TERRE HAUTE — One state finalist from the Wabash Valley is back in action this season, and two more area high school wrestlers are either ranked in the state now or have been in the past.
But that probably means that a number of other talented athletes are ready to step up in their places as the 2008-2009 season begins shortly — as soon as this weekend for some teams.
South Vermillion’s Wade Bohannon was the underclassman among the three state finalists last season, and Northview’s Luke Pingleton is currently in the preseason rankings — although in a weight class he probably won’t compete in during his junior year.
Terre Haute South sophomore Jordan Jensen made the state rankings as a freshman last year and is getting better, coach Gabe Cook says, while North Vermillion’s Eric Houmes and Sullivan’s John Walker are among the wrestlers who could be primed for big years. Three other South Vermillion wrestlers — Brody Millikan, Caleb Arehart and Russ Hoggatt — also have the potential to go far.
Here are the outlooks for Northview and the three Vigo County schools.
• Northview — Between graduation and changes of heart, coach Dan Mikesell’s Knights will be without nine regulars from last season’s team that won the school’s first sectional championship in 23 years. State finalists Beau Pingleton and Zach Stultz were among the graduates, and current senior Kyle McCoy is still healing from a football injury.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” Mikesell said this week, looking ahead to the Knights’ Dec. 3 opening dual match with traditional power Bloomington South, “but that gives us a good starting point.”
All is not lost for the Knights, however. McCoy — a semistate qualifer last season — should return soon to join Luke Pingleton among the leaders of a team that also welcomes back regional qualifiers Skyler Hall and Brandon Mikesell, both sophomores, and returning regulars Brady Silvers, Tommy Holifield and Beau Judd — although Judd is another wrestler trying to get over a football injury.
Two promising freshmen, Austin Nicoson and Austin Bell, should shore up the lower weights and three other ninth graders — Baylor Girton, Aaron See and the currently injured Patrick Durkholz — are also in the mix. Others being counted on are sophomore Nathan Duregger, sophomore Austin Sciotto, first-year senior Kyle Pestoff and 215-pounder Junior Hubbard, who is a junior.
Holifield has plenty of company at 189 pounds, Mikesell noted, with three wrestlers challenging him there — sophomore Brandon Pleake, senior Levi Sheese (who has moved back from two years at another school) and senior Michael Duregger.
• Terre Haute North — Coach Mark Frisz has four regional qualifiers returning to his lineup, most at the upper weights. Senior heavyweight Lance Lloyd, sophomore 215-pounder David Knight and junior 189-pounder Doug Collett all advanced last year, as did senior Ethan Page at 152.
Three more senior regulars back are Dan Delisle at 171, Josh Loudermilk at 145 and Brian Grover at 152 (Ethan Page will move up to 160 this year, Frisz said). Two other seniors are Zach Edington, challenging at 189, and first-year wrestler Michael Valledor at 140.
A trio of sophomore regulars back are twins Judd and Nate Page at 119 and 125 respectively — Ethan is their older brother — and Jason Barht at 130.
Two freshmen of note, Frisz said, are 103-pounder Kyle Camp and 112-pounder Conner Curley. Both have extensive club experience already, and Curley’s father Dan was a fourth-place finisher in the 1982 state finals.
“We have a lot of seniors, and that’s always a good sign,” the coach said. “And the underclassmen have experience, which is the real key to be successful.
“If we can add some determination with that, and some good goal-setting, and if we stay healthy,” Frisz added, knocking on wood as he made the latter statement, “we can be real competitive.”
The Patriots open with a Dec. 2 match against Cloverdale. They’ll have a free instrasquad scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
• Terre Haute South — Jensen, now wrestling at 119, had a frustrating end to his season one victory shy of a semistate opportunity last year. Three other Braves — seniors Paul Bennett and Eric Joyal and sophomore P.J. Montgomery — also reached the regional a year ago.
Senior Jacob Hills is another Brave with a chance to go a long way this season, Cook predicted, while other returning regulars are led by sophomores Dakota Case and David Padan and junior Austin McClain.
Two more juniors returning are Jordan Chatman, getting his first chance at the varsity 171 spot after two strong junior varsity seasons, and Caleb Manley, who figures in the mix at the upper weights. Finding a regular heavyweight should be fun for Cook, who has eight first-year candidates for the job.
“[Football] coach [Mark] Raetz sent his whole offensive and defensive line,” Cook said with a smile. Two other wide-open spots right now are 103 and 112, where several first-year freshmen and sophomores are competing.
Two freshmen definitely not first-year wrestlers, however, are 215-pounder Zach Horstman and 135-pounder Tsali Lough, who look ready to win regular spots after plenty of club competition.
“We’ve just got to get these guys healthy,” concluded Cook, who has 44 wrestlers on his roster although several — Hills and Padan among them right now — are on the injured list.
“We’ve got a lot of talent; this is a very competitive [wrestling] room,” Cook added. “The kids are working very hard and having a lot of fun.”
• West Vigo — Coach Scott Rohrbach of the Vikings has just one regional qualifier returning from last year’s team, but has a lot of wrestlers who could advance this season.
Levi Edwards, a junior, reached the regional at 119 pounds last year and is moving up to 125, but the Vikings have experience and talent in a lot of spots.
Sophomore Ryan Roach, for example, was victim of a stacked 125-pound class last year but should be a factor at 135 this season. Two seniors, Jeff Jones and Ian Bolin, are strong at 215 and heavyweight respectively.
Other Vikings back are junior Chris Waller at 112, senior Dima Stott at 130, junior John Burt at 152, senior Cody Little at 145 and junior Dyman Lewellyn at 140.
Other candidates for regular work include sophomore Blake Ray at 189, junior Curtis Wilson at 171 and two freshmen, Ben Bird at 160 and Jared Wilguess at 103, Rohrbach said.
“We’re a little more solid from top to bottom this year,” he noted, “and the incoming freshmen have wrestled a lot.
“We got a late start because of football [the Vikings reached the sectional championship game], but that’s good for everybody,” the coach concluded.
Wrestling schedules
Northview
Dec. 3 — Bloomington South
Dec. 13 — Northview Invitational, 8 a.m.
Dec. 30-31 — At Mooresville Invitational, 10 a.m. each day
Jan. 24 — Western Indiana Conference championships at South Vermillion, TBA
Jan. 31 — Sectional, 9 a.m.
Terre Haute North
Dec. 2 — Cloverdale, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 5-6 — At Evansville Reitz Invitational, 6 p.m. and 9 a.m.
Dec. 10 — West Vigo, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 13 — At Northview Invitational, 8 a.m.
Dec. 16 — Sullivan, 6 p.m.
Dec. 20 — Bo Henry Invitational at Bloomington North, 9 a.m.
Dec. 22 — At Evansville Memorial, 8 a.m.
Dec. 26 — At Zionsville Invitational, 8:30 a.m.
Jan. 12 — Owen Valley, 6:30 p.m.
Jan. 15 — At Bloomington South, 6 p.m.
Jan. 17 — At Indianapolis North Central Invitational, 9 a.m.
Jan. 21 — Terre Haute South, 6 p.m.
Jan. 24 — Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championships at Lawrence North, 8 a.m.
Jan. 31 — At Northview Sectional, 9 a.m.
Terre Haute South
Saturday — At Princeton Invitational, 9 a.m.
Nov. 29 — At Vincennes Lincoln Tournament, 10 a.m.]
Dec. 3 — Edgewood, 7 p.m.
Dec. 6 — At North Knox Invitational, 8:30 a.m.
Dec. 16 — At West Vigo, 6 p.m.
Dec. 27 — At Ben Davis Invitational, 9 a.m.
Dec. 30-31 — At Mooresville Invitational, 10 a.m. each day
Jan. 7 — At Sullivan, 6 p.m.
Jan. 17 — At Indianapolis North Central Invitational, 9 a.m.
Jan. 21 — At Terre Haute North, 6 p.m.
Jan. 24 — Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference championships at Lawrence North, 8 a.m.
Jan. 27 — Owen Valley, 6 p.m.
Jan. 31 — At Northview Sectional, 9 a.m.
West Vigo
Tuesday — Cloverdale, 6:30 p.m.
Dec. 4 — Greencastle, 6 p.m.
Dec. 6 — At Covington Tournament, 9 a.m.
Dec. 10 — At Terre Haute North, 6 p.m.
Dec. 13 — At Northview Invitational, 8 a.m.
Dec. 16 — Terre Haute South, 6 p.m.
Dec. 18 — At Sullivan, 6 p.m.
Dec. 27 — West Vigo Invitational, 10 a.m.
Jan. 10 — At South Vermillion Invitational, 10 a.m.
Jan. 17 — At Edgewood Invitational, 9 a.m.
Jan. 21 — North Knox, 6 p.m.
Jan. 24 — Western Indiana Conference championships at South Vermillion, TBA
Jan. 31 — At Northview Sectional, 9 a.m.
High School
Winter Sports Preview: Valley werstling trio has state final aspirations
- High School
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It’s a rivalry-filled Memorial Day for sectional contenders
Longtime rivalries figure to determine high school baseball sectional champions throughout the Wabash Valley today, with semifinal and final games scheduled at four sites and a stand-alone championship game at a fifth.
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South tops Oldenburg to win tennis semistate
There was no evidence of rally caps, rally towels and certainly no rally squirrels, but Terre Haute South’s No. 1 singles player Maddie Kesler needed a rally in the worst way.
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New route leads to same place for South girls tennis
For so many years, the road to the IHSAA girls tennis state finals for local teams ran through Vincennes (regional) and Jasper (semistate). In other words, south and more south.
This year, their trip was re-routed through Greencastle (regional) and Center Grove (semistate). So it cnahged to east and more east. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Robinson tops Greenville in sectional semifinal
Robinson jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, then cruised to a convincing 12-3 victory over Greenville in a IHSA Class 2A Vandalia sectional semifinal game on Thursday.
Ashlyn Sullivan was 2 for 3 with a double, home run and three RBIs to lead the winning Maroons. -
West Vigo baseball falls in sectional to Owen Valley
West Vigo overcame the odds to win 20 high school baseball games this season with a lineup that often included four freshmen and few seniors.
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South Vermillion softball's late-season surge comes to end
A late-season surge by South Vermillion wasn’t quite enough to halt a high school softball sectional winning streak by the host team Thursday night, as Edgewood got on top early and held on for a 5-2 win in the championship game of the Class 3A Edgewood Sectional.
The loss was just the second in the last 12 games for the Wildcats. The Mustangs, however, haven’t lost a sectional softball game for eight years in a row. -
South takes second, North third at boys track regional
Terre Haute South finished second and Terre Haute North third on Thursday night at the boys track and field regional at Evansville Central, with 11 individuals and three relay teams qualifying for the state finals June 2.
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PREP ROUNDUP: White River Valley baseball holds off Eminence
Three Eminence errors in the top of the sixth inning finally enabled White River Valley to score in high school baseball Thursday night, and the Wolverines went on to a 5-0 win in Class A Shakamak Sectional action.
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Feeling cursed: South bitten in sectional final again
Terre Haute South softball is not even close to being as cursed as a certain northside baseball team in Chicago, but it might just seem like it.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Mundy, Porter, Knight individual regional winners
Chanli Mundy and Keirra Porter of Terre Haute North were among the individual winners in the IHSAA Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Thornton puts away South Vermillion
Cody Thornton’s three-run blast over the left-field fence was the finishing touch to West Vigo’s 10-3 victory over South Vermillion in the opening game of the Class 3A Greencastle Sectional on Wednesday.
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Lakers triumph, go home for regional
Shakamak took Class A Clay City Sectional honors in high school softball for the first time since 2009 Wednesday, defeating White River Valley 9-5 in the title tilt.
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North Vermillion avenges losses
North Vermillion avenged two high school softball losses during the regular season to win the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional championship Wednesday with a 3-2 triumph over the host Panthers.
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Pats, Knights will meet in sectional
Adler Ingalsbe pooh-poohed his lack of velocity Wednesday night, yet the Terre Haute North pitcher was throwing BBs in the first game compared to Mooresville’s Brandon Topie in the nightcap.
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South outbattles Northview to reach sectional final
Even the best of high school softball pitchers can’t keep all the batters in the middle of Terre Haute South’s lineup down.
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Panthers get 20th win in sectional
Riverton Parke will face North Vermillion in the Class A softball sectional championship at Riverton Parke today, with action commencing at 6 p.m.
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Plainfield Sectional all about parity
Considering Terre Haute South has won five consecutive Class 4A sectional titles in high school baseball, naming the Braves as favorites to capture the 2012 Class 4A Plainfield Sectional would not seem far-fetched.
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PREP ROUNDUP: North Vermillion in title game
Casey West had a triple and three runs scored to help North Vermillion softball advance to the championship game of the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional on Tuesday.
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North takes second in track regional
Terre Haute North finished second with 74 points, six behind team champion Evansville Reitz, during the Evansville Central girls track and field regional that ended late Tuesday night.
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Wildcats advance to sectional softball final; West Vigo falls
Patience, patience.
South Vermillion exhibited great patience, being very selective at the plate and it paid off royally in the fourth inning. -
South, Crawfordsville win in regional tennis semis
Terre Haute South outlasted Fountain Central 4-1 in the first round of the girls high school tennis regional Tuesday, advancing the Braves into today’s championship match against Crawfordsville.
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Braves, Knights open with wins
It was an excellent night for starting softball pitchers to help their own cause Monday night in the Class 4A Northview Sectional.
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Lough dreamt about McMillan
A two-time state finalist in wrestling and a two-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference football player and wrestler, Tsali Lough of Terre Haute South was named the male recipient of the 2012 McMillan Award on Monday night at South’s Senior Awards Night.
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PREP ROUNDUP: Panthers cruise in sectional opener
Sarah Burnham pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts in high school softball Monday evening as host Riverton Parke defeated defending champion Rockville 10-0 in opening-round action at the Class A Riverton Parke Sectional.
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Notable tradition bodes well for Riverton Parke
Located practically in the shadow of a high school that sets one state standard in track and field, Riverton Parke has a tendency to be overlooked in that sport.
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Vikings get 18th win over Shakamak
West Vigo began a busy week of high school baseball Monday on a winning note, defeating Shakamak 6-3.
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Greencastle new site for girls tennis regional
The starting times might prove to be a bone of contention, but otherwise coaches Bill Blankenbaker and Emily Goff are thrilled their respective girls high school tennis teams will begin play today at the Greencastle Regional.
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Northview sectional groups 3 20-win teams
Three teams with 20-plus victories will attempt to claim the Class 4A Northview Sectional crown for high school softball this week, and most of the other Wabash Valley sectional fields also appear to be wide open.
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Terre Haute South softball takes Riverton Parke tournament
Terre Haute South is going into the Class 4A Sectional at Northview on Monday with momentum, confidence, a deep bench and a healthier pitching staff than it has had in quite a while.
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North baseball splits doubleheader with Indy North Central
Some of their incentive could have been sapped a couple of nights earlier, when Center Grove achieved an eight-inning victory over Warren Central to clinch the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball championship.
- More High School Headlines
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