From ihsaa.orgSix of the eight finalists from 2007, including the two-time defending champion, return Feb. 23 to the 13th Annual IHSAA Team Wrestling State Finals at Center Grove High School in Greenwood.
The quarterfinal round begins at 10 a.m. ET, with the semifinals and championship match to follow.
Top-ranked Evansville Mater Dei, winner of the last two state championships and 11 of the last 13, heads the list of returnees. Also back from last year are No. 2 Perry Meridian, No. 3 Mishawaka, No. 6 Bellmont, No. 9 Elkhart Memorial, and No. 20 Merrillville.
Mater Dei, under first-year coach Greg Schaefer who took over for the legendary Mike Goebel, has advanced to the team finals for the 13th consecutive season. The Wildcats had seven advance to last week’s individual finals. That number includes Alex Weinzapfel, who finished as runner-up at 119, along with Drew Lappe and Jake Schneider, who placed third at 140 and 189, respectively.
The Wildcats will face No. 19 Columbus North, which is making its first appearance in the event and which had two wrestlers who competed last weekend at Conseco Fieldhouse. Ethan Ott placed fifth at 145 and Jacob Milenbaugh competed in the 140-pound division for the Bull Dogs.
Lawrence North, which won the 2004 and 2005 tournaments, has advanced back to the finals for the first time since its last championship season. The No. 10 Wildcats actually finished second to Indianapolis Cathedral in the sectional this year but avenged a regular-season dual loss in the regional championship round on criteria. Lawrence North had four compete last week, including Cashe’ Quiroga, the 119-pound champion, and Brandon Nelsen, who placed third at 103.
Elkhart Memorial fell in last year’s opening round, but the Chargers have advanced back for their second appearance in the meet. The Chargers are undefeated in dual competition this season behind three state finalists, including Steve Stahl, the 189-pound champ.
The first-round matchup between No. 2 Perry Meridian and No. 3 Mishawaka features 13 state finalists and three champions. The Falcons and Cavemen also went head-to-head back on Jan. 5, with Perry taking a 30-24 victory.
Perry Meridian is led by two-time defending heavyweight champion Chico Adams. The senior hasn’t lost a match in two seasons, finishing 54-0 last year and standing at 53-0 heading into this weekend. Chris Stepp also placed third at 152 last Saturday for the Falcons.
Mishawaka, which finished as the runner-up in 2007, boasts a pair of state champions on its roster in three-time champ Josh Harper (125) and Steve Sandefer (140). Harper is 45-0 to this point in the season and is 135-1 for his career. His lone blemish came in last year’s team finals, when he wrestled in the semifinal round at 119 a week after capturing the 112 title.
Bellmont is making its 11th straight appearance in the team tournament and 12th overall. Bellmont had four representatives at last week’s state meet, including third-place finisher Ryan Baker (160) and fourth-place Will Sheets (125). Two of the Braves three regular-season losses came to Mishawaka and Perry Meridian, either of which could be their semifinal opponent should they get past Merrillville.
Speaking of Merrillville, the Pirates avenged a regular-season loss to fifth-ranked Crown Point to win the semistate championship to earn a trip to Greenwood for the third straight year. Merrillville had five wrestlers competing last weekend, led by Anthony Napules (119), who placed fourth. The Pirates have been first-round victims in their two previous visits, including a 28-25 decision to Bellmont in 2006.
Also of note …
State champions in the field119 – Cashe’ Quiroga, junior, Lawrence North (also 2007 runner-up at 112)
125 – Josh Harper, junior, Mishawaka (also 2007 state champ at 112 and 2006 state champ at 103)
140 – Steven Sandefer, junior, Mishawaka
189 – Steve Stahl, senior, Elkhart Memorial
285 – Chico Adams, senior, Perry Meridian (2007, 2008)
State runners-up in the field119 – Alex Weinzapfel, senior, Evansville Mater Dei
STATE FINALS (TEAM)Date: Saturday, Feb. 23
Site: Center Grove High School, 2717 S. Morgantown Rd., Greenwood | Website
Time: Quarterfinals begin at 10 a.m. ET, with semifinal round and championship round to follow.
Admission: $8
Advancement: This is a single-elimination tournament in which the winning team shall advance to the next round.
QuarterfinalsMatch 1: No. 10 Lawrence North (24-3) vs. No. 9 Elkhart Memorial (16-0)
Match 2: No. 19 Columbus North (24-3) vs. No. 1 Evansville Mater Dei (21-1)
Match 3: No. 3 Mishawaka (28-1) vs. No. 2 Perry Meridian (28-1)
Match 4: No. 6 Bellmont (24-3) vs. No. 20 Merrillville (20-4)
SemifinalsMatch 5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4
ChampionshipMatch 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6
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