Top-ranked and unbeaten Lawrence North completed a perfect season at the 10th Annual IHSAA Team Wrestling State Finals held Feb. 26 at Center Grove High School, pounding Avon in the finals to finish 29-0 and defend its team title.
The crown makes four titles overall for the Wildcats, who also captured back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Last year, Lawrence North finished 29-1 by routing Perry Meridian, 47-12, in the championship. This time it was a 48-17 drubbing of Avon as LN moved its consecutive dual-meet winning streak to 47.
All team matches started at the 160-pound class by blind draw.
As with a year ago, the championship bout became a formality for coach Brett Crousore�s Wildcats, who had to wrestle their toughest matches early.
First up was fifth-ranked Portage, whom Lawrence North beat 23-21 last year in the team semifinals ââ?¬â?? the Indiansââ?¬â?¢ only dual loss. This time around the score was 34-21 in LNââ?¬â?¢s favor, and while the Indians did win four matches, including three by fall (pin), the Wildcats won the other 10 to once again ruin Portageââ?¬â?¢s season.
All that awaited the Wildcats next was a 10-time state champion, No. 2 Evansville Mater Dei, which had survived an epic quarterfinal bout with No. 8 Mishawaka, 30-28. And Mater Dei was up to the task, opening with three decision victories at 160, 171, and 189 to jump out to a 10-zip lead.
Lawrence North rebounded to get within a field goal at 10-7 as 215-pound senior Josh Locke slipped past Mater Dei sophomore Zach Goebel, 8-7, before 275-pound senior Maurice Gunn pinned junior Jason Wire in 63 seconds.
Mater Dei then got two wins from their freshmen Wildcats over Lawrence North sophomore Wildcats at 103 and 112 to push back to a 17-7 advantage.
But six straight LN wins later (see ââ?¬Å?super six” below for a list of the multi-talented culprits) and the Wildcats from up North had it clinched at 36-17.
On the other side of the brackets, meanwhile, both of the higher-ranked teams lost their opening matches. No. 9 Bellmont (the state champion in 1987, 1988, and 1994) fell 27-24 to No. 17 Columbia City, while third-ranked Warren Central was upended by 11th-ranked Avon, 31-28.
That win over Warren ââ?¬â?? the last team to beat the Orioles, 36-23, some 18 matches ago ââ?¬â?? ignited Avon to a 33-18 semifinal victory over Columbia City. But heading into the finals, the Orioles no doubt were tired ââ?¬â?? every one of their semifinal bouts with Columbia City went the distance as all 14 matches resulted in decisions.
|
|
Once again, with the matches starting at the 160-pound class, Lawrence North fell behind early after dropping three of the first four battles. Avon�s Kerry Johnson (160), Josiah Johnson (189), and Lynn Panko (the state champion at 215) all won by decision as coach Jared Williams� charges built a 10-3 lead.
But the Orioles would take only two more decisions as Lawrence North took advantage of Avon�s weariness, and in typically ruthless fashion.
The Wildcatsââ?¬â?¢ ââ?¬Å?super sixââ?¬Â rolled off half a dozen straight wins ââ?¬â?? all by seniors, for the third time on the day, and this time all by pin ââ?¬â?? from 119 to 145 to pile up the maximum 36 points and take command of the match:
�· Tyler Pino, pin in 2:45 at 119
�· David Gans, pin 1:13 at 125
�· Michael Albert, pin in 50 seconds at 130
�· Reece Humphrey, pin in 5:38 at 135
�· Zach Aspling, pin 3:10 in 140
�· Thomas Johnson, pin in 45 seconds at 145
Nothing like having 2,860 students in four grades to pluck from, as well as a staff of nine assistant coaches, eh?
(Oh yeah, one of the nine ââ?¬â?? three-time state champion Reece Humphreyââ?¬â?¢s dad, Jim ââ?¬â?? was the U.S. OLYMPIC coach in 1988. The Humphrey-LN connection was established when former LN 185-pound state champ Todd Balwinski wrestled for Indiana University coach Humphrey during the mid-ââ?¬â?¢80s.)
In completing that spotless 29-0 season, Lawrence North shut out four dual opponents, including a 67-0 spanking of rival Lawrence Central in the regular season finale. The Wildcats� closest match was a 37-20 win at Warren Central Nov. 23; the closest after that was a 31-point win over Penn, 54-23, on Jan. 8.
Match of the day: Mater Dei 30, Mishawaka 28
With Lawrence North rollicking past all its opponents again, it was refreshing to know that there were other matches that kept fans on the edge of their seats. Foremost among them was the quarterfinal showdown between former state dominator Evansville Mater Dei and Mishawaka, the 1991 state champ.
Mater Dei had the early momentum, getting pins in the three of the first five matches in the heavier weights to jump out to a 18-7 lead. But Mishawaka won decisions in five of the next six — four of the bouts decided either by one point or in overtime — to go on top, 22-21.
Mater Dei 140-pound sophomore Chris DeWitt then defeated Mishawaka freshman Caleb Norville, 11-6, to put Mater Dei back up, 24-22. But when Cavemen 145-pound senior Kyle Bergin pinned Bart Schaefer in 1:54, Mishawaka took the reins at 28-24 heading into the last match.
EUCHRE!! Thatââ?¬â?¢s when Mater Dei coach Mike Goebel threw down his trump card ââ?¬â?? Indianaââ?¬â?¢s undefeated 152-pound state champion, Matt Coughlin. The senior made sure it would be an all-Wildcats semifinal by pinning Mishawaka junior Kurt Cauffman in 59 seconds.
Score a 30-28 victory for Mater Dei, the �86 state champ which also reeled off nine straight titles from 1995-2003. Not too shabby for a school with less than 600 students in four grades, eh?
Processing your request, Please wait....
