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Eighth-ranked Derrick Duke of
Peru (right) wraps his arm around No. 4 Branden James of Culver Academies in this 160-pound match. James won, 7-0. Photo by Natalie Evans |
INDIANAPOLIS
Annual IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals completed Session I Feb.
16, meaning half the field is on its way home after getting
eliminated. Then again, that leaves 112 wrestlers still alive (click here for updated brackets) in search of 14 state championships as we head into Saturday�s quarterfinals at Conseco Fieldhouse.
based-on-the-rankings preview below, I�ve updated the significant
first-round happenings that entertained a crowd of 8,431. In a
nutshell, there were no true shockers Friday night, though the
119-pound class carried over its antics from last year with four upsets
in eight matches, while three upsets occurred at both 125 and 130.
6-3, for the 103 state title. With Harper moving up to 112, that leaves
the door open for No. 1-ranked sophomore Camden Eppert (32-1 and fourth
a year ago at 103) to fulfill his destiny. Only trouble there is Eppert
was upset for the
so. Eppert has only three other ranked opponents in the top half of the
16-team bracket, and none of them are higher than sixth (
35-3 senior Wilson Williams, whom Eppert could get in the
quarterfinals). Wright�s bracket, meanwhile, has five other ranked
foes, including No. 3 Evansville Reitz sophomore Alex Johns (47-2) in a
potential semifinal. That�s if Wright (41-5) can get past either No. 7
Crown Point freshman Anthony Hopkins (36-3) or ninth-ranked Columbus
North sophomore Francisco Colon (47-6) in the lower bracket quarters.
Session I: Everything goes according to plan except for the slightest upset, a 5-3 win by
March ââ?¬â?? was just a freshman. March has moved up to 119, making
Evansville Mater Dei�s No. 1 senior Sean Herron (43-2 and fourth last
year at 112) the favorite, right?
That�s because the lower bracket is a meat grinder and defending 103
champ Josh Harper (35-0 and ranked No. 2 at 119) waits as a possible
quarterfinals opponent ââ?¬â?? and heââ?¬â?¢s yet to lose in two years. The winner
of that showdown could get second-ranked
Session I:
OK, I was lying about the no-shocker thing. Wight loses his first match
of the year to No. 21 Chesterton junior Ben Williams (41-7) ââ?¬â?? get this,
the fourth-place finisher last week at Merrillville ââ?¬â?? and itââ?¬â?¢s not even
close (8-2). All else follows from, meaning Saturday morning fans can
start drooling over the showdown between No. 1 Herron and No. 2 Harper, who took
drastically different routes in advancing. Herron was forced to work in
a 3-1 decision over fifth-ranked Franklin Central junior D.J. Rackley,
while Harper stuck No. 10 Yorktown freshman Derek Bevans in just 38
seconds.
March, the defending 112 runner-up from East Noble, has to be
considered one of the state finals� heaviest favorites at 119. Ranked
No. 1 and 39-0, the sophomore would face at most only one upper bracket
opponent with less than five losses by the time he reached the
championship round. His biggest pre-finals hiccups figure to be either
third-ranked Perry Meridian junior Brian Vest (48-1) in the quarters or
No. 3 (at 125) Mishawaka senior Nick Wiesjahn (37-5 and third at 112
last year) in the semis.
seventh-ranked senior Eli Michel (29-3 and eighth here a year ago)
figures to battle either No. 6 Bellmont senior Derek Nelson (37-7) or
ninth-ranked Whiteland senior Matthew Fields (37-1 and eighth a year
ago at 112) for a shot at March. March beat Nelson, 8-0, then pinned
Michel at 5:31 for the
Session
I: Remember last year, when three returning
state champions had been ousted before the finals? Well, it wasn�t that bad,
but still there were four upsets out of the eight matches. Vest was felled 7-4
by No. 10 Evansville Mater Dei junior Alex Weinzapfel, Nelson lost a 3-2
squeaker to unranked sophomore Trace Hall of South Bend Riley, No. 11
Evansville Memorial junior Conner Zuber got pinned by unranked junior Jeremiah
Edwards of Lawrence North, and 12th-ranked Westfield senior Steven
Lange dropped a 2-1 decision to No. 25 Southwestern (Hanover) junior Michael
Bartlett. March must be hatin� it, no?
Munster senior Eric McGill ââ?¬â?? the defending state champ here and a
HoosierAuthority.com contributing blogger ââ?¬â?? having grazed on up to 140,
that leaves the door open for this year�s only undefeated 125-pounder
in the field, Bloomington South�s No. 1-ranked Reece Freeman (40-0).
Freeman finished fifth at 119 last year and figures to roll through the
lower bracket this weekend, with his stiffest test probably coming in a
semifinal bout with East Central No. 4 senior Joseph Hollstegge (38-1).
second-ranked junior Thomas Churchard (43-1) figures to have it almost
as easy, though a quarterfinal joust with the 2005 112-pound state
champion, Beech Grove fifth-ranked senior Ethan Harris (35-4), could
surprise.
Session
I: 125 did not escape the weirdness, either,
as two of the three upsets came from unranked competitors. Most eye popping was
No. 10 Adams Central senior Tyson Bercot�s 8-7 heartbreaker to Portage junior
Chad Allen, but Prairie Heights senior Travis Smoker also drew notice with his
4-3 upset of No. 19 Hobart sophomore Johnny Dillon. The other surprise was No.
18 Griffith senior Steve Siokos� 10-4 victory over No. 12 Western senior David
Shepherd. Saturday morning�s quarter between easy winners Churchard and Harris
should be a war, with the survivor figuring to meet Freeman (a 9-4 winner over
Mascaro) in the finals.
David Zimmer) and eighth-place (Warren Central�s Josh Norris)
finishers. That sets the stage for a battle of East Central senior No.
1 Jacob Fleckenstein (fifth last year at 125) vs.
that matchup of 46-and-ohs would occur in the upper bracket semifinals,
making for one whale of an anti-climax. The lower half, on the other
hand, appears to be wide open. Six of the eight wrestlers are ranked,
led by No. 3 Warren Central senior Chris Conte (40-6), No. 6 Tipton
sophomore Levi Rutledge (44-2), and undefeated No. 21 Brandon Brown of
Carroll (Fort Wayne).
Session
I: A pair of Top 10 wrestlers went down at
130, with Rutledge losing 10-5 to No. 15 Chesterton
senior Andy St. Germain and No. 7 West Noble junior Kyle Marsh falling ââ?¬â??
literally, in 64 seconds ââ?¬â?? to Southwestern (Hanover) No. 22 junior Michael
Harmon. Center Grove senior No. 19 Blake Harvey also was shocked by an 18-3 technical
fall at the hands of Brown. So it appears easy
advancers Galka and Fleckenstein will meet in the semis, with Conte now an
overwhelming favorite to come out of the bottom.
in the semifinals and finished third to unranked Glenn senior Asa Ennis
(31-1). That monkey wrench means that 135 may be one of the most open
classes this weekend.
Elvidge in the upper bracket is Castle senior No. 4 Caleb Schmitt, a
potential semifinal opponent should he get past Zionsville senior No. 9
Graham Youngs (43-1) in a possible quarterfinal. Angola�s 42-0 senior
David Zimmer ââ?¬â?? ranked fourth at 130 ââ?¬â?? faces a potential lower bracket
quarterfinal bout with Floyd Central senior No. 3 Jake Missi (41-2),
with the survivor likely challenging Bloomington North senior No. 7
Dustin Bruce (14-3), the defending state runner-up at 130, in the semis.
Session
I: The action at 135 saw the night�s only
slaying of a No. 1 as Elvidge dropped a 10-4 decision to unranked Fort Wayne
Snider senior Jordan Quinn. (That semistate upset obviously did not bring good
karma for Elvidge.) And No. 20 Mishawaka sophomore Steven Sandefer sprang a
mild upset with his 5-4 decision over No. 14 Maconaquah senior Seth Verbosky. That
makes for a hellacious bottom foursome of Zimmer vs. Missi and Bruce vs. Ennis,
the unsung standout to this point of the postseason. With no No. 1 or No. 2
left at 135, it would make perfect sense for the unranked Ennis to roll all the
way to a title.
senior No. 3 Rhys Canaday (43-0) ââ?¬â?? seventh here last year ââ?¬â?? the top
returner. Canaday should cruise into the upper bracket semifinals,
where either
junior No. 2 Brennan Cosgrove (42-3 and the defending 135 state
runner-up) or fifth-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral sophomore Gavin
McGinley (39-1) figure to await.
senior Eric McGill (39-3), the defending 125 state champ. McGill
appears to have one of the easiest first three rounds of any highly
ranked competitor this weekend ââ?¬â?? he faces No. 7 nine-loss New Albany
senior Martin Woodrome in the first round and possibly No. 8 Jennings
County senior Bobby Willis (49-2) in the semis.
Session
I: 140 brought a return to normalcy as nobody
in the next three weight classes got upset. The top three experienced varied
results in moving on as McGill earned a 9-1 major decision, Cosgrove beat No.
11 Evansville Mater Dei senior Andy Siebert 5-2, and Canaday pinned unranked
Anderson Highland freshman Sammy Bennett in 1:21. Could HoosierAuthority.com
blogger McGillââ?¬â?¢s dream of a No. 1 vs. No. 2 ââ?¬Å?Game 7ââ?¬Â with Cosgrove become
reality Saturday night?
year�s runner-up, Cooper Samuels of Floyd Central, has moved up to 160,
making last year�s fourth-place finisher, Merrillville senior No. 1
Jamal Lawrence (the only Hoosier ranked nationally ââ?¬â?? 11th at 152 by Wrestling 411), the favorite. But
Carlucci (34-1) ââ?¬â?? one of four wrestlers at this weight with only one
loss ââ?¬â?? is still smarting from a 13-5 whupping he took for the 145
title from Evansville Mater Dei senior No. 4 Nick Dewig (44-0). Dewig
should make it to the upper bracket finale, where he could face either
one-loss Culver Academies senior No. 3 Garrett James (46-1 and a
disappointing third at the Merrillville Semistate) or one-loss
Greensburg senior No. 5 Michael Pittman (38-1).
Session
I: No surprises here as the loaded class went
as planned, with six of the eight survivors boasting records of one loss or
less. This is one of only two weights (the other being 112) where the top four
ranked wrestlers all remain, and things will get crazy early as No. 1 Lawrence and
No. 2 Carlucci duke it out in the quarterfinals. A James-Dewig semifinal would be
equally juicy. No matter what goes down, whoever wins this thang will have
earned it big time.
year�s fourth-place finisher, Ben Davis senior No. 2 Cahmelan Porter,
returns again and should have little trouble reaching the upper bracket
semifinal � where he should run into virtually unbeatable Andrew Howe
of Hanover Central. Howe (44-0) is ranked No. 1 and has lost only once
in his three-year high school career ââ?¬â?? in the 130 championship two
years ago to three-time state champion Reece Humphrey of Lawrence
North. That�s 142-1 if you are counting.
(44-1) and eighth-ranked Chris Dean (42-1) of Northview ââ?¬â?? should meet
in the quarterfinals, with the survivor facing no higher than a 12th-ranked opponent for the right to try to become Howe�s second victim in 147 matches.
Session
I: Again, no damage done here to the tops as
only two matches were relatively close. A pair of hot quarterfinals awaits as
Howe faces No. 3 Evansville Mater Dei senior Chris Dewitt while Henning and
Dean square off, with that survivor likely facing Porter in the semis.
has moved up to 171, but returning sixth-place 160-pounder Indianapolis
Cathedral senior John Schmaltz returns with a perfect record and the
No. 1 ranking. The 37-0 Schmaltz should cruise into the upper bracket
semifinal, where Floyd Central junior Cooper
Samuels (unranked despite a stellar 45-1 record and a runner-up finish
at 145 a year ago) or Greenfield-Central No. 7 junior Caleb Freeman
should await.
senior No. 8 Derrick Duke) and three ââ?¬â?? Perry Meridian senior No. 2 Kyle
Adams (48-1), New Prairie senior No. 5 Philip Oudhuis (38-1), and
Greencastle senior No. 12 Chris Pingleton (43-1) ââ?¬â?? with one loss. Adams
opens with Pingleton (only third at the
we see a 1 versus 2 Schmaltz-Adams championship duel, the former has
the upper hand by virtue of his finals victory at the
Session
I: Ding-ding-ding! A pair of upsets rocked
the crowd back to life at 160, where Samuels thumped Freeman 10-3 (though it
should be noted that Freeman was basically wrestling from his knees due to a
leg injury) and Pingleton downed
sets the table for Schmaltz ââ?¬â?? a 17-1 tech fall winner over unranked Scottsburg
senior Scott Hughes ââ?¬â?? to waltz into the finals as he needs only to beat No. 23
Bellmont junior Ryan Baker and then an unranked semifinal opponent. But then
that�s why they put on the headgear, isn�t it?
Ian Hinton has moved up to 189, leaving a pretty clear-cut road for
last year�s sixth-place finisher, Evansville Memorial senior No. 1 Matt
Powless (47-0), to face
senior No. 2 Joe Wing (43-1) in the finals. Wing took fourth at 160
last year and has a relatively easy path to the championship, with No.
17 Frank Troiano of Indianapolis Cathedral (45-1) possibly his biggest
obstacle in the lower bracket semis.
top, Powless has a tougher draw, with a potential battle with fellow
undefeated No. 4 Ryan Konrath of Jimtown (40-0) looming in the
semifinals. Also of note for Powless is a probable quarterfinals date
with
Szymborski (35-4), whom Wing beat for the Merrillville Semistate title
and whose mom has written a journal for HoosierAuthority.com (thanks,
Diana!).
Session
I: No shockers here as only two of the
matches ââ?¬â?? Wingââ?¬â?¢s 5-4 decision over No. 16 Rushville senior Robert Beeler and
Szymborskiââ?¬â?¢s 3-2 win over unranked Noblesville senior John Tchoula ââ?¬â?? were
especially close. Powless won by fall at 3:00 over No. 19 Garrett senior Beau
Schendel and appears destined for that semifinal hookup with Konrath, an
impressive 12-3 winner over No. 5 Greencastle senior Robert Bittles.
senior No. 3 Joe Gibson (33-5) and fourth-ranked Leo senior Chad Friend
(37-0) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, at 189 a year ago and
are in opposite brackets this year. Friend looks to have the better
matchups in the lower half (just three other ranked foes), with
Evansville Mater Dei junior No. 5 Jake Schneider (39-1) appearing to be
his only threat in a possible semifinal battle.
meanwhile, finds five other ranked foes in the top half, including a
probable quarterfinals match with top-ranked Ian Hinton of
Yikes. The 171 state champ last year and 171 runner-up in 2005, Hinton
(44-0) moves up one class and has lost just once in his last 130
matches.
Session
I: Zero upsets at 189, where only three of
the matches ââ?¬â?? Schneiderââ?¬â?¢s 3-2 decision over unranked Whitko senior Bryan Boggs,
No. 16 Valparaiso senior Brandon Tritle�s 6-3 win over unranked Indianapolis
Chatard junior Michael Dum, and No. 17 Crown Point sophomore Marcus Shrewsbury�s
1-0 eclipse of unranked Carmel senior Josh Sturek ââ?¬â?? were close. Making matters
worse for future Hinton foes is not only a lackluster 9-2 victory over unranked
and 11-loss Crawfordsville sophomore Chaz Brock, but also that a typo in the
official program says Ian ââ?¬Å?Hinderââ?¬Â is the defending champion (dââ?¬â?¢oh!).
eight placewinners from a year ago were all seniors, meaning somebody
new will take home the 215 title this year. (Carlos Mencia alert:
DEE-dee-DEE!!). North Central (
for Maggart ââ?¬â?? who barely qualified after finishing fourth at the
Merrillville Semistate ââ?¬â?? the 215 lower bracket is the only one out of
28 in the entire state finals where every wrestler is ranked. And it
includes top-ranked South Bend Riley junior George Malone (42-0).
hardly catches a break with five ranked opponents on top where,
strangely, the two wrestlers with the best records (Watkins and 37-1
Norwell junior No. 23 Hunter Harper) have the worst rankings. Thus, it
seems pretty wide open for who gets to tackle Malone in the finals.
Session
I: The final upset of the evening came at
215, where Harper beat No. 14 Greensburg senior Bobby Scudder 10-3. Malone,
meanwhile, got past a tough first-round opponent in sixth-ranked
junior Chandler Coffey 6-2 and figures to easily make the finals as the three
remaining foes in his bracket have a combined 18 losses.
Central senior Bryan Benner finished fifth here a year ago and comes to
Conseco with a No. 1 ranking and a 46-1 record. That one loss, however,
came in the
junior No. 11 Randy Morin (42-3), who then lost in the finals to Glenn
senior No. 20 Derek Traversa. Benner could get another shot at Morin in
the lower half semifinal, but he will have to first get past
second-ranked Perry Meridian junior Chico Adams (49-0) in the quarters.
and he doesn�t have to wade through Adams, Benner, or Morin to get to
the finals. Assuming he stays hot, Traversa would probably face
Session
I: Ixnay on the ockers-shay at heavyweight,
where the third No. 1 vs. No. 2 quarterfinal of Saturday morning is set. While
Benner certainly had no breather in a 3-0 win over unranked Evansville Reitz
junior Zachary Campbell,
first-period pin of the wrestler with the most defeats in the state finals:
16-loss unranked Fort Wayne Luers senior Aaron Myers. We�ll see if all that
extra rest pays off and
can be the man.
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