Posted on 11 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
Join Mike McGraw & former Purdue wrestler Jim Metzler as they bring you all the action from the Jan. 12 semifinal and final rounds of the Hoosier Crossroads Conference Tournament.
The action begins just after 11 a.m. ET Saturday, and this webcast is just another reason why HoosierAuthority.com IS your Indiana high school sports authority.
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Posted on 09 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
INDIANAPOLIS – Four days after conquering then-No. 1 Mishawaka at the Bellmont Super Duals, new No. 1 Perry Meridian had the same thing happen on its own mat Jan. 9. Fourth-ranked Indianapolis Cathedral won eight of 14 weight classes, including three upsets of ranked Falcon opponents, to come out on top of a highly entertaining dual meet, 28-24.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS & INTERVIEWS!!
Although many in the large crowd were in a state of shock during and after the festivities – Cathedral had lost 47-10 to Mishawaka back on Dec. 8, whereas Perry Meridian just beat the Cavemen 30-24 – Perry Meridian coach Jim Tonte was not one of them.
“I’m one of the 20 guys on the (coaches’ state) poll, and I had Mater Dei ranked one, Mishawaka ranked two, Cathedral ranked three, and us ranked fourth – and that was after Saturday,†said Tonte, whose team last lost a regular-season match in 2004 at the North Montgomery Invitational – about 100 matches ago.
“I knew what Cathedral’s team was capable of doing. They’re a great program. They’re well-coached, very disciplined.â€
On this night, the Fighting Irish were highly focused, too. Especially late in matches, something that became evident in the meet’s second match at 135 pounds.
After third-ranked Brian Vest of Perry Meridian defeated Dominic Corsaro 7-0 in the opener at 130, the first of four showdowns between ranked wrestlers took place when Cathedral’s No. 6 Calvin Sullivan faced off with No. 5 Jacob Tassef.
Tassef scored a takedown just 12 seconds into the match and, after each wrestler garnered an escape, Tassef entered the third period up 3-1. But the gap narrowed to 3-2 upon Sullivan’s escape with 56 seconds to go, and the Irish contingent went nuts when Sullivan landed a takedown at 0:33 before holding on for the 4-3 upset victory.
“I think that kinda set the tone for the whole day,†said Cathedral coach Sean McGinley. “We knew they were gonna be very strong in conditioning, and it was gonna be tough for us to win in the last, closing seconds.
“Pulling that win out just kinda lifted everybody’s heart that we could win in the last seconds, and we ended up winning a lot of close matches in the last period.â€
No doubt about that one. On three occasions, Cathedral rallied to victory after trailing late in the second period. But more on that later.
The Irish pulled way from the 3-3 tie after two matches to go up 10-3 with expected victories at 140 and 145.
No. 4 Tony McGinley got a first-period takedown in his 140-pound joust with No. 11 John Leonard and, after the first of several injury timeouts throughout the night that had Falcons fans foaming at the mouth, nearly got a pin at the second-period buzzer before holding on for an easy 7-3 win.
No. 9 Gavin McGinley then nearly duplicated the late-match pin effort midway through his 145 match against Blake Wood. G-Mac moved out from a 2-1 lead after one with a second-period escape and takedown before getting Wood on his back 40 seconds into the final period. That was crucial as the two near-fall points gave McGinley the Larger a major decision at 9-1 and Cathedral a 10-3 team lead.
“The difference in today’s dual meet was the things that they did, you could tell they were coached,†Tonte said. “They got the majors when they needed the majors, they didn’t give up majors when they didn’t have to, and those are things that kids that are coachable do.
“And they proved that they were a very coachable team. I was very impressed.
Ironically, Perry Meridian just missed a chance to pick up its own major at 152 after Chris Stepp’s 12-5 win over Tom Stipp. Stepp jumped out to a 6-0 lead midway through the second period and, after a game of let up/takedown, had built the advantage to 12-4.
But Stipp wrangled an escape with 1:12 remaining and was able to run out the clock to save a team point, making it 10-6 Cathedral.
The lead would jump to 22-6 when the Irish captured the next four matches, including a huge upset at 215.
No. 17 Connor Hofmeister got the four score going with an easy 10-4 win over Corey Hudgins at 160, making it 13-6. That preceded Cathedral’s second comeback victory, David Page’s controversial 9-5 defeat of Mike Hughey at 171.
Again, Perry went up 2-0 with an early takedown, this one just 19 seconds in. But Page escaped, then scored a reversal himself just eight seconds into the second period to go up 3-2. Hughey responded with a reversal before Page’s injury timeout at 0:08 set up what appeared to a phantom flop at the buzzer.
With Hughey in control and both wrestlers headed out of bounds in front of Cathedral’s bench, the buzzer sounded. Hughey seemed to simply release his hold, but Page landed with such a thud that perhaps the officials felt they couldn’t not award a penalty point, tying the match at 4-4.
Page let Hughey up for an escape to start the third, but he got back that point and more with 30 seconds remaining with a takedown and three-point near fall. How a virtually motionless Hughey managed to not allow himself to surrender the pin alludes to the aforementioned conditioning, but regardless the Irish had themselves a rousing 9-5 decision and a 16-6 lead.
The controversy continued in the next match at 189, where three of the four points scored in regulation came on penalties. Following a scoreless first period, Perry Meridian’s Nick Barnes took a 2-0 lead after two when Cathedral’s Spencer Poling was penalized for a full-nelson and locking his hands.
But Poling managed an escape with 1:13 left in the third and, ironically, scored his own penalty point when Barnes was tagged for stalling with 25 seconds left. That sent it into overtime, and Cathedral won it 4-2 when Poling successfully shot a takedown 13 seconds in.
“We’ll got pins coming up at 215 and heavyweight.†That was the talk along press row from some of the Perry volunteers manning the table.
Ahhhh, no.
Cathedral’s Jake Buchanan seized on the momentum of the looming upset by immediately throwing Perry Meridian’s 12th-ranked Chris Schaefer on his back. After Schafer escaped 29 seconds in, Buchanan threw another five-pointer to go up 10-3 after one. Schafer then used a reversal and a five-pointer of his own to draw within 10-9 in the second.
But Buchanan scored a huge reversal just 10 seconds prior to the third period, and his four-pointer just into the third made it 16-9. He rode out the period for a wild 16-12 victory, signaling that St. Patrick’s Day was coming a couple months early in 2008.
“That’s just a huge match – that’s one of those matches you’re gonna remember the rest of your life,†coach McGinley said. “He was a big underdog, went out, threw the guy on his back.
“I thought we were about ready to catch the storm, and we fought off our back. The next thing we know we threw him back on his back, and we fought off a hard win.â€
At 22-6, a sense of normalcy returned to the Perry Meridian gymnasium when heavyweight Chico Adams pinned Brannon Dennin at 1:41. And the Falcons got within 22-15 when 103-pound Michael Clem captured a stall-laden overtime victory against Blake Roytek.
Once again, Cathedral got off to a fast start with a five-pointer in the first period from Roytek. But following an escape by Clem, the second period featured a pair of injury timeouts for the Irish. Amazingly, Clem was able to climb all the way back to tie it at 5-all when Roytek was penalized one point for stalling, then another point for stalling, then two points for stalling right before the buzzer.
Fresh with new life after the give of inactivity, Clem’s extra-session takedown won it at 7-5.
The hope of a full-blown Falcon resurrection was short-lived, however, as Clem’s comeback merely delayed the inevitable.
At 112, No. 3 Brandon Wright of Cathedral got a takedown 45 seconds in before Jimmy Schoettle scored an escape. But Wright quickly got his second-ranked foe on his back, and three near-fall points later it was 7-1 heading to the second period. From the up position, Wright again got Schoettle on his back, and this time there was no escape as the shocking pin came at 2:49.
Game, set, match. Or, as the Perry press row folks put it, “So much for being No. 1.â€
“It was definitely surprising,†coach McGinley said of the fall. “Schoettle’s a class act and an outstanding wrestler and deserves the ranking.
“We just really wrestled well and were able to capitalize on a couple mistakes he made, and fortunately we were able to get a pin.â€
Perry won the last two matches – 119-pound No. 5 Jacob Tonte with a fall over No. 10 Johnny Grey at 4:23, Chris Goodwin with a 6-5 decision over Nick Hupp at 125 – but all the air had seeped out of gym. Except on the Cathedral side – those folks were going delirious.
“We’ve ran the gauntlet here in the last four or five days – Bellmont, Mishawaka, Penn, and Cathedral, obviously,†said coach Tonte. “For some reason, I thought our kids wrestled scared, and you’d think after beating Mishawaka that wouldn’t be the case.
“This is a tough loss – you get ranked No. 1 on the day you get beat. So that was disappointing. But it was an awesome night for wrestling.â€
Amen to that.
The individual results (the match started at 130 pounds):
103 – Michael Clem (PM) dec. Blake Roytek (Cath), 7-5 (OT)
112 – #3 Brandon Wright (Cath) pin #2 Jimmy Schoettle (PM), 2:49
119 – #5 Jacob Tonte (PM) pin #10 Johnny Grey (Cath), 4:23
125 – Chris Goodwin (PM) dec. Nick Hupp (Cath), 6-5
130 – #3 Brian Vest (PM) dec. Dominic Corsaro (Cath), 7-0
135 – #6 Calvin Sullivan (Cath) dec. #5 Jacob Tasseff (PM), 4-3
140 – #4 Tony McGinley (Cath) dec. #11 John Leonard (PM), 7-3
145 – #9 Gavin McGinley (Cath) dec. Blake Wood (PM), 9-1
152 – #13 Chris Stepp (PM) dec. Tom Stipp (Cath), 12-5
160 – #17 Connor Hofmeister (Cath) dec. Corey Hudgins (PM), 10-4
171 – David Page (Cath) dec. Mike Hughey (PM), 9-5
189 – Spencer Poling (Cath) dec. Nick Barnes (PM), 4-2 (OT)
215 – Jake Buchanan (Cath) dec. #12 Chris Schaefer (PM), 16-12
Hwt – #1 Chico Adams (PM) pin Brandon Dennin (Cath), 1:41
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Posted on 09 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
The fifth set of team rankings for the 2007-08 wrestling season has been released by the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association, and Perry Meridian is your new No. 1. And the Falcons will get a chance to defend that new top spot immediately as they host No. 4 Indianapolis Cathedral Jan. 9 – stay tuned to HoosierAuthority.com for full story and video coverage!
Defending state champion Evansville Mater Dei remains in the No. 2 spot, with former leader Mishawaka sliding to third following the Cavemen’s 30-24 loss to Perry Meridian Jan. 5 at the Bellmont Super Duals. Cathedral and Crown Point also are status quo at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.
For the first time in awhile, there is some significant shakeup lower in the poll. Evansville Reitz – poised for a Jan. 10 showdown at Mater Dei – jumps from 13th to seventh. Carmel moves from 15th to 11th, while South Bend Riley bumps up from 19th to 14th. Falling this week are New Palestine (sixth to 12th), Avon (eighth to 13th), and Merrillville (12th to 20th).
And new to the first round o’ rankings in 2008 rankings are Peru (15th), New Haven (17th), Evansville Memorial (18th), and Chesterton (19th).
Teams are listed by rank followed by school and number of votes received. Here is your Top 20-plus from Jan. 9:
1. Perry Meridian 394
2. Evansville Mater Dei 387
3. Mishawaka 377
4. Indianapolis Cathedral 314
5. Crown Point 307
6. Bellmont 294
7. Evansville Reitz 289
8. Castle 244
9. Elkhart Memorial 221
10. Lawrence North 137
11. Carmel 121
12. New Palestine 119
13. Avon 104
14. South Bend Riley 98
15. Peru 87
16. Warren Central 85
17. New Haven 83
18. Evansville Memorial 74
19. Chesterton 71
20. Merrillville 67
Also receiving votes: Anderson Highland, Bloomington South, Center Grove, Columbia City, Columbus North, East Central, Elkhart Central, Floyd Central, Franklin, Hamilton Heights, Jeffersonville, LaPorte, Penn, Portage, Roncalli, Yorktown, Zionsville
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Posted on 07 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
Third-ranked Perry Meridian upset No. 1 Mishawaka, 30-24, in the marquee match Jan. 5 at the Bellmont Super Duals. Each team won seven weight classes, but the Falcons (19-0) got three early pins in building a 21-3 lead then hanging on against the Cavemen.
Perry Meridian also thumped No. 7 host Bellmont 48-26, Penn 58-9, Whitko 52-12, and Bluffton 69-11 en route to a perfect 5-0 record and the team title. Mishawaka (16-1) defeated Bellmont 33-19 as well in addition to posting a victory over No. 20 Bloomington South.
Here’s a look – complete with individual results – of the day’s three biggest dual matches:
#3 Perry Meridian 30, #1 Mishawaka 24
Things looked good initially for the Cavemen as No. 9 David Balentine got the first takedown in his 215-pound match against No. 12 Chris Schaefer. But Balentine got too high running legs and shockingly got stuck in 96 seconds.
Then heavyweight defending state champion Chico Adams got Perry Meridian three more points with a relatively easy 6-1 win over Randy Morin in a battle of No. 1 (Adams) vs. No. 2 (Morin). Sixth-ranked 103-pounder Paul Beck got the Cavemen on the board with a 17-3 major decision, but the match spun out of control for Mishawaka when both Guerras (Adam at 112, Matt at 119) got pinned – the former by No. 2 Jimmy Schoettle in 4:17, the latter by No. 5 Jacob Tonte in 2:51.
Worsening the scenario for Mishawaka was Adam Guerra chucking his head gear across the mat after the pin call, costing the Cavemen a point due to poor sportsmanship and causing the following entry from Cavemen coach Darrick Snyder on the Indiana High School Wrestling Coach Association’s discussion board:
“I wanted to start by saying congrats to Perry Meridian. What a great team – well coached, great conditioning, and tough as nails.
I didn’t sleep much last night and it wasn’t because of the loss. It was because of the way some of our wrestlers acted in defeat. I have never been so disappointed or embarrassed as a coach. I take a lot of pride in being the head coach at Mishawaka, but I did not feel any pride yesterday.
No attempt can be made to defend the actions of a few of our wrestlers. They showed a total lack of discipline and sportsmanship by throwing head gear, storming off the mat, or slapping an opponent’s hand instead of shaking it.
This is not acceptable. It will be corrected immediately. Every team member has been talked to and warned. It will be corrected even if it means guys being suspended and/or removed from the team.
As I mentioned to our team, ultimately this is completely my fault. Somewhere along the line we lost focus on always showing sportsmanship even in defeat. Most of our guys do, but to have the situations occur that did yesterday and at the Al Smith show me that we do not have discipline. This is not acceptable to me.
I apologize to everyone associated with Mishawaka wrestling, but please be assured that this will be corrected.â€
Think there might have been some electricity in the Decatur County air Saturday afternoon, wrestling fans?
Following the pins of the Guerras, Mishawaka responded by winning four of the next five matches, including unranked Trent Reinoehl’s 2-1 upset of No. 3 Brian Vest at 130. But the Falcons bounced back with victories over junior varsity competitors at 135 (where No. 17 Joey Smith was out following a cramp he had to default out of vs. Bloomington South) and at 145 (where Neal Kostry did not wrestle).
That made it 27-15 with four matches left. When No. 13 Chris Stepp scored a monster 6-5 upset of No. 5 Brandon Mersich at 152, that proved to be the difference when Mishawaka won the last three matches by decision.
The individual results:
103 – #6 Paul Beck (M) major dec. Michael Clem (PM), 17-3 (PM, 9-4)
112 – #2 Jimmy Schoettle (PM) pin #9 (at 119) Adam Guerra (M), 4:17 (PM, 15-4)
119 – #5 Jacob Tonte (PM) pin #17 (at 112) Matt Guerra (M), 2:51 (PM, 21-3)
125 – #1 Josh Harper (M) dec. Chris Goodwin (PM), 4-3 (PM, 21-6)
130 – Trent Reinoehl (M) dec. #3 Brian Vest (PM), 2-1 (PM, 21-9)
135 – #5 Jacob Tasseff (PM) dec. ?? (M), 3-1 (PM, 24-9)
140 – #1 Steven Sandefer (M) pin #11 John Leonard (PM), 0:25 (PM, 24-15)
145 – Blake Wood (PM) dec. ?? (M), 1-0 (PM, 27-15)
152 – #13 Chris Stepp (PM) dec. #5 Brandon Mersich (M), 6-5 (PM, 30-15)
160 – Tim Forte (M) dec. Corey Hudgins (PM), 4-0 (PM, 30-18)
171 – #5 Caleb Norville (M) dec. Mike Hughey (PM), 9-4 (PM, 30-21)
189 – #16 Brandon Straub (M) dec. Nick Barnes (PM), ?? (PM, 30-24)
215 – #12 Chris Schaefer (PM) pin #9 David Balentine (M), 1:26 (PM, 6-0)
Hwt – #1 Chico Adams (PM) dec. #2 Randy Morin (M), 6-1 (PM, 9-0)
#3 Perry Meridian 48, #7 Bellmont 26
The Falcons reeled off an amazing seven straight wins that resulted in six points each to erase any doubt about the outcome against the tournament host.
Adams got the run started by pinning No. 6 Clint Wurm in 4:21 before Michael Clem got a forfeit at 103. Then the sublime occurred as Schoettle, Tonte, 125-pound Chris Goodwin, and Vest posted first-period pins – and fast ones at that. Like 15 seconds, 18 seconds, 55 seconds, and 47 seconds fast.
When No. 5 Jacob Tasseff took a relatively pedestrian 5:08 to pin Ryley Hankenson at 135, the outcome was assured.
There was more drama, unfortunately.
With Bellmont’s No. 9 Doug Linthicum holding a 10-4 lead with just a few seconds left in the next match at 140 over No. 11 John Leonard, Leonard suddenly let fly with a huge elbow to the face. The Braves were awarded six points for a victory by injury default after Perry coach Jim Tonte removed Leonard from the match, and Leonard was awarded a trip to the back room for an earful from coach Tonte.
It was the start of a regrettable portion of the day for Leonard, who would learn all about karma shortly thereafter when Mishawaka’s top-ranked Steve Sandefer stuck him in 25 seconds for one of Mishawaka’s few bright spots in the day’s biggest match.
The individual results:
103 – Michael Clem (PM) won by forfeit
112 – #2 Jimmy Schoettle (PM) pin Will Busse (B), 0:15
119 – #5 Jacob Tonte (PM) pin Carlin Hormann (B), 0:18
125 – Chris Goodwin (PM) pin Taylen Reidenbach (B), 0:55
130 – #3 Brian Vest (PM) pin Sam Meyer (B), 0:47
135 – #5 Jacob Tasseff (PM) pin Ryley Hankenson (B), 5:08
140 – #9 Doug Linthicum (B) won by injury default over #11 John Leonard (PM)
145 – #2 Tyler Baker (B) dec. Blake Wood (PM), 5-3
152 – #13 Chris Stepp (PM) pin Trent Busse (B), 2:30
160 – #6 Ryan Baker (B) pin Corey Hudgins (PM), 1:44
171 – #4 Ben Bultemeier (B) dec. Mike Hughey (PM), 5-0
189 – #7 Billy Baker (B) technical fall Nick Barnes (PM), 24-9
215 – #15 Scott Gaskill (B) dec. #12 Chris Schaefer (PM), 3-1 (OT)
Hwt – #1 Chico Adams (PM) pin #6 Clint Wurm (B), 4:21
#1 Mishawaka 33, #7 Bellmont 19
Mishawaka’s state-ranked lower weights – plus the red-hot Reinoehl, who continued his stretch of knocking off highly ranked opponents with a 3-0 decision over sore-shouldered No. 7 (at 125) Will Sheets – dominated the host Braves as six of the Cavemen’s eight victories came right in a row at the smallest classes.
Four matches stood out in this one, with three going in Bellmont’s favor as 1) Linthicum scored a 5-3 upset of the No. 1 Sandefer at 140, 2) No. 4 Ben Bultemeier outlasted No. 5 Caleb Norville 8-6 in overtime at 171, and 3) No. 15 Scott Gaskill upset the No. 9 Balentine 3-2 at 215.
Mishawaka’s No. 2 Morin, meanwhile, scored the only point in his heavyweight slugfest with No. 6 Clint Wurm before the littler Cavemen became the reason for the team win.
“Mainly we are just going to focus on improving conditioning and sportsmanship,†Snyder said.
The individual results:
103 – #6 Paul Beck (M) won by forfeit
112 – #17 Matt Guerra (M) pin Will Busse (B), 1:43
119 – #9 Adam Guerra (M) dec. Carlin Hormann (B), 1-0
125 – #1 Josh Harper (M) pin Taylen Reidenbach (B), 0:27
130 – Trent Reinoehl (M) dec. #7 (at 125) Will Sheets (B), 3-0
135 – #17 Joey Smith (M) dec. Ryley Hankenson (B), 6-0
140 – #9 Doug Linthicum (B) dec. #1 Steven Sandefer (M), 5-3
145 – #2 Tyler Baker (B) dec. ?? (M), 7-4
152 – #5 Brandon Mersich (M) dec. Trent Busse (B), 6-0
160 – #6 Ryan Baker (B) dec. Tim Forte (M), 6-3
171 – #4 Ben Bultemeier (B) dec. #5 Caleb Norville (M), 8-6 (OT)
189 – #7 Billy Baker (B) major dec. ?? (M), 15-5
215 – #15 Scott Gaskill (B) dec. #9 David Balentine (M), 3-2
Hwt – #2 Randy Morin (M) dec. #6 Clint Wurm (B), 1-0
The final team results:
Perry Meridian (5-0)
#3 Perry Meridian 58, Penn 9
#3 Perry Meridian 52, Whitko 12
#3 Perry Meridian 48, #7 Bellmont 26
#3 Perry Meridian 30, #1 Mishawaka 24
#3 Perry Meridian 69, Bluffton 11
Mishawaka (4-1)
#1 Mishawaka over Whitko
#1 Mishawaka 33, #7 Bellmont 19
#1 Mishawaka over #20 Bloomington South
#1 Mishawaka 45, Evansville Memorial 15
Bellmont (3-2)
#7 Bellmont 52, Bluffton 6
#7 Bellmont 41, Evansville Memorial 22
#7 Bellmont 52, #20 Bloomington South 22
Evansville Memorial (3-2)
Evansville Memorial 35, #20 Bloomington South 28
Evansville Memorial 49, Bluffton 21
Evansville Memorial 45, Penn 14
Complete results for No. 20 Bloomington South, Penn, Bluffton, and Whitko were unavailable.
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Posted on 02 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
HoosierAuthority.com Video Coordinator Eric Eaton attended the Broncho Holiday Duals Dec. 28-29 at Lafayette Jefferson’s Crawley Center. Westfield won the 10-team, round-robin competition, but the Shamrocks’ victory wasn’t the only headline of the event.
New Castle coach Rex Peckinpaugh, the state’s all-time coaching leader in wrestling victories, recorded his 700th career win against Kankakee Valley during Day 1of the event. Peckinpaugh, who began coaching wrestling 32 years ago when current Lafayette Jeff coach Tom Miller helped get him a job as a middle school coach, has spent the last 27 years at New Castle. His ties to the New Castle wrestling program though go back even further as he wrestled for the Trojans in the early ’70s.
Andrew Howe, the state’s top-ranked wrestler at 160 pounds, also competed at the Broncho Holiday Duals. The Hanover Central senior, who won a state championship last season at 152, has signed to wrestle collegiately at the University of Wisconsin.
Click here to watch all of our video coverage from the Broncho Holiday Duals. Featured in the videos are Peckinpaugh talking about his milestone victory, Howe wrestling against Westfield’s R.V. Peter, and Westfield’s seventh-ranked heavyweight Josh Hale taking on Lafayette Jeff’s Brandon McCann.
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Posted on 02 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
In a battle of defending state champions Dec. 28-29, Indiana’s second-ranked host Evansville Mater Dei totaled 219 points to capture its own 17-team invitational by downing Kentucky’s Union County (172).
Eighth-ranked Avon took third with 162 points, while Evansville Memorial (151.5) placed fourth and No. 19 Franklin (140) was fifth. No. 16 Floyd Central finished a disappointing ninth with 101 points, trailing Kentucky’s Trinity (136), Harrison (West Lafayette) (128), and New Albany (112.5).
Mater Dei, which has won 12 Indiana team championships, finished the two-day event with four champions, four third-place results, and two fourths. That was enough to surpass Union County, which ended with three champs, a second, a third, and a fourth.
Taking titles for Mater Dei were John Sims, a 2-0 upset winner over Avon’s No. 20 Kyle Estrada at 125; Drew Lappe, who pinned Jeremiah Faulkenburg of Floyd Central in 1:48 at 140; No. 2 Jacob Schneider, a 9-3 winner over No. 11 Trygve Henrikson of Greensburg at 189; and heavyweight Brad Niemeier, a 5-4 upset victor over No. 9 Eric MacDonald of Harrison (West Lafayette).
The Wildcats’ third-place finishers were Craig Nelson (119), Adam Weinzapfel (135), Josh Erkman (145), and No. 20 John Kercher (215). Nolan King took fourth at 152, falling 9-4 to Evansville Memorial’s Kyle Sandwith, while Quinn Schroeder narrowly missed an upset for third at 103 in a 2-1 loss to Avon’s 10th-ranked Blaine Hall.
Avon, meanwhile, had three runners-up, a third, and three fourths. The trio of Orioles’ second-place finishers was No. 19 Scott Meunier, a 7-3 finals loser to Evansville Memorial’s No. 4 Conner Zuber in perhaps the day’s best match at 130; Isaiah Alfs, a 15-6 victim of Harrison’s Cameron Viahos at 152; and Estrada at 125.
Unranked Evansville Memorial had to be the surprise of the tournament as the Tigers finished with one champ, a second, two thirds, and two fourths. Zuber got the win at 130 over Avon’s Meunier, while No. 3 Tanner Wedding fell 2-1 in the 160 finals to defending Kentucky 152-pound state champion Mitch Ervin of Union County.
Sandwith got one of the thirds in his 152-pound win over Mater Dei’s King, while 140-pounder Marcel Garcia garnered the other with a 1-0 decision over North Posey’s Jon Craig. The fourth-place finishes were registered by Zach DeHaven, a 4-3 conso loser to Mater Dei’s at 135, and heavyweight Dan Borkowski, who lost 7-5 to Jordan Whiting of Trinity.
Franklin had one champ – No. 11 Jae Vanhorn, a 5-3 overtime upset winner of North Posey’s No. 3 James Price – and two fourths.
Floyd Central also had one champ – top-ranked 171-pound Cooper Samuels, a 13-4 winner by major decision over New Albany’s No. 3 J.T. Jenkins – as well as one second and a third. Samuels, the defending state champ at 160, was named the meet’s outstanding wrestler.
There were three other Indiana champs. New Albany’s fifth-ranked Ivan Rodriguez was a 3-1 winner over Union County’s Isaac Ervin at 145, Greensburg 215-pounder Ethan Herbert beat Harrison’s Joah Thomack 8-3, and Viahos of Harrison had the major decision over Avon’s Alfs at 152.
Team scores
1. #2 Evansville Mater Dei 219
2. Union County (KY) 172
3. #8 Avon 162
4. Evansville Memorial 151.5
5. #19 Franklin 140
6. Trinity (KY) 136
7. Harrison (West Lafayette) 128
8. New Albany 112.5
9. #16 Floyd Central 101
10. North Posey 91
11. Greensburg 59
11. Tell City 59
13. Fern Creek (KY) 48
14. Sullivan 44.5
15. Providence 42
16. Mount Carmel (IL) 38
17. Vincennes Lincoln
Individual results from the championship round:
103 – Jarvis Elam (Union County) dec. Myron Bradbury (Trinity), 7-5
112 – Dan Smith (Trinity) major dec. Ezra Penn (Harrison), 15-3
119 – Aaron Carr (Union County) major dec. Tim Martin (New Albany), 12-0
125 – John Sims (Mater Dei) dec. #20 Kyle Estrada (Avon), 2-0
130 – #4 Conner Zuber (Memorial) dec. #19 Scott Meunier (Avon), 7-3
135 – #11 Jae Vanhorn (Franklin) dec. #3 James Price (North Posey), 5-3 (OT)
140 – Drew Lappe (Mater Dei) pinned Jeremiah Faulkenburg (Floyd Central), 1:48
145 – #5 Ivan Rodriguez (New Albany) dec. Isaac Ervin (Union County), 3-1
152 – Cameron Viahos (Harrison) major dec. Isaiah Alfs (Avon), 15-6
160 – Mitch Ervin (Union County) dec. #3 Tanner Wedding (Memorial), 2-1
171 – #1 Cooper Samuels (Floyd Central) major dec. #3 J.T. Jenkins (New Albany), 13-4
189 – #2 Jacob Schneider (Mater Dei) dec. #11 Trygve Henrikson (Greensburg), 9-3
215 – Ethan Herbert (Greensburg) dec. Joah Thomack (Harrison), 8-3
Hwt – Brad Niemeier (Mater Dei) dec. #9 Eric MacDonald (Harrison), 5-4
Individual results from the consolation round:
103 – #10 Blaine Hall (Avon) dec. Quinn Schroeder (Mater Dei), 2-1
112 – Daniel Weixler (Fern Creek) dec. #18 Nick Acosta (Avon), 9-3
119 – Craig Nelson (Mater Dei) dec. Cole Vanhorn (Franklin), 5-2
125 – #19 Nick Oxley (New Albany) dec. #10 Omar Saiguero (Providence), 3-2
130 – Caleb Ervin (Union County) dec. Grant Ohlmann (Trinity), 4-0
135 – Adam Weinzapfel (Mater Dei) dec. Zach DeHaven (Memorial), 4-3
140 – Marcel Garcia (Memorial) dec. Jon Craig (North Posey), 1-0
145 – Josh Erkman (Mater Dei) dec. Corbin Richards (Avon), 3-0
152 – Kyle Sandwith (Memorial) dec. Nolan King (Mater Dei), 9-4
160 – #19 Tyler Alvey (Floyd Central) major dec. Cord Dorsey (Franklin), 10-1
171 – Brad Hitchings (Trinity) dec. Andrew Leach (Avon), 10-8 (OT)
189 – #9 Ethan Cook (Providence) dec. Diante Wright (Union County), 4-3
215 – #20 John Kercher (Mater Dei) dec. Dylan Froehlich (Tell City), 3-1
Hwt – Jordan Whiting (Trinity) dec. Dan Borkowski (Memorial), 7-5
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Posted on 01 January 2008 by alexanderscot.
By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
Top-ranked host Mishawaka crowned five champions and also snagged second-place and fourth-place finishes Dec. 27-28 at the Al Smith Invitational in rolling to the team title. That means the Cavemen got podium performances from half their team – amazing considering the competition.
Mishawaka (11-0) scored 274.5 points to easily outdistance seventh-ranked Bellmont (182) for the crown. No. 11 Elkhart Memorial took third place with 180.5 points, while No. 10 Lawrence North (165.5) placed fourth and No. 12 Merrillville (157.5) finished fifth.
Sixth-place Peru (151), meanwhile, made the strongest showing of any of the 26 unranked schools, scoring a second-place finish (George Markou, a 5-2 finals loser to Hobart’s Cosgrove at 145), a third (Sam Mitchel, a 2-0 winner over LaPorte’s Mike Roberts at 152), and a fourth (Aaron Garretson, a 1-0 loser to Elkhart Memorial’s Stahl at 119).
“We are wrestling really well thus far, but it is such a long season,†said Mishawaka coach Darrick Snyder, whose Cavemen appear to be the class of the state along with No. 3 Perry Meridian just four weeks before sectionals. “On a side note, Mater Dei (the defending state champion from Evansville) is still undefeated in Indiana – we aren’t forgetting about them!
“We are pleased so far, but know we must continue to improve. This weekend will be a great test.â€
Indeed. Mishawaka is one of five ranked teams that will compete Jan. 5 at the Bellmont Super Duals. In addition to the No. 7 host Braves, No. 13 Evansville Memorial and No. 14 Bloomington South also will be in action … as will Perry Meridian.
Can you say SHOWDOWN?
Back at the Al Smith Invitational, the last two rounds of the tournament were highly competitive for the most part. The finals saw four pins and 10 decisions, while the consolation round had three pins, 10 decisions, and a major decision.
But the host Cavemen were the dominant story in this prestigious event. All five Mishawaka champions defeated opponents that were ranked in the Top 10 in the finals, with Trent Reinoehl registering perhaps the day’s standout performance.
Reinoehl was the only unranked wrestler to win a title, and his route to the top of the 130-pound weight class was capped by an 8-6 overtime upset of Bellmont’s Will Sheets, ranked No. 7 at 125.
“Trent wrestled an outstanding tournament,†Snyder said. “His conditioning and focus definitely showed. His overtime victory in the finals might have been the best match of the entire tournament.â€
The other Cavemen champions were No. 6 Paul Beck (a 4-0 winner over No. 7 Brandon Nelson of Lawrence North at 103), top-ranked Josh Harper (who pinned Lawrence North’s Cashé Quiroga, the state’s No. 3 at 119, in 3:05 at 125), No. 5 Caleb Norville (an 8-4 upset winner over No. 4 Ben Bultemeier of Bellmont at 171), and No. 2 heavyweight Randy Morin (who pinned No. 10 Mike Palmer of South Bend Riley in 4:55).
“I am really happy for and proud of Caleb Norville,†Snyder said. “We have always said the ceiling is so high for him. We feel like he is reaching close to his full potential now.â€
Mishawaka’s runners-up were both victims of an upset, although how large could certainly be argued since each faced a very quality Warsaw opponent. Top-ranked Steven Sandefer was felled 6-4 by Warsaw’s No. 2 Matt Elvidge in a 1 vs. 2 showdown at 140, while No. 5 Brandon Mersich dropped a 5-2 decision to Warsaw’s No. 7 Andy Keener at 152.
“Matt Elvidge is an awesome wrestler who spends a ton of time in our open rooms during the off-season,†Snyder said. “It was great to see a kid we know so well succeed, but also hard to see Steven lose. Sandefer will refocus and look for those two to meet up again!
“Keener is a HUGE and talented 152-pounder. Brandon wrestled better as the match went on and made it very exciting with a near-turn at the end.â€
Meanwhile, Mishawaka 160-pounder Tim Forte took fourth after dropping a 3-0 consolation match to Quinn Kurtz of Prairie Heights.
Bellmont, which just nosed out Elkhart Memorial for second place in the team standings, finished with one champ, two runners-up, and a fourth-place. No. 6 Ryan Baker downed Rochester’s Jordan Schultz 14-7 to win the Braves’ only crown at 160, while Sheets (130) and Bultemeir (171) both lost to finals foes from Mishawaka. No. 7 Billy Baker, meanwhile, dropped a 4-3 consolation match at 189 to No. 3 Jake Salas of Merrillville.
Elkhart Memorial got second-place finishes from a pair of wrestlers who lost in the finals to No. 1-ranked opponents – No. 15 Zack Corpe, a 10-4 victim of Hobart’s Eric Galka at 135, and unranked Steve Stahl, a 3-2 victim of top-ranked Ryan Konrath of Jimtown at 189. The Chargers also scored two third-place finishes (No. 12 Ryan Stahl, a 1-0 winner over No. 19 Aaron Garretson of Peru at 119, and 130-pound Jake Leitch, who pinned No. 16 Jacob Plesac of Hobart in 1:58). And Brandon Harvey placed fourth after falling to No. 8 Frankie Porras of Hobart 6-4 in the 125 conso.
Warsaw certainly picked its spots with three podium finishers – all champions. In addition to the aforementioned Mishawaka conquerors (Elvidge and Keener), No. 4 Justin Brooks pinned Chesterton’s No. 6 Ben Williams in 5:31 at 112.
Elsewhere, Hobart’s pair of top-ranked wrestlers captured crowns – Galka at 135, Brennan Cosgrove with a 5-2 decision over No. 8 George Markou of Peru at 145. The Brickies also registered two thirds and a fourth.
Jimtown’s Konrath was one of five No. 1-ranked studs to win a title, joining Hobart’s Galka and Cosgrove as well as Mishawaka’s Harper by downing Stahl at 189 in a great match with tons of action, according to Snyder.
“I wouldn’t want to meet Stahl or Konrath in a dark alley – they are both scary individuals,†Snyder said.
The other top-ranked champ was South Bend Riley’s George Malone, a 4-2 winner over No. 3 Jeremy Steinhart of Jasper at 215.
Merrillville, which ended with two thirds and a fourth, had the day’s final champion in No. 20 Anthony Napules, who pinned No. 17 Caleb Smith of Princeton in 1:43 at 119.
Team scores
#1 Mishawaka 274.5
#7 Bellmont 182
#11 Elkhart Memorial 180.5
#10 Lawrence North 165.5
#12 Merrillville 157.5
Peru 151
#19 South Bend Riley 150
Hobart 147.5
Warsaw 128
Jimtown 114
Prairie Heights 106.5
Chesterton 103.5
East Noble 98
LaPorte 96.5
Jasper 80
Valparaiso 80
Lowell 74
Lake Central 69
Rochester 69
Penn 68
Lawrence Central 64.5
New Prairie 62.5
Princeton 57
Goshen 56
Benton Central 52.5
South Bend Adams 52
Calumet 45.5
Southport 38.5
Wawasee 37
South Bend Clay 36
Bremen 32
Fort Wayne Luers 20
Individual results from the championship round:
103 – #6 Paul Beck (Mishawaka) dec. #7 Brandon Nelson (LN), 4-0
112 – #4 Justin Brooks (Warsaw) pinned #6 Ben Williams (Chesterton), 5:31
119 – #20 Anthony Napules (Merrillville) pinned #17 Caleb Smith (Princeton), 1:43
125 – #1 Josh Harper (Mishawaka) pinned #3 (at 119) Cashé Quiroga (LN), 3:05
130 – Trent Reinoehl (Mishawaka) dec. #7 (at 125) Will Sheets (Bellmont), 8-6 (OT)
135 – #1 Eric Galka (Hobart) dec. #15 Zack Corpe (Elkhart Memorial), 10-4
140 – #2 Matt Elvidge (Warsaw) dec. #1 Steven Sandefer (Mishawaka), 6-4
145 – #1 Brennan Cosgrove (Hobart) dec. #8 George Markou (Peru), 5-2
152 – #7 Andy Keener (Warsaw) dec. #5 Brandon Mersich (Mishawaka), 5-2
160 – #6 Ryan Baker (Bellmont) dec. Jordan Schultz (Rochester), 14-7
171 – #5 Caleb Norville (Mishawaka) dec. #4 Ben Bultemeier (Bellmont), 8-4
189 – #1 Ryan Konrath (Jimtown) dec. Steve Stahl (Elkhart Memorial), 3-2
215 – #1 George Malone (SB Riley) dec. #3 Jeremy Steinhart (Jasper), 4-2
Hwt – #2 Randy Morin (Mishawaka) pinned #10 Mike Palmer (SB Riley), 4:55
Individual results from the consolation round:
103 – Travis Barroquillo (Prairie Heights) major dec. #18 Zach Stevens (Merrillville), 8-0
112 – #19 Carlo Martinez (Merrillville) pinned #5 Miguel Perez (SB Riley), 4:01
119 – #12 Ryan Stahl (Elkhart Memorial) dec. #19 Aaron Garretson (Peru), 1-0
125 – #8 Frankie Porras (Hobart) dec. Brandon Harvey (Elkhart Memorial), 6-4
130 – Jake Leitch (Elkhart Memorial) pinned #16 Jacob Plesac (Hobart), 1:58
135 – #12 Tom Churchard (Valparaiso) dec. #14 (at 130) Jeremiah Edwards (LN), 10-5
140 – #16 Johnny Dillon (Hobart) dec. Matt Goodwin (LN), 5-2
145 – #13 David Oviatt (LaPorte) dec. Braden Barkes (Goshen), 7-5
152 – Sam Mitchel (Peru) dec. Mike Roberts (LaPorte), 2-0
160 – Quinn Kurtz (Prairie Heights) dec. Tim Forte (Mishawaka), 3-0
171 – Derick Nesvold (LaPorte) pinned Damon Jones (Lawrence Central), 0:52
189 – #3 Jake Salas (Merrillville) dec. #7 Billy Baker (Bellmont), 4-3
215 – Dylan Forbes (Prairie Heights) dec. #18 Braxton Riley (Wawasee), 8-2
Hwt – #17 Ben Bugay (Southport) dec. #18 Nick Polson (LN), 5-2
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