DES MOINES, IOWA —
A big group of Wabash Valley wrestlers are in Bloomington today needing one victory to reach next week’s Evansville semistate.
Northview senior heavyweight Justin Sampson, ranked fourth in the state by indianamat.com, takes an undefeated mark into today’s action at Bloomington South. Action begins at 9:30 a.m.
Sampson carries a 37-0 record that makes him the favorite to be the last man standing. Ethan Schwoeppe (41-3) of Southridge appears to be the top competitor for Sampson, but Austin Davis (24-7) of Bedford North Lawrence could stand in his way in the second round.
“We’ll have two really tough matches to win Saturday. So far this year he’s passed every test,” coach Dan Mikesell said.
He’s joined by fellow Knights’ seniors Zach Williams at 220 pounds and Jesse Miller at 195.
Miller takes a 34-6 record into action in another tough weight class. If he gets past Edwin Revolorio of Washington, Miller would likely face 37-0 Clayton Fiddler of Bloomington South. Miller has lost by a point to Fiddler two times during the season.
“Jesse’s been working on some things,” Mikesell said. “He’s just going to have to get some takedowns, get off the bottom and he should be in good shape. Has to control the tide. He could sneak in and win the regional as well.”
Mikesell also sends wrestlers to regional from the three smallest weight classes, freshman Cale McCoy at 106, junior Shane Ryan at 113 and freshman Stephen Gibson at 120.
The Knights’ contingent is second to only Terre Haute South, where coach Gabe Cook has seven wrestlers trying to reach keep their seasons alive.
Phoenix Adams (32-7), a MIC and sectional champion at 138 pounds, is riding some momentum going into the regional.
“He’s getting to point where he’s peaking and continuing to score throughout the match,” South coach Gabe Cook said.
Colt Thompson (22-6) of Sullivan also competes at 138.
At 152 pounds, South senior Cody Helms takes a 36-4 record into the regional, and he could meet up with rival Terre Haute North junior Tyler Gilmore, who is 29-7, in the second round.
“Very consistent,” North coach Mark Frisz said of Gilmore. “He can beat realy good guys. His matches are usually close. We know he’ll go out and wrestle really hard. He’ll wrestle a kid from Jasper that he lost to earlier in the season in overtime.”
As for Helms, the senior finished with a .500 record as a junior and didn’t make it out of sectionals. Now, he’s a MIC and sectional champion and “Cody’s really wrestling well right now,” Cook said.
Terre Haute North’s only sectional champion was Eric Elia (28-9), who knocked off previously unbeaten Cory Orndoff of Sullivan in the 126-pound final at Northview.
Orndorff (22-1) is joined on his side of the bracket by West Vigo freshman Doug Wilkins (17-10). Elia’s toughest competition on his half of the bracket appears to be Winston Glenn (32-7) of Forest Park.
Elia is joined by sophomore Gavin John (6-14), who moved down from 120 pounds during the season.
South’s 120-pounder, Darin Pembrton (28-8), hopes to capture a regional title after taking the sectional crown.
“He’s getting better every week,” Cook said of the sophomore. “He’s just a hard working kid. He started wrestling last year and made tremendous gains.”
South junior Ian Newton (32-8) could have a good shot at advancing to the semistate, drawing 11-24 Michael Tedrow of Mitchell in the first round.
“Ian’s going to have to come out and wrestle like he did Saturday, put six hard minutes together all day long and he should be fine,” Cook said.
Cook also sends sophomore David Lewis (32-9) into a tough regional at 120 pounds.
Ryan Uppal (31-6) at 106 and Duane Deerwester (31-10) also carry impressive records into the regional for the Braves.
“Ryan’s a senior and I really feel like his sectional was probably the toughest tournament he had competed at this season. I would not be surprised if his weight class finish 1-2-3 again this week,” Cook said. “That’s the same with Deerwester. Two of the best kids in the state were right there [referring to Owen Valley’s Larry Shaffer (28-1) and Conor Galvin (33-4) of Bloomington South].”
Ryan Moshak (14-13) heads into action for North at 182 after wrestling most of the season at 170.
“He’s just a workhorse. He just goes, great attitude,” Frisz said.
Ethan Edington (13-7) competes for teh Patriots at 220. The 2012 semistate qualifier has worked hard to come back from a knee injury.
“I know he won’t be satisfied unless he gets to go again. We feel pertty good about his odds as well,” Frisz said.
Freshman Dakota Short (19-13) faces Moises Valenciano (22-3) of Jasper in his first-round match, while Jonathan Sullivan of Sullivan takes a 22-7 record into action at 160.
High School
Massive group of Valley wrestlers headed to Bloomington South Regional
- High School
-
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Shakamak's Green hits two homers in win over West Vigo
Shakamak improved to 22-3 on the season behind a complete-game effort from Brett Yeryar, and Patrick Green hit two solo home runs in a high school baseball game Monday.
-
Terre Haute North offense unable to get going in loss to Mooresville
Jack Kirchner chose to give credit Monday night to Mooresville pitcher Taylor Chitwood, not to the Greg Maddux-size strike zone she seemed to enjoy.
But if there were no excuses forthcoming from Kirchner and his Terre Haute North High School softball team, it wouldn’t have been hard to find a spectator or two to come up with extenuating circumstances about the Patriots’ 4-1 loss at the Class 4A Martinsville Sectional. -
Terre Haute North looking strong going into girls track regional
Terre Haute North might need an off night for anyone to catch them in the girls track regional at Evansville Central.
The Patriots are as well-rounded as they’ve ever been, and two relay teams are state contenders with times ranking No. 2 in Indiana among times recorded all spring.
Terre Haute South, Northview and Sullivan have athletes among the contenders in multiple events as well. -
South tennis ready for potential challenge in regional
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
-
Patriots’ offense stifled in sectional loss to Mooresville
Jack Kirchner chose to give credit Monday night to Mooresville pitcher Taylor Chitwood, not to the Greg Maddux-size strike zone she seemed to enjoy.
-
Softball sectionals up for grabs
All three Vigo County high schools and Northview appear to have a realistic chance of winning sectional championships in softball this week.
-
West Vigo softball holds off nemesis Edgewood in softball sectional
Ice cream was enough of a reward Monday night after the West Vigo Vikings beat eight-time defending champion Edgewood 6-2 in extra innings in the opening game of the Class 3A softball sectional at Edgewood High School. But that’s not what Vikings want.
-
Terre Haute South, Northview vie for tennis regional title
Terre Haute South and Northview take respective records of 10-5 and 11-5 into the Greencastle Regional today.
Coach Bill Blankenbaker’s Braves will play Seeger at 4:30 p.m., while coach Emily Goff’s Knights will take on Crawfordsville about 6 p.m. -
Vikings win in extra innings at Rockville
West Vigo scored six runs in its first two innings Saturday, then needed a ninth-inning single by Lucas Fagg to escape with a 7-6 extra-inning win in nonconference high school baseball at Rockville.
-
TH South beats Northview in Big Four makeup baseball game
Terre Haute South wrapped up a share of the MIC baseball title and finished up the Big Four Classic with an 8-1 victory over Northview in less than 24 hours on Saturday morning.
-
Olds pitches South to share of MIC baseball title
Friday night, winning the second game 5-0 and earning a share of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title.
Damon Olds was dominant on the mound for the Braves, striking out 14 and walking just one while pitching a three-hit shutout. -
South wins first half of doubleheader against Lawrence North
Host Terre Haute South kept its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference high school baseball title hopes alive — and clinched no worse than second place in the process — by downing Lawrence North 4-1 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday night.
The second game, which started after Senior Night festivities between games, ended past the Tribune-Star deadline. -
PREP ROUNDUP: Calleja pitches West Vigo past South Vermillion
Brandon Calleja had 13 strikeouts to lead West Vigo to a 5-1 victory against South Vermillion in high school baseball Friday.
Brandon Behringer went 2 for 4 with two RBI for the Vikings, who secured second place in the Western Indiana Conference.
Kaden Lawson had double for South Vermillion (15-7), which finished 4-2 in the WIC. -
Seibert returns from injury to win three events as Braves win sectional crown
His baseball equivalent might be Rick Sutcliffe of the 1984 Chicago Cubs.
When Tyler Seibert returned to the Terre Haute South track and field lineup Thursday for sectional action at Terre Haute North, it was like the midseason trade the Cubs made for Sutcliffe that earned them a playoff spot. -
South switches up lineup to defeat North in tennis sectional
Terre Haute South coach Bill Blankenbaker said two weeks ago that he would change the Braves’ lineup after the 3-2 dual-meet loss to Terre Haute North.
The Patriots knew it was coming, but they couldn’t do anything to stop it. -
PREP ROUNDUP: North slips past Northview in eight-inning baseball game
Colton Pittman drew a bases-loaded walk to score Zach Milam with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning as host Terre Haute North edged Northview 8-7 in high school baseball Thursday at Jennings Field.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: North and South to face off for tennis sectional title
The winner of the Terre Haute sectional for girls high school tennis will come down to Terre Haute North and Terre Haute South.
-
Terre Haute North gets 10 event victories to claim 12th straight sectional crown
Terre Haute North won 10 events Tuesday night while winning the Indiana High School Athletic Association girls track and field section at South Putnam High School for the 12th straight year.
-
North, South to meet in first round of baseball sectional
The Indiana High School Athletic Association announced pairings for the baseball state tournament Tuesday and the draw offered up a Vigo County battle in the opening game.
-
PREP ROUNDUP: West Vigo softball clinches share of WIC title
West Vigo clinched at least a share of the Western Indiana Conference softball title with a 6-4 victory over Edgewood on Tuesday.
Jacy McClain and Bailee Waters had RBI singles in the fourth inning to break the game open for the Vikings. -
Track sectional titles on the line
Expect one heck of a high school dual track meet Thursday night when Wabash Valley boys visit Terre Haute North for sectional action.
-
Prep report: Patriots, Braves favored to advance from tennis sectional 1st round
Persons attending this week’s girls tennis sectional championship match at Terre Haute North might want to pack a lunch.
-
Local ADs happy to see spring come to a close
Brian Mancuso is the most experienced of the high school athletic directors in Vigo County — and that’s a very relative term — but even he wasn’t quite ready for the headaches that have accompanied spring sports the last few weeks thanks to rain, rain and more rain.
-
South baseball remains in first-place tie with Center Grove
Heading into Saturday’s Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball doubleheader against Center Grove, coach Kyle Kraemer of Terre Haute South wasn’t completely optimistic.
-
Kehrt Award goes to Emily Bell, Lee Davis
Emily Bell of Terre Haute South and Lee Davis of Terre Haute North are the 2013 recipients of the Willard M. Kehrt Mental Attitude Award.
Bell and Davis were nominated by their schools and chosen in a vote by the Kehrt Award panel. Both will be recognized at awards assemblies later in the month at the schools.
Bell played varsity basketball four years at South and is competing in track this season, running the 800 and two relays. “I wanted something to do my senior year,” Bell said.
She plans to attend DePauw University and play basketball. DePauw is the reigning NCAA Division III champ in women's basketball.
Bell tore an AÇL playing in a basketball tournament the summer after her sophomore season. She missed most of her junior season but came back to play her senior year and was second leading scorer and leading rebounder her final season.
Bell also was leading rebounder her sophomore year. -
South softball's power display earns Braves share of MIC
The fun that the Terre Haute South high school softball team had Saturday — including those five home runs — was all the result of the hard work the Braves had put in before the game, coach Dwayne Stout said after the game.
-
Pirtle takes medalist, leads Sullivan to WIC title
Sullivan took team and individual honors in the Western Indiana Conference boys high school golf championships played Saturday at Idle Creek.
-
Prep roundup: Patriots drop doubleheader to Carmel baseball
Host Terre Haute North saw its Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference baseball championship hopes suffer what was probably a fatal blow on Saturday as the Patriots lost a doubleheader to Carmel by scores of 8-7 and 11-8.
-
Timely hits: After slow start, Terre Haute North rallies to beat Mooresville
No-hit through three innings, Terre Haute North’s bats came alive — especially Sam Wolf’s — just in time to rally for a 4-2 home victory over Mooresville in high school baseball Friday evening at Jennings Field.
-
Linton’s Weber to coach at BNL
Bedford North Lawrence High School has announced that Steve Weber will be the Stars’ head coach for the 2013 season.
- More High School Headlines
-
PREP ROUNDUP: Shakamak's Green hits two homers in win over West Vigo
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Active Search for Utah Missing Mom Ends
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Raw: Aerials Show Path of Oklahoma Destruction
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Aussie Zoo Shows Off White Rhino Calf
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big
MLB Hoping for Large Replay Expansion in 2014
Raw: Suspects Butt Dial 911, Lead to Arrest
America's Cup Officials Say Race Will Continue
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
RAW: Massive tornado strikes Oklahoma
RAW: Xbox One debuts
VIDEO: Teacher reunites mother and son after tornado levels elementary school in Oklahoma City
Jennifer Lawrence Gets Naked and Painted Blue as X-Men's Mystique
Okla. tornado survivor finds dog buried alive under rubble
VIRAL: Baby makes epic soccer goal
Pickler's Dance Moves Cause A Stir
Obama to tornado survivors: The country stands beside you
Reporter Cries Over Devastation
Sneak Peek: 'Modern Family' Says Good Bye
Trailer: 'The Last Stand' Available on Blu-ray Disc, DVD, Digital Download
IWitness Look at Moore, OK Tornado
RAW: Moore, OK tornado touches down near school
Robert Pattinson Moves Out
RAW: Russian dash cam catches car 20 feet in the air
Oklahoma tornado survivor: "Everything is gone"
Khloe Lashes Out at Kim Kardashian's Critics
Couple Argues As Woman's Lover Crawls Out Window
RAW: Brad Paisley Forgets Lyrics To His Own Song
Justin Bieber Gets Booed
