eicher, Alberto Solis, Tucker Coffman, Nate Weimer Weimer - Jamal Scott, Isaac Eicher, Jack Eiteljorge(2 times), Patrick Waugh, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Vince Prescott- Winchester vs. Corbin Hetzner- Eastern Jamal Scott- Elkhart Central vs. Ethan Hicks- Carroll Ticket Round Tussles Brad Laughlin- Yorktown vs. Nathan Weimer- East Noble Szhantrayl Roberson- Kokomo vs. Scott/Hicks winner Isaac Eicher- Leo vs. Christian Bratcher- Eastbrook 152lbs Three returning state qualifiers highlight this weight at Fort Wayne. The head of the class is probably Cael McCormick of Yorktown who has two state medals, but he cannot look past Doug Levitz or Peyton Sturgill on his way to another semi-state title. Levitz will have the toughest route to qualify for state as he will need to avenge a mid-season loss to Hunter Bates. Sturgill will be pushed by a tough Nick Miller of Snider. In the middle you have a very interesting bracket with Cross Dietrich who has two losses to out of state competition as the regional champ. He will have the winner of Brody Hardcastle and Tyler Leonard to punch his ticket. #WAYL2 Dietrich- Kohle Clellan(Ohio), Quintin Smith(Michigan) Levitz- Steven Lawrence, Hunter Bates, Brad Laughlin(160) Sturgill- Tavris Evans, Denzyl Prentice, Micah Calhoun, Kassius Breathitt Bates- Cael McCormick(2 times), Tyler Leonhard, Ethan Stock, Trent Pruitt Miller- Elijah Dunn, TC Perry(160), Cross Dietrich, ???, ??? Griffin- Doug Levitz, Micah Calhoun, Nick Miller Early #SlobberKnockers Tyler Leonard- Jay County vs. Brody Harcastle- Oak Hill Ticket Round Tussles Doug Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. Hunter Bates- Adams Central Nick Miller- Snider vs. Peyton Sturgill- Peru Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. Garrett Griffin- Northwood Cross Dietrich- Columbia City vs. Leonard/Hardcastle winner 160lbs This weight is one that will probably have much less drama than most. The favorite is state qualifier Josh Garman of Carroll. After him it looks as if anyone can beat anyone at this weight. One loss Blaney Harrison is the wildcard as he has come on strong this year. Don’t overlook Tony Busse of Bellmont either, he has been battle tested throughout the season. One of the most intriguing matches in the ticket round will be Nick Potter against Jed Levitz. Potter won round one, but this round has much more at stake. #WAYL2 Garman- Jacob Gray(170) Harrison- Will Bratcher Levitz- Jordan Rader(2 times), Nick Potter, Cael McCormick(152), Gage Delong Perry- Tony Busse, Brad Laughlin(145), Hunter Bates, Cody Widner, Doug Levitz Busse- Jordan Rader, Tavonte Malone, TC Perry, Blake Dager, Noah Warren Early #SlobberKnockers Ronnie Longbrake- Elkhart Memorial vs. TC Perry- Southern Wells Ticket Round Tussles Blaney Harrison- Oak Hill vs. Longbrake/Perry winner Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights vs. Nick Potter- New Haven 170lbs As we get to the upper weights the action will heat up with a lot of intriguing matches. You’ll likely see round two of Baumgartner and Gray as long as they navigate the semi state minefield. There are some very good wrestlers including one loss Quentin Moore, returning state qualifier Zach Davis amongst others that they will need to beat in order to meet again. Seven wrestlers sport five or less losses with most of them at the hands of another semi state competitor. Nick Ritchie could be a surprise wrestler as his only losses were at the Al Smith. #WAYL2 Baumgartner- Drew Hughes Moore- Amere Dozier Gray- Bryce Baumgartner Ritchie- Coy Park, Eli Pokorney Burns- Caleb Partin, Zach Davis, Robbie Bowers(Ohio) Davis- Caleb Partin, Noah Cressell, ??? Partin- Tate Burns(2), Tykease Baker, Hunter Mote, Zach Davis Early #SlobberKnockers Noah Cressell- Wabash vs. Brady Johnson- Prairie Heights Tykease Baker- Elkhart Central vs. DaShaun Barbary- Kokomo Caleb Partin- Churubusco vs. Jacob Gray- Delta Ticket Round Tussles Zach Davis- Concordia vs. Cressell/Johnson winner Quentin Moore- Manchester vs. Partin/Gray winner Nick Ritchie- Elkhart Memorial vs. Tate Burns- Eastside 182lbs Before sectional this weight was looking to be really nasty. Even with a couple guys moving up this weight still is going to be one to watch. The bracket gods separated the better guys with no killer ticket round matches. Probably the most intriguing early match will be a rematch of last year’s ticket round between Andy Kohler and Wyatt Clem. Kohler was a state qualifier at this weight last year, while #800lbGorilla David Eli placed 7th. Look for some great matches in the semi-finals and finals at this weight. #WAYL2 Kohler- Caleb Hankenson Blakeley- David Eli(2 times), Isaac James Eli- Cam Jones(2 times), Alejandro Castro Hankenson- Andy Kohler, Rhett Mappes, David Eli, Joey Blakely Ault- Stephen Nix(2 times), Caleb Blevins, Stephen Possell, Sam Moon Clem- Andy Kohler, CJ Damler, Hunter Dalton, DaShaun Barbary, Joey Blakely, Stephen Nix Graber- Jeremy Splix(2 times), David Eli, Joey Blakely, Wyatt Clem, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Stephen Nix- Bishop Dwenger vs. Conner Graber- Northridge Heath Ault- Northrop vs. Joey Blakeley- Prairie Heights Ticket Round Tussles Caleb Hankenson- Bellmont vs. Nix/Graber winner Andy Kohler- Jay County vs. Wyatt Clem- Homestead Aaron Sedwick- Maconaquah vs. Ault/Blakeley winner 195lbs Both Corbin Maddox and Luke Elliott wrestled most of the season at 182lbs and made a late jump to this weight even though they both only had one loss during the regular season. Those two added quite a bit of spice to an already wide open weight. Delta’s Scottie Evans is the only returning state qualifier at this weight and will need to navigate a solid quarter-bracket to punch another ticket to Banker’s Life. At the top you’ll have the last(thankfully for most in this area) of the Davis brothers from Garrett against Austin Evans of Lakeland. The two NECC rivals are 1-1 against eachother with Evans getting the win just three weeks ago. Going down the bracket Corbin Maddox has come on strong, but he’ll be pushed by two Al Smith placers in Nate Williams and runner-up Erik Hobbs. Jarod Hayes won regional last week…his reward is a potential pre-Valentine date with state qualifier Scottie Evans. In the bottom bracket you have one loss Elliott with a couple up and comes Isaiah Baumgartner and Tyson Whitner. #WAYL2 Elliott- Corbin Maddox Maddox- Andy Kohler(182) Davis- Erik Hobbs, Michael Leonard, Nick Fox, Austin Evans, Austin Evans- Jennigns Nickolson, Anthony Neal(Michigan), Beck Davis, Jarod Hayes Baumgartner- Scottie Evans, Andy Kohler, ??? Hobbs- Luke Elliott, Scottie Evans, Cole Slavens, Chris Kidwell, Jake Kleimola Eckrote 5- Michael Leonard, Erik Hobbs, Luke Elliott, ???, ??? Scottie Evans 5- Corbin Maddox(2 times), Landon Burton, David Delph, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers Lane Eckrote- North Miami vs. Austin Evans- Lakeland Nate Williams- Elkhart Memorial vs. Erik Hobbs- Peru Tyson Whitner- North Side vs. Isaiah Baumgartner- South Adams Ticket Round Tussles Beck Davis- Garrett vs. Eckrote/Evans winner Corbin Maddox- Daleville vs. Williams/Hobbs winner Jarod Hayes- Jimtown vs. Scottie Evans- Delta Luke Elliott- Eastbrook vs. Whitner/Baumgartner winner 220lbs All season long this weight has seemed to have three competitors that are ahead of the field. With that said it leaves open a 4th spot that is ripe for the taking. Returning semi state runner-up Evan Ellis comes in undefeated, while Blake Davis is the only other wrestler with state experience in the field. Goshen RedHAWK Derek Paz is as tough as they come and will look to punch his first ticket to state. The bottom of the top bracket will be the interesting one with three wrestlers who can all get to state in Joey Pier, Max Clark, and JT Kilgore. Davis and Ellis should navigate their brackets to setup a semi-finals match. #WAYL2 Paz- Kobe Woods, Trent Bixler, Evan Ellis Isaacson- Jacob McClaine, Blake Davis, JT Kilgore Asher- JT Kilgore, PJ Ernst, John Isaacson, Blake Davis Davis- Braxton Amos(285), Derek Paz, Sam Hipple, Tyler McKeever Kilgore- Blake Davis(3 times), Tyler McKeever, PJ Ernst Clark- Trevor Brown, Nick Fox, Tyler Moser, Evan Ellis, ??? Early #SlobberKnockers JT Kilgore- Churubusco vs. Max Clark- Northwestern Evan Ellis- Eastern vs. Noah Asher- Concordia Ticket Round Tussles Derek Paz- Goshen vs. John Isaacson- Leo Joey Pier- Yorktown vs. Clark/Kilgore winner 285lbs Much like 195, this weight is one that is a pick’em from start to finish. If you wrestle this weight 10 times you’ll get 10 different outcomes. As Coach P said on Tuesday, it will come down to who manages risks the best. Two surprise regional champs are at the top half in Bellmont’s Braiden Shaw and Dwenger’s Landon Campbell. Shaw will be pushed by Braxton Amos in the ticket round while Campbell will have a good one with the winner of Jose Montanez and DeAndre Hodge. In the bottom half Owen Perkins qualified for state in 2014 and will have to go through Carroll’s Jessie Lawson to get another ticket to state. Nick Mammolenti of Jimtown had a great regional and will have to get through a tough Ryan George in the quarters. In a weight usually dominated by seniors, we only have five in the field this year. This could be very interesting not only this year, but next! #WAYL2 Perkins- Garrett Clark Hodge- Owen Perkins(2 times), Jordan Rogers, ??? George- Jessie Lawson, Braiden Shaw(2 times), Ethan Heffernan Lawson- Robert Samuels(2 times), Nick Mammolenti, Sean Galligar, Landon Campbell Amos- Blake Davis(220), Givoni Murillo, Sean Galligar, Ethan Bunce, Nick Mammolenti, ??? Mammolenti- Landon Campbell, Isaiah McWilliams, Givoni Murillo, Scott Fuller, William Vakalahi, Blake Davis(220), Braxton Amos Campbell- Jessie Lawson, Dakota Ault(2 times), Jordan Libby, Jacob Obst, Nick Conner,William Vakalahi Shaw- Jessie Lawson, Dylan Schumm, Nick Mammolenti, Sean Galligar, Dan Cutter, Chris Ridle Early #SlobberKnockers DeAndre Hodge- Marion vs. Jose Montanez- Goshen Ticket Round Tussles Braiden Shaw- Bellmont vs. Braxton Amos- Prairie Heights Landon Campbell- Bishop Dwenger vs. Montanez/Hodge winner Owen Perkins- Oak Hill vs. Jessie Lawson- Carroll Nick Mammolenti- Jimtown vs. Ryan George- Delta Click here to view the article
  7. About every four years lucky ladies from around the state get to spend their Valentine’s Day nestled up in a warm gym watching some great wrestling. Gentlemen, be sure to get your cards and flowers early so you beat the lunch time rush to the nearest Wal Mart for a card and flowers. While, coaches and fans will be exchanging cards and flowers with their significant others off the mat, on the mat it is a different story. We will have numerous slobber knockers and knock’em down, drag’em out matches going on from start to finish. The team race is Yorktown’s to lose, but they will be pushed by three NHC teams in Carroll, East Noble, and Bellmont. They also cannot overlook a team like Elkhart Memorial who has some tough wrestlers and favorable draws. Yorktown could punch anywhere from 5-10 tickets to state. East Noble could pose the biggest challenge as they have four wrestlers who could bring back championships. Carroll has a shot if they win some early matches with the Yorkies. Bellmont, they might not use magic, but bring ten to Fort Wayne that are ready to scrap. Note, due to a certain team having quite a few representatives I am going to forgo any predictions on who will advance. 106lbs No seniors qualified at this weight and this can be one of the most up for grabs weights on Saturday. The top quarter-bracket is the one with the most intrigue. You have regional champ JC Herring with only two losses, a freshman with on 3 losses in Austin Moore, and Wayne’s Geoffrey Davis who is having a very good season. Each of these wrestlers provide interesting match-ups and will make this quarter-bracket fun to watch. Going down the line, the second quarter-bracket has the favorite Christian Hunt from Yorktown. He cannot overlook his ticket round match with either Christian Mejia or Joe Just. On the top of the bottom bracket you will see one of the marquee ticket round matches of the day. In a battle of superb freshmen you’ll have Tanner DeMien of NorthWood battling super Starfire freshman Wyatt Miller. Both only have two losses on the season and are favorites to finish on the podium at Banker’s Life. On the bottom bracket you have Carroll regional champion Ben Streeter who looks primed to punch his ticket to state. He will have to battle a tough Owen Eveler of Northridge right off the bat. Payton Lechner of Western or Adams Central’s Nick Liter will battle it out in the first round. Early Slobber Knockers Austin Moore- Central Noble vs. Geoffrey Davis- Wayne Ticket Round Tussles Tanner Demien- Northwood vs. Wyatt Miller- Northridge JC Herring- Marion vs. Moore/Davis winner 113lbs Defending semistate champion Garrett Pepple leads the way here at 113lbs. While he is the favorite, he cannot overlook Blake Glogouski who gave him a great 4-2 match at regional. Glogouski has a tough draw from start to finish as he will battle a very game Mason Mendez in the first round. The winner of that match gets one loss Jack Franklin of Homestead. In the top bracket you have Flying Jet Anthony Mosser who is peaking at the right time after capturing sectional and regional championships. He will have a tough ticket round foe in Oak Hill’s Travis Davenport. In the second quarter-bracket you have the aforementioned Pepple who could meet up with NHC foe Joel Byman for the third time or Western’s Tyler Lechner. Jabin Wright has also been peaking at the right time as he captured the Peru regional championship last week. He will get the winner of Josh Stephenson of Yorktown and Kyle Mockensturm of Prairie Heights in the ticket round. In the last quarter-bracket you have the previously mentioned trio of Franklin, Mendez, and Glogouski. Franklin’s only loss on the year is to Mendez at the conference tournament and Glogouski’s only loss is to Pepple last week. Early Slobber Knockers Mason Mendez- Bellmont vs. Blake Glogouski- Fairfield Josh Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Kyle Mockensturm- Prairie Heights Ticket Round Tussles Anthony Mosser- Adams Central vs. Travis Davenport- Oak Hill Jack Franklin- Homestead vs. Mendez/Glogouski winner 120lbs Hey guess what? We don’t have a rematch of the 3rd place match in the ticket round at 120lbs this year! Past that, this weight should be fun to watch. All of the top competitors at this weight are fast paced and put points on the board. This weight is highlighted by #2 ranked Sawyer Miller, along with state placer Hunter Langeloh, and state qualifiers Jon Becker and Edward Loraine. At the top you have state qualifier Loraine, who will have to go through a tough Brock House of Delta and Goshen regional champion Marcus Mejia of Elkhart Memorial. Mejia has had a great season and his potential match with Loraine could be a doozy. In the second quarter-bracket you have a first round match-up between NHC foes Ben Cauffman of Carroll and Jon Becker of Bellmont. These two did not meet this year, so the jury is out on who will come out on top. The winner of that match will most likely get Peru regional champion Chad Elmore of Taylor. On the top of the bottom bracket last year’s 106lbs 7th place finisher Hunter Langeloh comes in with only four losses and the heavy favorite. Don’t count out Yorkie freshman Colt Rutter as his 11 losses can be deceiving. Also in that quarter-bracket is NHC rival Kyle Davis of Dekalb who seems to be hitting stride at the right time. Sawyer Miller highlights the last quarter-bracket with his unblemished record. He needs to stay the course as the last time a senior from South Adams came to the coliseum undefeated he left before lunch. He will have senior Kyle Rothgeb of Heritage first round and a potential meeting with Laker Cole Long in the ticket round. Early Slobber Knockers Ben Cauffman- Carroll vs. Jon Becker- Bellmont Ticket Round Tussles Marcus Meija- Elkhart Memorial vs. Eddie Loraine- Leo 126lbs The big storyline at this weight is the possibility of four wrestlers from the same conference all punching their tickets to state. The Northeast Hoosier Conference(RIP) has five very fine competitors at this weight in regional champions Owen Doster of New Haven, Daniel Gunsett of Bellmont, and Nate Weimer of East Noble. Lastly Carroll’s Kobe Raypole is in the last bracket and if he navigates his first two opponents could break through to state. At the top of the bracket Doster will have a wrestling battle with upstart Jimmie JD Greathouse. Doster has had a superb season after being put out of the tournament due to an injury last year. Greathouse is a darkhorse that placed 5th at the Al Smith and snuck into the last rankings update. In the second quarter-bracket you have Gunsett on top with a tough first round opponent in Woodlan’s Nik Hoot. Hoot is an inspirational wrestler that should get a standing ovation whether he wins or loses. The winner of Hoot and Gunsett will get the winner of Devin Maggard of Marion and Logan Maynard of Goshen. On the bottom half you have probably the most competitive quarter bracket with Oak Hill’s Zach Gunter coming in as the top seed. The 2 vs. 3 match will be a good one with Raypole battling a tough Remington Hiestand in the first round. The Hiestand vs. Raypole winner is considered a slight favorite by many to punch their ticket to state. Lastly, the bottom bracket will probably feature a battle of NHC foes. Nate Weimer is looking wrestle at Banker’s Life for the second straight year, while nemesis Drake Rhoades is looking to derail those plans. Rhoades may have 13 losses, but he has the potential to beat anyone on any given day. Early Slobber Knockers Kobe Raypole- Carroll vs. Remington Hiestand- Yorktown Ticket Round Tussles Owen Doster- New Haven vs. JD Greathouse- Jimtown Drake Rhodes- Homestead vs. Nate Weimer- East Noble 132lbs One unique thing about this weight class is you have had pretty much two tough guys at each regional. This makes for solid separation of this weight and no cringe worthy draws. Two-time state placer Connor Knapp is the head of the class, but will be pushed by Sage Coy in the semi-finals. On the bottom half, Kyle Egolf and Caleb Maddox are favorites, but need to wrestle well to punch their tickets. The top bracket has the heavy favorite Knapp. Last year’s run to the semi-state championship included wins over three wrestlers that were semi-finalists…this year’s road is a little less bumpy. He will likely face Bulldog Ryan Shaffer in the ticket round. Sage Coy is making the most of his first state series after some bad luck the previous two years. He will have to battle one of two freshmen, Carroll’s Joel Arney or Eastbrook’s Christian Bratcher in the ticket round. Coy is a physical wrestler that has a wide array of attack from throws to shots to defense. Going down the line, you get one of the more intriguing first round matches between relatively unknown Jamal Scott and well known Jacob Stephenson. The winner will get a tough Kyle Egolf in the ticket round. This is probably the toughest to predict quarter-bracket at 132lbs. Lastly you have the senior who has paid his dues in Caleb Maddox and the fantastic freshman Fernando Luevano of West Noble. Along with the contrasting experience, Maddox is a tall and lanky lad, while Luevano is short and stocky. Look for this to be a very good match in the ticket round. Early Slobber Knockers Jacob Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Jamal Scott- Elkhart Central Ticket Round Tussles Fernando Luevano- West Noble vs. Caleb Maddox- Western Kyle Egolf- Columbia City vs. Scott/Stephenson winner 138lbs This weight is highlighted by two returning state qualifiers in mighty Squire Clayton Moore and the tough Tiger Brad Laughlin. Along with those two you have an undefeated Isaac Eicher and a state ranked Jay Franko also in the mix. This weight class will be one of the better ones to watch from the semi-finals on. Early on you will see returning state qualifier Moore battle one of two tough juniors in the ticket round. Nathaniel Smith of Columbia City has the tools to give the top wrestlers a great match. He will have to get past Exuse(pronounced Zues) Brown of Muncie Central in the first round. The jumpin' Jimmie Jay Franko looks to be the favorite in his quarter-bracket. However, the senior will have to fend off either Busco Bad Boy Chase Downing or the pink haired Robert Ford of Monroe Central. Both Ford and Downing come in with very few losses and have the potential to give Franko a run for his money. Probably the most solid quarter-final lock would be Yorktown's Brad Laughlin. He is having a stellar sophomore campaign and will likely face Fremont junior Hunter Leskowyak in the ticket round. The last quarter-bracket will see an undefeated Isaac Eicher of Leo as the early favorite. His biggest competition could be from Goshen's battle tested Joel Byler. Shane Curtis of Oak Hill cannot be overlooked as he has had a solid senior season. Early Slobber Knockers Exuse Brown- Muncie Central vs. Nathaniel Smith- Columbia City Robert Ford- Monroe Central vs. Chase Downing- Churubusco Ticket Round Tussles Clayton Moore- Manchester vs. Brown/Smith winner 145lbs With the way this weight was spread out in the semi-state, we knew there would be some good early matches. The Goshen regional boasts four solid grapplers that cannot be overlooked. Throw in two-time placer Cael McCormick and two-time ticket rounder Tanner Shipley, some good wrestlers will be buying a ticket at Banker’s Life next week. In the top quarter-bracket you have two coaches sons battling in out in Cael McCormick and Logan Williams. McCormick has two state medals, but this could be his toughest ticket round match. Williams is a good wrestler that is very fundamentally sound. Look for a very good match here. The second quarter-bracket is a toss-up with Prairie Heights standout Doug Levitz as the early favorite. He will need to go through two-loss Brody Hardcastle of Oak Hill to punch his first ticket to state. The third quarter-bracket is going to be fun to watch. Tanner Shipley has been in the ticket round twice and comes in as the regional champ. He will have a very tough Nathan Housholder in the first round, with the winner facing Hunter Bates who is having an outstanding season. Bates defeated Shipley in a close match early in the season and Shipley defeated Housholder earlier in the season also. The last quarter-bracket has returning state qualifier Tony Vaughn that is most people’s favorite to qualify. However, he cannot overlook either of his opponents. Kyle Leland has been wrestling very well as of late and he could push Vaughn in the first round. Joe Becker of Bellmont…well he’s from Bellmont, never count out a Brave in the ticket round. Early Slobber Knockers Tanner Shipley- Huntington North vs. Nathan Housholder- East Noble Tony Vaughn- Elkhart Memorial vs. Kyle Leland- Homestead Ticket Round Tussles Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. Logan Williams- DeKalb Shipley/Housholder winner vs. Hunter Bates- Adams Central 152lbs As we move up in weight the competition will get stiffer. At 152lbs you have #3 ranked Josh Garman leading the way with an unblemished 40-0 record. He will come in as the favorite, but will need to navigate some tough wrestlers like Peru’s Peyton Sturgrill and red hot Jimmie Marquis Schieber to bring the semi-state championship back to Huntertown. At the top you have Garman as the favorite in his quarter bracket. He could meet up with Garrett Griffen of Northwood whom he pinned in the finals of the Wild Bill Invite. Griffin will have to get past three-loss sophomore Quentin Moore in the first round, while Garman has Tyler Leonard of Jay County. The second quarter bracket has a good mixture of youth and experience. Dru Berkebile of Yorktown comes in with only five losses and is ONLY a freshman. He will face the winner of two three loss seniors that will battle it out in the first round. Taylor Grim of West Noble will face fellow senior Breighton Mullinix of Oak Hill who dropped to 152 late in the season. On the bottom half, you have Marquis Schieber who has been on fire as of late. He won a very good sectional and regional after having a disappointing regular season. He will face the winner of small school studs Tate Burns of Eastside and TC Perry of Southern Wells. The last quarter bracket is going to be another one that is an absolute toss-up. First round you have a rematch of the 3rd place match at the Al Smith when regional champion Peyton Sturgill battles Ronnie Longbreak. The other early match will have NHC rivals on the mat when Cross Dietrich takes on Tony Busse. Busse won a 9-6 match at the conference tournament just a few weeks ago. On top of all of that, Sturgill defeated Busse 1-0 at the Al Smith. Early Slobber Knockers Quentin Moore- Manchester vs. Garrett Griffin- Northwood Taylor Grim- West Noble vs. Breighton Mullinix- Oak Hill Peyton Sturgill- Peru vs. Ronnie Longbreake- Elkhart Memorial Tony Busse- Bellmont vs. Thaddeus-Cross Dietrich- Columbia City Ticket Round Tussles Grim/Mullinix winner vs. Dru Berkebile- Yorktown Sturgill/Longbrake winner vs. Busse/Dietrich winner 160lbs With the potential of two state ranked wrestlers meeting in the ticket round many people are thanking the bracket gods for separating the top wrestlers here. Jake Weimer, Jacob Grey, and #800lbGorilla Bryce Baumgartner all come in with high expectations and high state rankings. On the top you have Weimer as the favorite. He was a state qualifier as a sophomore, but was upended last year in the ticket round. The added size has made him an even more dangerous wrestler. He will have the winner of Logan Snyder and DeShawn Barbary in the ticket round. Weimer could meet up with undefeated Jacob Grey if everything goes as “planned.” Gray had a mild upset over Baumgartner at regional in a very close match. His potential ticket round match will feature either Eastside’s Gage Delong or Eastbrook’s Chris Wickline. Nick Potter drew the tough task of being a regional champion and running into a returning state qualifier. Potter and Baumgartner are very familiar with eachother as Baumgartner owns two wins over him this year. The last quarter bracket will once again provide a great storyline. Will the upstart freshmen come out on top or will the senior play spoiler? In the first round you have Luke Liter of Adams Central battling Prairie Heights’ Jed Levitz in a rematch from the 1A state finals. Liter won by pin, but don’t count out the Panther freshman. Lurking after that will be super Tiger freshman Jordan Rader. Peru wrestles a competitive schedule so his five losses are legit. Early Slobber Knockers Luke Liter- Adams Central vs. Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights Ticket Round Tussles Liter/Levitz winner vs. Jordan Rader- Peru 170lbs The main story-line here is the unknowns vs. the knowns. State 3rd place finisher Dillion Jackson leads the way, along with two-time state streeter Kaine Luginbill. Past those two though it is going to be interesting to watch. At the top you have Jackson leading the way. He should be unchallenged to clinch his second trip to Banker’s Life. Going down you have one of the unknowns in Concordia’s undefeated Zach Davis. He will have to get through five loss Colton Guy in the first round. Past that it will be a battle of two wrestlers with 10+ losses. On the bottom bracket you have Luginbill as the favorite, but he will have to fend off two loss Luke Elliott in the ticket round. As with any match, Luginbill will make it interesting whether he wins or loses. The last bracket will provide the most uncertainty. Regional champion Nick Ritchie comes in the slight favorite, but will be tested in the ticket round. That match will feature the winner of Brett Baker of Bellmont and Turtletown’s own Caleb Partin. The Baker name is synonymous with wrestling in Decatur so never look past him. Early Slobber Knockers Brett Baker- Bellmont vs. Caleb Partin- Churubusco Ticket Round Tussles Nick Ritchie- Elkhart Memorial vs. Baker/Partin winner 182lbs Returning state 3rd place finisher Corey Hinkle made a late drop to this weight after wrestling 195lbs most of the season. Look for him to be the favorite, but past him it will be anyone’s guess as to who will punch their tickets to Banker’s Life. At the top you have upstart Wyatt Clem of Homestead who comes in as the regional champion. He will have to fend off not only Jay County’s Andy Kohler, but also his coach’s impeccable beard. Next you will have regional champion David Eli coming in as the favorite. He will be pushed early by Snider’s Russell Davies. After that he could face off with Daleville’s Corbin Maddox. The bottom bracket will feature an interesting match between two teams vying for the semi-state title. Yorktown’s Hunter Hiestand will most likely battle Carroll’s Kayne Duncan in a great ticket round match. Lastly, you have Mr. Hinkle who comes in with a zero in the loss column. He will however, be pushed in the ticket round by West Noble’s Oscar Reyes. Reyes got a late start to the season, but that could be in his advantage. Early Slobber Knockers David Eli- Elkhart Memorial vs. Russell Davies- Snider Ticket Round Tussles Wyatt Clem- Homestead vs. Andy Kohler- Jay County Hunter Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Kayne Duncan- Carroll Corey Hinkle- Western vs. Oscar Reyes- West Noble 195lbs This is another weight class where the bracket gods separated the better wrestlers. The three returning state qualifiers all were separated from each other and that could make for an interesting day at the coliseum. At the top you have returning state qualifier Tristin Anglin coming in as a four seed. He will have a tough match with Michael Leonard of Northwood who is no slouch. The winner of that match will get a tough Eagle junior in Scottie Evans. This top bracket is very hard to predict how it will come out. Next we have the great unknown in Carroll’s Eric Dunten. He comes in without a blemish on his record in his first year on the varsity squad. He has three wins over both Anglin and Davis along with a win over #11 Sam Hipple. He will have a familiar foe in Bellmont’s Carter Friedt in the ticket round. On the bottom half you will have returning state qualifier Bo Davis looking to make it to state once again. He will have to battle the winner of Mykal Taylor of Muncie Central and Lane Eckrote of North Miami. Lastly, you have the heavy favorite Myron Howard of Yorktown. Howard was a 4th place finisher last year at 182lbs and is looking to add another medal this year. Early Slobber Knockers Michael Leonard- Northwood vs. Tristin Anglin- Columbia City Lane Eckrote- North Miami vs. Mykal Taylor- Muncie Central Ticket Round Tussles Scottie Evans- Delta vs. Leonard/Anglin winner Bo Davis- Garrett vs. Eckrote/Taylor winner 220lbs For being an upper weight, this one provides a great mixture of youth and experience. Leading the way is last year’s 6th place finisher and 2nd ranked Eliseo Guerra of Elkhart Central. He has had a tough sectional and regional, which in turn will make his path to clinching another state berth “easier.” Each of the quarter-brackets will provide some intriguing match-ups. At the top the mighty Railroader Blake Davis comes in as the regional champion. However, he will have to battle mighty Redskin Derek Paz for a state berth. Paz defeated Davis at the Al Smith 5-1, so this could be a very interesting match to watch. In the next quarter-bracket, super Sophomore Evan Ellis looks to be the favorite. He will have a tough Goshen regional foe in Elkhart Memorial’s Kaleb Summers in the ticket round. Both are tough wrestlers and it is hard to give a confident nod to either grappler. Guerra is the highlight of his quarter bracket. He could be pushed by Woodlan’s Edwin Barberena in the ticket round. Lastly, the final quarter-bracket is probably the most mysterious with no clear cut favorites. Winchester’s Dustyn Hangen comes in with only one loss and on paper looks to be the favorite. He will have to battle the early round winner of Huntington North’s Lane Emery and Peru’s Erik Hobbs. Early Slobber Knockers Layne Emery- Huntington North vs. Erik Hobbs- Peru Ticket Round Tussles Blake Davis- Garrett vs. Derek Paz- Goshen Evan Ellis- Eastern- Greentown vs. Kaleb Summers- Elkhart Memorial Dustyn Hangen- Winchester vs. Emery/Hobbs winner 285lbs This weight is the definition of toss-up. Whoever comes into the coliseum wrestling well could be the champion or qualify for state. In looking at each quarter bracket, there is one where there is a favorite. The other three it will be easier to pick a champion from flipping a coin than analyzing wins and losses. Matt Swartz of Snider looks to be the easiest pick to make it to the semi-finals, however he cannot overlook his first match with Mason Morningstar. He will face the winner of Jimmie sophomore Nick Mammolenti and Marion’s De’Andre Hodge. The second quarter bracket is about as crazy as it can me. Returning state qualifier Owen Perkins is the “headliner” of the group, however he cannot overlook anyone. Last year he defeated Dax Hiestand in the first round of semi-state, so he has an edge there. Brock Bergman of Lakeland is a big guy and will pose trouble for Perkins in the first round. Hiestand also cannot overlook the young buck from Carroll first round. The third quarter-bracket comes with as much uncertainty as Indiana weather. Issac Barrios of Elkhart Central is solid, but drew a red hot Evan Beech of North Miami. In a battle of quick and athletic big guys, Daemon Williams of Bishop Luers will battle Kiaser Phillips of Monroe Central. Again, all these match-ups are toss-ups as any of these four guys can punch their ticket to Banker’s Life. Lastly, the bottom quarter-bracket has just as many storylines. At team state Braxton Amos of Prairie Heights defeated Isiah Bollenbacher 2-0, however each needs to get past their first opponents. Amos will have Dante Graham of Western who has given guys like Perkins tough matches. Bollenbacher will have a game Drew Cummings of Columbia City who has some good wins this year. Throw the rankings and past results out the window for this weight class as the only thing that will matter is who comes to wrestle on Saturday. Early Slobber Knockers Brock Bergman- Lakeland vs. Owen Perkins- Oak Hill Evan Beech- North Miami vs. Issac Barrios- Elkhart Central Daemen Williams- Bishop Luers vs. Kiaser Phillips- Monroe Central Isiah Bollenbacher- Adams Central vs. Drew Cummings- Columbia City Ticket Round Tussles Dax Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Bergman/Owens winner Beech/Barrios winner vs. Williams/Phillips winner Braxton Amos- Prairie Heights vs.Bollenbacher/Cummings winner
  8. About every four years lucky ladies from around the state get to spend their Valentine’s Day nestled up in a warm gym watching some great wrestling. Gentlemen, be sure to get your cards and flowers early so you beat the lunch time rush to the nearest Wal Mart for a card and flowers. While, coaches and fans will be exchanging cards and flowers with their significant others off the mat, on the mat it is a different story. We will have numerous slobber knockers and knock’em down, drag’em out matches going on from start to finish. The team race is Yorktown’s to lose, but they will be pushed by three NHC teams in Carroll, East Noble, and Bellmont. They also cannot overlook a team like Elkhart Memorial who has some tough wrestlers and favorable draws. Yorktown could punch anywhere from 5-10 tickets to state. East Noble could pose the biggest challenge as they have four wrestlers who could bring back championships. Carroll has a shot if they win some early matches with the Yorkies. Bellmont, they might not use magic, but bring ten to Fort Wayne that are ready to scrap. Note, due to a certain team having quite a few representatives I am going to forgo any predictions on who will advance. 106lbs No seniors qualified at this weight and this can be one of the most up for grabs weights on Saturday. The top quarter-bracket is the one with the most intrigue. You have regional champ JC Herring with only two losses, a freshman with on 3 losses in Austin Moore, and Wayne’s Geoffrey Davis who is having a very good season. Each of these wrestlers provide interesting match-ups and will make this quarter-bracket fun to watch. Going down the line, the second quarter-bracket has the favorite Christian Hunt from Yorktown. He cannot overlook his ticket round match with either Christian Mejia or Joe Just. On the top of the bottom bracket you will see one of the marquee ticket round matches of the day. In a battle of superb freshmen you’ll have Tanner DeMien of NorthWood battling super Starfire freshman Wyatt Miller. Both only have two losses on the season and are favorites to finish on the podium at Banker’s Life. On the bottom bracket you have Carroll regional champion Ben Streeter who looks primed to punch his ticket to state. He will have to battle a tough Owen Eveler of Northridge right off the bat. Payton Lechner of Western or Adams Central’s Nick Liter will battle it out in the first round. Early Slobber Knockers Austin Moore- Central Noble vs. Geoffrey Davis- Wayne Ticket Round Tussles Tanner Demien- Northwood vs. Wyatt Miller- Northridge JC Herring- Marion vs. Moore/Davis winner 113lbs Defending semistate champion Garrett Pepple leads the way here at 113lbs. While he is the favorite, he cannot overlook Blake Glogouski who gave him a great 4-2 match at regional. Glogouski has a tough draw from start to finish as he will battle a very game Mason Mendez in the first round. The winner of that match gets one loss Jack Franklin of Homestead. In the top bracket you have Flying Jet Anthony Mosser who is peaking at the right time after capturing sectional and regional championships. He will have a tough ticket round foe in Oak Hill’s Travis Davenport. In the second quarter-bracket you have the aforementioned Pepple who could meet up with NHC foe Joel Byman for the third time or Western’s Tyler Lechner. Jabin Wright has also been peaking at the right time as he captured the Peru regional championship last week. He will get the winner of Josh Stephenson of Yorktown and Kyle Mockensturm of Prairie Heights in the ticket round. In the last quarter-bracket you have the previously mentioned trio of Franklin, Mendez, and Glogouski. Franklin’s only loss on the year is to Mendez at the conference tournament and Glogouski’s only loss is to Pepple last week. Early Slobber Knockers Mason Mendez- Bellmont vs. Blake Glogouski- Fairfield Josh Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Kyle Mockensturm- Prairie Heights Ticket Round Tussles Anthony Mosser- Adams Central vs. Travis Davenport- Oak Hill Jack Franklin- Homestead vs. Mendez/Glogouski winner 120lbs Hey guess what? We don’t have a rematch of the 3rd place match in the ticket round at 120lbs this year! Past that, this weight should be fun to watch. All of the top competitors at this weight are fast paced and put points on the board. This weight is highlighted by #2 ranked Sawyer Miller, along with state placer Hunter Langeloh, and state qualifiers Jon Becker and Edward Loraine. At the top you have state qualifier Loraine, who will have to go through a tough Brock House of Delta and Goshen regional champion Marcus Mejia of Elkhart Memorial. Mejia has had a great season and his potential match with Loraine could be a doozy. In the second quarter-bracket you have a first round match-up between NHC foes Ben Cauffman of Carroll and Jon Becker of Bellmont. These two did not meet this year, so the jury is out on who will come out on top. The winner of that match will most likely get Peru regional champion Chad Elmore of Taylor. On the top of the bottom bracket last year’s 106lbs 7th place finisher Hunter Langeloh comes in with only four losses and the heavy favorite. Don’t count out Yorkie freshman Colt Rutter as his 11 losses can be deceiving. Also in that quarter-bracket is NHC rival Kyle Davis of Dekalb who seems to be hitting stride at the right time. Sawyer Miller highlights the last quarter-bracket with his unblemished record. He needs to stay the course as the last time a senior from South Adams came to the coliseum undefeated he left before lunch. He will have senior Kyle Rothgeb of Heritage first round and a potential meeting with Laker Cole Long in the ticket round. Early Slobber Knockers Ben Cauffman- Carroll vs. Jon Becker- Bellmont Ticket Round Tussles Marcus Meija- Elkhart Memorial vs. Eddie Loraine- Leo 126lbs The big storyline at this weight is the possibility of four wrestlers from the same conference all punching their tickets to state. The Northeast Hoosier Conference(RIP) has five very fine competitors at this weight in regional champions Owen Doster of New Haven, Daniel Gunsett of Bellmont, and Nate Weimer of East Noble. Lastly Carroll’s Kobe Raypole is in the last bracket and if he navigates his first two opponents could break through to state. At the top of the bracket Doster will have a wrestling battle with upstart Jimmie JD Greathouse. Doster has had a superb season after being put out of the tournament due to an injury last year. Greathouse is a darkhorse that placed 5th at the Al Smith and snuck into the last rankings update. In the second quarter-bracket you have Gunsett on top with a tough first round opponent in Woodlan’s Nik Hoot. Hoot is an inspirational wrestler that should get a standing ovation whether he wins or loses. The winner of Hoot and Gunsett will get the winner of Devin Maggard of Marion and Logan Maynard of Goshen. On the bottom half you have probably the most competitive quarter bracket with Oak Hill’s Zach Gunter coming in as the top seed. The 2 vs. 3 match will be a good one with Raypole battling a tough Remington Hiestand in the first round. The Hiestand vs. Raypole winner is considered a slight favorite by many to punch their ticket to state. Lastly, the bottom bracket will probably feature a battle of NHC foes. Nate Weimer is looking wrestle at Banker’s Life for the second straight year, while nemesis Drake Rhoades is looking to derail those plans. Rhoades may have 13 losses, but he has the potential to beat anyone on any given day. Early Slobber Knockers Kobe Raypole- Carroll vs. Remington Hiestand- Yorktown Ticket Round Tussles Owen Doster- New Haven vs. JD Greathouse- Jimtown Drake Rhodes- Homestead vs. Nate Weimer- East Noble 132lbs One unique thing about this weight class is you have had pretty much two tough guys at each regional. This makes for solid separation of this weight and no cringe worthy draws. Two-time state placer Connor Knapp is the head of the class, but will be pushed by Sage Coy in the semi-finals. On the bottom half, Kyle Egolf and Caleb Maddox are favorites, but need to wrestle well to punch their tickets. The top bracket has the heavy favorite Knapp. Last year’s run to the semi-state championship included wins over three wrestlers that were semi-finalists…this year’s road is a little less bumpy. He will likely face Bulldog Ryan Shaffer in the ticket round. Sage Coy is making the most of his first state series after some bad luck the previous two years. He will have to battle one of two freshmen, Carroll’s Joel Arney or Eastbrook’s Christian Bratcher in the ticket round. Coy is a physical wrestler that has a wide array of attack from throws to shots to defense. Going down the line, you get one of the more intriguing first round matches between relatively unknown Jamal Scott and well known Jacob Stephenson. The winner will get a tough Kyle Egolf in the ticket round. This is probably the toughest to predict quarter-bracket at 132lbs. Lastly you have the senior who has paid his dues in Caleb Maddox and the fantastic freshman Fernando Luevano of West Noble. Along with the contrasting experience, Maddox is a tall and lanky lad, while Luevano is short and stocky. Look for this to be a very good match in the ticket round. Early Slobber Knockers Jacob Stephenson- Yorktown vs. Jamal Scott- Elkhart Central Ticket Round Tussles Fernando Luevano- West Noble vs. Caleb Maddox- Western Kyle Egolf- Columbia City vs. Scott/Stephenson winner 138lbs This weight is highlighted by two returning state qualifiers in mighty Squire Clayton Moore and the tough Tiger Brad Laughlin. Along with those two you have an undefeated Isaac Eicher and a state ranked Jay Franko also in the mix. This weight class will be one of the better ones to watch from the semi-finals on. Early on you will see returning state qualifier Moore battle one of two tough juniors in the ticket round. Nathaniel Smith of Columbia City has the tools to give the top wrestlers a great match. He will have to get past Exuse(pronounced Zues) Brown of Muncie Central in the first round. The jumpin' Jimmie Jay Franko looks to be the favorite in his quarter-bracket. However, the senior will have to fend off either Busco Bad Boy Chase Downing or the pink haired Robert Ford of Monroe Central. Both Ford and Downing come in with very few losses and have the potential to give Franko a run for his money. Probably the most solid quarter-final lock would be Yorktown's Brad Laughlin. He is having a stellar sophomore campaign and will likely face Fremont junior Hunter Leskowyak in the ticket round. The last quarter-bracket will see an undefeated Isaac Eicher of Leo as the early favorite. His biggest competition could be from Goshen's battle tested Joel Byler. Shane Curtis of Oak Hill cannot be overlooked as he has had a solid senior season. Early Slobber Knockers Exuse Brown- Muncie Central vs. Nathaniel Smith- Columbia City Robert Ford- Monroe Central vs. Chase Downing- Churubusco Ticket Round Tussles Clayton Moore- Manchester vs. Brown/Smith winner 145lbs With the way this weight was spread out in the semi-state, we knew there would be some good early matches. The Goshen regional boasts four solid grapplers that cannot be overlooked. Throw in two-time placer Cael McCormick and two-time ticket rounder Tanner Shipley, some good wrestlers will be buying a ticket at Banker’s Life next week. In the top quarter-bracket you have two coaches sons battling in out in Cael McCormick and Logan Williams. McCormick has two state medals, but this could be his toughest ticket round match. Williams is a good wrestler that is very fundamentally sound. Look for a very good match here. The second quarter-bracket is a toss-up with Prairie Heights standout Doug Levitz as the early favorite. He will need to go through two-loss Brody Hardcastle of Oak Hill to punch his first ticket to state. The third quarter-bracket is going to be fun to watch. Tanner Shipley has been in the ticket round twice and comes in as the regional champ. He will have a very tough Nathan Housholder in the first round, with the winner facing Hunter Bates who is having an outstanding season. Bates defeated Shipley in a close match early in the season and Shipley defeated Housholder earlier in the season also. The last quarter-bracket has returning state qualifier Tony Vaughn that is most people’s favorite to qualify. However, he cannot overlook either of his opponents. Kyle Leland has been wrestling very well as of late and he could push Vaughn in the first round. Joe Becker of Bellmont…well he’s from Bellmont, never count out a Brave in the ticket round. Early Slobber Knockers Tanner Shipley- Huntington North vs. Nathan Housholder- East Noble Tony Vaughn- Elkhart Memorial vs. Kyle Leland- Homestead Ticket Round Tussles Cael McCormick- Yorktown vs. Logan Williams- DeKalb Shipley/Housholder winner vs. Hunter Bates- Adams Central 152lbs As we move up in weight the competition will get stiffer. At 152lbs you have #3 ranked Josh Garman leading the way with an unblemished 40-0 record. He will come in as the favorite, but will need to navigate some tough wrestlers like Peru’s Peyton Sturgrill and red hot Jimmie Marquis Schieber to bring the semi-state championship back to Huntertown. At the top you have Garman as the favorite in his quarter bracket. He could meet up with Garrett Griffen of Northwood whom he pinned in the finals of the Wild Bill Invite. Griffin will have to get past three-loss sophomore Quentin Moore in the first round, while Garman has Tyler Leonard of Jay County. The second quarter bracket has a good mixture of youth and experience. Dru Berkebile of Yorktown comes in with only five losses and is ONLY a freshman. He will face the winner of two three loss seniors that will battle it out in the first round. Taylor Grim of West Noble will face fellow senior Breighton Mullinix of Oak Hill who dropped to 152 late in the season. On the bottom half, you have Marquis Schieber who has been on fire as of late. He won a very good sectional and regional after having a disappointing regular season. He will face the winner of small school studs Tate Burns of Eastside and TC Perry of Southern Wells. The last quarter bracket is going to be another one that is an absolute toss-up. First round you have a rematch of the 3rd place match at the Al Smith when regional champion Peyton Sturgill battles Ronnie Longbreak. The other early match will have NHC rivals on the mat when Cross Dietrich takes on Tony Busse. Busse won a 9-6 match at the conference tournament just a few weeks ago. On top of all of that, Sturgill defeated Busse 1-0 at the Al Smith. Early Slobber Knockers Quentin Moore- Manchester vs. Garrett Griffin- Northwood Taylor Grim- West Noble vs. Breighton Mullinix- Oak Hill Peyton Sturgill- Peru vs. Ronnie Longbreake- Elkhart Memorial Tony Busse- Bellmont vs. Thaddeus-Cross Dietrich- Columbia City Ticket Round Tussles Grim/Mullinix winner vs. Dru Berkebile- Yorktown Sturgill/Longbrake winner vs. Busse/Dietrich winner 160lbs With the potential of two state ranked wrestlers meeting in the ticket round many people are thanking the bracket gods for separating the top wrestlers here. Jake Weimer, Jacob Grey, and #800lbGorilla Bryce Baumgartner all come in with high expectations and high state rankings. On the top you have Weimer as the favorite. He was a state qualifier as a sophomore, but was upended last year in the ticket round. The added size has made him an even more dangerous wrestler. He will have the winner of Logan Snyder and DeShawn Barbary in the ticket round. Weimer could meet up with undefeated Jacob Grey if everything goes as “planned.” Gray had a mild upset over Baumgartner at regional in a very close match. His potential ticket round match will feature either Eastside’s Gage Delong or Eastbrook’s Chris Wickline. Nick Potter drew the tough task of being a regional champion and running into a returning state qualifier. Potter and Baumgartner are very familiar with eachother as Baumgartner owns two wins over him this year. The last quarter bracket will once again provide a great storyline. Will the upstart freshmen come out on top or will the senior play spoiler? In the first round you have Luke Liter of Adams Central battling Prairie Heights’ Jed Levitz in a rematch from the 1A state finals. Liter won by pin, but don’t count out the Panther freshman. Lurking after that will be super Tiger freshman Jordan Rader. Peru wrestles a competitive schedule so his five losses are legit. Early Slobber Knockers Luke Liter- Adams Central vs. Jed Levitz- Prairie Heights Ticket Round Tussles Liter/Levitz winner vs. Jordan Rader- Peru 170lbs The main story-line here is the unknowns vs. the knowns. State 3rd place finisher Dillion Jackson leads the way, along with two-time state streeter Kaine Luginbill. Past those two though it is going to be interesting to watch. At the top you have Jackson leading the way. He should be unchallenged to clinch his second trip to Banker’s Life. Going down you have one of the unknowns in Concordia’s undefeated Zach Davis. He will have to get through five loss Colton Guy in the first round. Past that it will be a battle of two wrestlers with 10+ losses. On the bottom bracket you have Luginbill as the favorite, but he will have to fend off two loss Luke Elliott in the ticket round. As with any match, Luginbill will make it interesting whether he wins or loses. The last bracket will provide the most uncertainty. Regional champion Nick Ritchie comes in the slight favorite, but will be tested in the ticket round. That match will feature the winner of Brett Baker of Bellmont and Turtletown’s own Caleb Partin. The Baker name is synonymous with wrestling in Decatur so never look past him. Early Slobber Knockers Brett Baker- Bellmont vs. Caleb Partin- Churubusco Ticket Round Tussles Nick Ritchie- Elkhart Memorial vs. Baker/Partin winner 182lbs Returning state 3rd place finisher Corey Hinkle made a late drop to this weight after wrestling 195lbs most of the season. Look for him to be the favorite, but past him it will be anyone’s guess as to who will punch their tickets to Banker’s Life. At the top you have upstart Wyatt Clem of Homestead who comes in as the regional champion. He will have to fend off not only Jay County’s Andy Kohler, but also his coach’s impeccable beard. Next you will have regional champion David Eli coming in as the favorite. He will be pushed early by Snider’s Russell Davies. After that he could face off with Daleville’s Corbin Maddox. The bottom bracket will feature an interesting match between two teams vying for the semi-state title. Yorktown’s Hunter Hiestand will most likely battle Carroll’s Kayne Duncan in a great ticket round match. Lastly, you have Mr. Hinkle who comes in with a zero in the loss column. He will however, be pushed in the ticket round by West Noble’s Oscar Reyes. Reyes got a late start to the season, but that could be in his advantage. Early Slobber Knockers David Eli- Elkhart Memorial vs. Russell Davies- Snider Ticket Round Tussles Wyatt Clem- Homestead vs. Andy Kohler- Jay County Hunter Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Kayne Duncan- Carroll Corey Hinkle- Western vs. Oscar Reyes- West Noble 195lbs This is another weight class where the bracket gods separated the better wrestlers. The three returning state qualifiers all were separated from each other and that could make for an interesting day at the coliseum. At the top you have returning state qualifier Tristin Anglin coming in as a four seed. He will have a tough match with Michael Leonard of Northwood who is no slouch. The winner of that match will get a tough Eagle junior in Scottie Evans. This top bracket is very hard to predict how it will come out. Next we have the great unknown in Carroll’s Eric Dunten. He comes in without a blemish on his record in his first year on the varsity squad. He has three wins over both Anglin and Davis along with a win over #11 Sam Hipple. He will have a familiar foe in Bellmont’s Carter Friedt in the ticket round. On the bottom half you will have returning state qualifier Bo Davis looking to make it to state once again. He will have to battle the winner of Mykal Taylor of Muncie Central and Lane Eckrote of North Miami. Lastly, you have the heavy favorite Myron Howard of Yorktown. Howard was a 4th place finisher last year at 182lbs and is looking to add another medal this year. Early Slobber Knockers Michael Leonard- Northwood vs. Tristin Anglin- Columbia City Lane Eckrote- North Miami vs. Mykal Taylor- Muncie Central Ticket Round Tussles Scottie Evans- Delta vs. Leonard/Anglin winner Bo Davis- Garrett vs. Eckrote/Taylor winner 220lbs For being an upper weight, this one provides a great mixture of youth and experience. Leading the way is last year’s 6th place finisher and 2nd ranked Eliseo Guerra of Elkhart Central. He has had a tough sectional and regional, which in turn will make his path to clinching another state berth “easier.” Each of the quarter-brackets will provide some intriguing match-ups. At the top the mighty Railroader Blake Davis comes in as the regional champion. However, he will have to battle mighty Redskin Derek Paz for a state berth. Paz defeated Davis at the Al Smith 5-1, so this could be a very interesting match to watch. In the next quarter-bracket, super Sophomore Evan Ellis looks to be the favorite. He will have a tough Goshen regional foe in Elkhart Memorial’s Kaleb Summers in the ticket round. Both are tough wrestlers and it is hard to give a confident nod to either grappler. Guerra is the highlight of his quarter bracket. He could be pushed by Woodlan’s Edwin Barberena in the ticket round. Lastly, the final quarter-bracket is probably the most mysterious with no clear cut favorites. Winchester’s Dustyn Hangen comes in with only one loss and on paper looks to be the favorite. He will have to battle the early round winner of Huntington North’s Lane Emery and Peru’s Erik Hobbs. Early Slobber Knockers Layne Emery- Huntington North vs. Erik Hobbs- Peru Ticket Round Tussles Blake Davis- Garrett vs. Derek Paz- Goshen Evan Ellis- Eastern- Greentown vs. Kaleb Summers- Elkhart Memorial Dustyn Hangen- Winchester vs. Emery/Hobbs winner 285lbs This weight is the definition of toss-up. Whoever comes into the coliseum wrestling well could be the champion or qualify for state. In looking at each quarter bracket, there is one where there is a favorite. The other three it will be easier to pick a champion from flipping a coin than analyzing wins and losses. Matt Swartz of Snider looks to be the easiest pick to make it to the semi-finals, however he cannot overlook his first match with Mason Morningstar. He will face the winner of Jimmie sophomore Nick Mammolenti and Marion’s De’Andre Hodge. The second quarter bracket is about as crazy as it can me. Returning state qualifier Owen Perkins is the “headliner” of the group, however he cannot overlook anyone. Last year he defeated Dax Hiestand in the first round of semi-state, so he has an edge there. Brock Bergman of Lakeland is a big guy and will pose trouble for Perkins in the first round. Hiestand also cannot overlook the young buck from Carroll first round. The third quarter-bracket comes with as much uncertainty as Indiana weather. Issac Barrios of Elkhart Central is solid, but drew a red hot Evan Beech of North Miami. In a battle of quick and athletic big guys, Daemon Williams of Bishop Luers will battle Kiaser Phillips of Monroe Central. Again, all these match-ups are toss-ups as any of these four guys can punch their ticket to Banker’s Life. Lastly, the bottom quarter-bracket has just as many storylines. At team state Braxton Amos of Prairie Heights defeated Isiah Bollenbacher 2-0, however each needs to get past their first opponents. Amos will have Dante Graham of Western who has given guys like Perkins tough matches. Bollenbacher will have a game Drew Cummings of Columbia City who has some good wins this year. Throw the rankings and past results out the window for this weight class as the only thing that will matter is who comes to wrestle on Saturday. Early Slobber Knockers Brock Bergman- Lakeland vs. Owen Perkins- Oak Hill Evan Beech- North Miami vs. Issac Barrios- Elkhart Central Daemen Williams- Bishop Luers vs. Kiaser Phillips- Monroe Central Isiah Bollenbacher- Adams Central vs. Drew Cummings- Columbia City Ticket Round Tussles Dax Hiestand- Yorktown vs. Bergman/Owens winner Beech/Barrios winner vs. Williams/Phillips winner Braxton Amos- Prairie Heights vs.Bollenbacher/Cummings winner Click here to view the article
  9. Discuss http://indianamat.com/index.php/page/individual_rankings.html/_/fort-wayne-3-r14 I'll be updating these in the coming weeks.
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