Isaiah Bradley is one of 21 undefeated wrestlers in Indiana (Photo/Paul Tincher, IndianaMat.com) Undefeated showdowns rule in the Hoosier State
This Friday and Saturday marks the 75th annual Indiana High School Athletic Association state wrestling tournament, as the single-class event will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Twenty-one wrestlers enter the championship weekend undefeated, with 12 weights featuring at least one undefeated wrestler. Seven of those weights feature two undefeated wrestlers, while an eighth weight features a trio of wrestlers without a loss on the season.
It all starts at the opening weight class, where freshman Chad Red (New Palestine) -- ranked No. 6 nationally -- enters the tournament with a 44-0 record. Joining Red in his half of the draw is junior Hayden Lee (Garrett), who is ranked No. 20 nationally with a 36-1 record; the wrestlers met for seventh place at the Super 32 Challenge, a match that red won 6-0. The other half of the draw features two undefeated wrestlers: freshman Brock Hudkins (Danville), who could face 40-1 sophomore Garrett Pepple (East Noble) in the quarterfinal; and junior Jake Sinkovics (Mishawaka), who upset Lee in the finals of a late December tournament.
Seeking back-to-back state titles is No. 2 Stevan Micic (Hanover Central), who is undefeated at 44-0 during his junior season at 113 pounds. However, another undefeated wrestler looms as a possible finals opponent in sophomore Connor Knopp (East Noble), presuming he is able to clear returning state placer Jacob Cottey (Perry Meridian), who is 37-1 this season.
Returning state runner-up Cody LeCount (Perry Meridian), also a Cadet National freestyle runner-up this summer, is ranked No. 19 nationally at 132 pounds. The junior enters the state tournament undefeated with a 36-0 record. In the other half is senior Levi Moss (Benjamin Davis), a returning state placer who is also undefeated with a record of 35-0.
The 138 pound weight class is jam-packed with talent, including a pair of undefeated wrestlers in senior Luke Blanton (Alexandria) and sophomore No. 18 Tommy Forte (Mishawaka); Blanton placed fourth at state last year, though he upset defending state champion Neal Molloy in the quarterfinal, while Forte placed third at state with a consolation final victory over Blanton. The path to the state title for Blanton will not be easy, with NHSCA Junior National All-American Anthony McHugh (Culver Academy) looming as a quarterfinal opponent after his 3-2 loss to Forte in the semi-state final; and then a possible semifinal with 39-1 senior Tyler Hupp (Indian Creek), who placed sixth at the Preseason Nationals. In Forte's half of the draw, a semifinal matchup with two-time state placer Chandler Carroll (Yorktown), 40-1 during his junior season, is looming in his path.
The 152-pound weight class features defending state champion Isaiah Bradley (Muncie Southside), who is ranked No. 18 nationally and carries an undefeated 33-0 record during his senior season. Joining Bradley here is a pair of returning state runners-up -- senior Josh Farrell (Greenfield Central) and junior Vinny Corsaro (Indianpolis Cathedral). Farrell is undefeated for the season at 44-0, including a 5-4 victory over Corsaro in the semi-state final this past weekend. The draw sets up so that Farrell is in the top half, while Bradley and Corsaro are featured in the projection bottom half-bracket semifinal.
Another pair of undefeated wrestlers looms in the 170-pound weight class, one of whom is sophomore Bobby Steveson (Merrillville), who is ranked No. 19 nationally. Steveson placed fifth at state last year, was third in Cadet freestyle, and carries a 35-0 record this season. While in the opposite half of the draw, Riley Lefever (Fort Wayne Carroll) enters this weekend with a 43-0 record. Also in this weight is junior Jake Rickenbaugh (Heritage Hills), who has a 46-1 record, and is in the opposite quarter of the half-bracket featuring Steveson.
At 195 pounds, defending state champion Mitch Sliga (Fishers) enters the state tournament with a 45-0 record. The senior Sliga -- ranked No. 4 nationally -- is joined by fellow undefeated senior Clayton Fiddler (Bloomington South), who is 44-0 this year, in the bottom half of the draw. In addition, Sliga's projected quarterfinal match is against 45-1 senior Kyle Garringer (Jay County). The top half of the draw features three seniors each having one loss on the season; Joseph Ross (Northfield) has a 36-1 mark in the top quarter, while 46-1 Jacob Ricks (Benton Central) and Kalob Salkill (South Spencer) are both in the second quarter.
Last among the weights with a pair of undefeated wrestlers is 220 pounds, where both without a loss are juniors and in opposite halves of the draw. Fletcher Miller (Kokomo) is in the top half of the draw with a 47-0 record, and it's the much easier half, as the only other notable is Connor Tolley (Franklin Community); Tolley is in the other quarter-bracket, and was a Cadet double All-American this past summer. Returning third in the state Gelen Robinson (Lake Central) is 45-0 this year, and is looking at a quarterfinal match against a senior with only one loss on the season -- either 28-1 Jason Nicodemus (Churubusco) or 34-1 Dylan Jones (Avon); while the other quarter of that bottom half features 37-1 junior Maximilia Hernandez (Warren Central) and 47-1 senior Jared Boehm (Heritage Hills).
Additional undefeated wrestlers include junior Deandre Wilson (Warren Central), 34-0 at 120 pounds; senior Nick Crume (Jimtown), 34-0 at 126; senior Neal Molloy (Danville), 39-0 and ranked No. 7 nationally at 145; and senior Matt Hurford (Culver Community), 43-0 at 182.
Notable among those weights is the 126-pound class, which is obviously led by two-time state third place finisher Crume in the bottom quarter of the draw. The top quarter of this draw features a pair of state placers, both with one loss on the season -- sophomore Brandon James (Perry Meridian) and Luke Welch (Castle). They are joined in the upper half by Blake Denton (Twin Lake), a junior also with one loss on the season. The quarter opposite of Crume in the bottom half of the draw features two wrestlers with a single loss -- senior Tom Gettinger (Connersville), who upset James in the semi-state final, and junior Josh Fuqua (Crown Point), state runner-up at 103 in 2011.
The two weights without an undefeated wrestler are 160 and 285 pounds. The 160-pound weight features returning state runner-up Luke Kreich (Franklin Community) and returning state third place finisher Austin McCloskey (Western Boone), both appear in the same quarter bracket of the draw. The 285-pound weight class has three nationally ranked wreslters in No. 10 Donte Winfield (Perry Meridian), a Junior National freestyle runner-up; along with returning state placers No. 13 Eric Hemmelgarm (Jay County) and No. 15 Wesley Bernard (Indianapolis Cathedral).
The senior Winfield had split matches with Bernard heading into their semi-state final this past weekend; however, Bernard won this third match of the season. As a result, the junior Bernard has the more manageable half of the draw, opposite of both other nationally ranked wrestlers. Winfield is in a tough quarter bracket with freshman sensation Shawn Streck (Merrillville), who is 38-4 on the year and was a semi-state champion; while the second quarter of the draw features the junior Hemmelgarm.
Coming down to the wire in the Keystone State
This weekend's Class AAA state team championship match between No. 10 Canon McMillan and No. 29 Central Dauphin came down to the final bout, when Brendan Price came up the hero for the Big Macs pulling out a 4-3 decision over Zach Elvin at 106 pounds to give Canon McMillan the 34-31 victory. The dual meet went back-and-forth between the two squads, with the Rams firing the first salvo in the form of senior Austin Camacci's 13-0 major decision victory at 113 pounds.
Three consecutive Canon McMillan victories gave them their biggest lead of the meet at 14-4. Those came in the form of a pin at 3:50 from No. 12 Dalton Macri, a 21-5 technical fall from No. 3 Connor Schram, and an 8-1 decision by Alec Hutchin. Central Dauphin then responded with five consecutive victories to take a 26-14 lead after 170 pounds; those coming in the form of a forfeit win for No. 8 Tyson Dippery, a 7-0 victory from Nick Varndell, a 14-2 major decision for Austin Rose, a 12 second pin by No. 5 Garrett Peppelman, and a 10-5 decision from Colton Peppelman.
Cody Wiericioch, ranked No. 2 in the nation at 170, but wrestling up one weight in this match buffered the tide with a 19-4 technical fall victory to pull Canon McMillan to within 26-19. However, Terrance Parsons would respond right back with a 15-0 technical fall to extend the Rams lead back out to 31-19 with three matches remaning. Then it was consecutive pins by No. 15 Alex Campbell and Angelo Broglia to tie the match at 31-all, and set up the last weight class drama, which resulted in a repeat team state championship for Canon-McMillan.
There was no such “down to the wire” in the Class AA tournament, as No. 22 Bethlehem Catholic ran through their four matches like a hot knife through butter. The opening match was an 81-0 shutout against Lower Moreland with only a 15-0 technical fall at 132 and 14-6 major decision at 160 preventing an all-pin assault. It was a 39-18 victory over Fort LeBoeuf, nine matches to five, in a rematch of the 2011 team state final during this year's quarterfinal round. The semifinal round featured a 48-9 victory for the Hawks over Bermudian Springs in which they won eleven of fourteen bouts. In the championship match, Bethlehem Catholic earned the three-peat with a 43-16 (10 matches to 4) victory over Reynolds, who had won this event three times in the recent past.
Finishing third in the Class AAA event was No. 34 Franklin Regional, who had a couple of close calls along their journey. The Panthers opened with a 54-15 win over Jersey Shore, before escaping with a 29-28 quarterfinal victory over Owen J. Roberts. Their front-side run was ended in a 41-25 defeat to Central Dauphin, before a 29-25 consolation semifinal victory over Erie McDowell was followed up by a 29-26 victory over Easton in the consolation final.
Sooner State decides its team champions
At two different sites in Oklahoma, Claremore for the upper two classes (6A and 5A), Cushing for the smaller two classes (4A and 3A), team state champions were decided in the dual meet format. The Class 6A tournament saw a slight surprise as Broken Arrow, previously ranked No. 25, was upset in the semifinal round losing 28-27 to Muskogee. As a result, the Tigers slide back to No. 36 in the Fab50. While, it was No. 30 Edmond North able to capitalize on that upset and come away with the big school state team title. The Huskies had three competitive, but somewhat decisive, dual meets on their way to the title: 39-25 over Sapulpa in the final round, 35-18 over Tulsa Union in the semifinal, and 43-25 over Muskogee in the final.
It was No. 12 Collinsville winning the Class 5A championship with a pair of blowout victories -- 64-10 over Deer Creek and 67-6 over Coweta -- before a rather tight 31-24 finals victory over Lawton McArthur. No. 40 Tuttle made it a four-peat in Class 4A with three dominating victories on Saturday: 63-13 over Bristow in the opening round, 61-9 over Blackwell in the semifinal, and finally 43-10 over Vinita in the final. Lastly it was Perry winning the small school (Class 3A) title with a 30-25 finals victory over Newkirk.
Show-Me the state championships
Tomorrow marks the beginning of the Missouri State Wrestling Championships, as all four classifications start their tournaments at the Mizzou Arena in Columbia. In the big school competition (Class 4), No. 32 Park Hill enters as a slight favorite over No. 37 Blue Springs. The Trojans are working with 11 total state qualifiers, while the Wildcats -- though favored to win four weight brackets -- only have eight competing in Columbia. Outside contenders in Class 4 are Seckman and Holt, who each have nine wrestlers qualified.
Two weight classes in this classification stand out for their quality of competition. Two returning state champions are featured at 138 pounds, both of whom are juniors; Sam Crane (Rock Bridge), who is 43-1 on the season, and two-time state champion No. 9 Daniel Lewis (Blue Springs), who is 42-0. Those two wrestlers are in opposite halves of the draw; however, another undefeated competitor is in this weight bracket, 47-0 senior Nick Olejnik (Lafayette Wildwood) who is in the same half-bracket as Crane.
Two of the nation's top 100 senior recruits, both of whom were Junior National folkstyle champions last spring, are in the same half-bracket at 145 pounds: No. 16 Darick Lapaglia (Blue Springs) and Clayton Ream (Holt). Two-time state champion Lapaglia, also Junior National freestyle All-American, enters the state tournament 40-1; while three-time state placer, but never a state champion, Ream enters 48-1. Both wrestlers' lone loss this season is to Grant Leeth, but Lapaglia also carries a win over Leeth during this season. Lingering in the opposite half-bracket is senior Russell Coleman (Park Hill), who is well-positioned to earn the dubious distinction of being a four-time state runner-up.
Other nationally ranked wrestlers in Class 4 include No. 4 Ke-Shawn Hayes (Park Hill) at 113, No. 11 Cain Salas (Blue Springs) at 152, No. 8 (at 152) Austin Eads (Blue Springs South) competing at 160, No. 9 Michael Pixley (Blue Springs) at 182, and No. 2 (at 220) J'Den Cox (Hickman) competing at 285.
No. 43 Kearney will seek to repeat in the Class 3 tournament, while working with just eight state qualifiers; and without the presence of Junior National freestyle All-American Seth Brayfield, who failed to qualify for state at 120 pounds. Key wrestlers for the Bulldogs include state champions No. 7 Jaret Singh (113), Kevin Kinney (138), and No. 18 Grant Leeth (145); along with state runners-up Blake Clevenger (132) and Blain Drescher (160). Teams seeking to dethrone Kearney include Neosho, with 13 state qualifiers; Oak Park Staley, with 12 state qualifiers; and Farmington, with 9 state qualifiers.
Oak Grove (10 qualifiers) is the favorite in Class 2, while Whitfield (9 qualifiers) is the favorite in Class 1.
Garden State to decide its best teams on Sunday
While the individual state tournament sanctioned by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is un-scored and a single-class affair, the team championships decided by dual meets is conducted in four public-school and two non-public-school groups based on enrollment. There are four nationally ranked teams under the NJSIAA umbrella, No. 26 South Plainfield, No. 35 Bergen Catholic, No. 38 Bound Brook, and No. 41 Don Bosco Prep. South Plainfield is a prohibitive favorite in the Group 3 tournament, Bound Brook has the same status in the Group 1 (small school) tournament, while Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco Prep are likely to meet on Friday night in the Non-public Group A North section final.
The tournaments started with 24 teams in each public school group and 12 in the two private school groups as determined and seeded by power points. Each of the four public school sections and two private school sections in a group went from six to four on Monday night, with the sectional semifinals being conducted tonight. Section finals are on Friday, while the championships (final four for the public groups and championship match only for the non-public groups) will be held on Sunday at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River, N.J. For the public school groups, the final four teams are paired based on power points for the semifinal round on Sunday.
The following is the list of pairings for tonight's sectional semifinal rounds, rankings come courtesy of The Star-Ledger Top 20 (regardless of group) from this Tuesday.
Group 1 (small school)
North 1: No. 10 Kittatinny vs. Pequannock, Emerson Boro vs. Lenape Valley
North 2: Hanover Park vs. Bogota, Caldwell vs. Cedar Grove
Central: No. 4 Bound Brook vs. Burlington City, Roselle Park vs. South River
South: Paulsboro vs. Collingswood, Cinnaminson vs. Woodstown
Group 2
North 1: No. 13 High Point vs. Parisppany, River Dell vs. West Essex
North 2: No. 19 Voorhees vs. Governor Livingston, Parsippany Hills vs. Cranford
Central: Long Branch vs. Point Pleasant Boro, Delaware Valley vs. Raritan
South: No. 18 Delsea vs. Barnegat, Clayton vs. Highland
Group 3
North 1: Northern Highlands vs. Wayne Valley, Passaic Valley vs. Paramus
North 2: No. 1 South Plainfield vs. West Morris, Warren Hills vs. Roxbury
Central: Brick Township vs. North Burlington, Ocean Township vs. Hopewell Valley
South: No. 6 Toms River South vs. Cherry Hill West, Timber Creek vs. Hammonton
Group 4 (big school)
North 1: Morris Knolls vs. Hackensack, Clifton vs. North Bergen
North 2: No. 8 Hunterdon Central vs. Watchung Hills, No. 9 Phillipsburg vs. North Hunterdon
Central: No. 5 Brick Memorial vs. East Brunswick, No. 12 Jackson Memorial vs. No. 15 Howell
South: No. 11 Southern Regional vs. Toms River North, Clearview vs. Shawnee
Non-Public Group A
North: No. 2 Bergen Catholic vs. No. 16 St. Joseph Montville, No. 3 Don Bosco Prep vs. No. 7 St. Peter's Prep
South: St. Augustine vs. Bishop Ahr, Christian Brothers vs. St. John Vianney
Non-Public Group B
North: DePaul vs. Rutgers Prep, Morris Catholic vs. Pingry
South: No. 14 Camden Catholic vs. St. Joseph Hammonton, Holy Cross vs. Holy Spirit
Additional individual state tournament results/highlights from the past weekend
Arizona
Team champions included Sunnyside (Division 1), Ironwood Ridge (Division 2), Thunderbird (Division 3), and Camp Verde (Division 4). Notable individual highlight was Dalton Brady (Chandler) winning his fourth state title; the No. 8 ranked 126 pound wrestler, fourth at that weight in the Super 32 Challenge, competed all the way up at 138 pounds capping off a 33-0 season.
Montana
State championship teams included Great Falls (Class AA), Havre (Class A), and Forsyth (Class BC) by one point over Choteau.
Nevada
State championship teams included Green Valley (Division I), Lowry (Division I-A), and Battle Mountain (Division III/IV). Notable individual highlight was No. 20 Joey Lavallee (Reno) earning his fourth state title, for the second straight time at 145 pounds.
Additional team state tournament results/highlights from the past weekend
Maryland
Damascus won their third Class 4A/3A title in program history, but first since 1999, while Winters Mill was repeat champion in Class 2A/1A.
Ohio
No. 2 St. Edward, No. 5 St. Paris Graham, and Delta won championships in the debut edition of this event in their respective divisions.
South Carolina
Dual meet state champions were Lexington (Class 4A), Eastside (Class 3A), and Bamberg-Ehrhardt (Class 2A/1A).
Other individual state championships this coming weekend
The state championship tournament in Utah starts today; events in Alabama, Georgia, Illinois (preview article posted yesterday), Iowa (preview article posted Tuesday), Nebraska, and Tennessee start tomorrow; while those in Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, North Dakota, Virginia, and Washington start on Friday.
Other dual meet state championships this week
Delaware decided its dual meet state champions yesterday, results to be posted in next week's notebook column; Iowa has its team state tournaments today; North Dakota wrestles its tournament tomorrow; while North Carolina has its state championship dual meets on Saturday.
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