Brooks Wins Semistate Championship
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jim Brenneman-
Warsaw's Justin Brooks (112 pounds) was the only local to win an individual semistate championship, while Triton's Blake Hoffer (145) and Chad Ulmer (189) both advanced with fourth-place finishes.[[In-content Ad]]All other area participants fell out of the running with losses in the early rounds.
Semistate Champion Justin Brooks
Of the area's only semistate champion, Warsaw coach Tony Boley said, "Justin wrestled well and remained focused all day, especially in that last match where he really went out hard. He continued to attack, was very aggressive, and dominated the kid to get the championship."
Brooks moved through his first two matches with consecutive victories by fall in identical times of 3:40. First he pinned senior Ben Williams of Chesterton, followed by a pin of John Petrov of Hanover Central.
In the championship contest the Tiger junior took on Carlo Martinez of Merrillville. Racking up takedowns and nearfalls, Brooks took the first-place title, amassing 12 points against none by Martinez.
Triton's Two State Qualifiers
Triton had two wrestlers hang on for fourth place and a place in the state finals - Blake Hoffer (145) and Chad Ulmer (189).
The second round at semistate is called the "ticket round" because winners advance to the state finals. Hoffer won his ticket-round match by pinning Lowell's Mark Puskar in 3:13.
In the semifinals, the Triton junior lost 14-7 to eventual champion Brennan Cosgrove of Hobart. Though Hoffer lost again in the consolation round, the fourth-place finish sends him to a Friday night match at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Ulmer also finished in fourth place after a victory in the ticket round when he scored a one-minute fall against Grant McCloskey of Logansport. In the consolation match, Ulmer was holding his own against Penn's Adam Penn through the first period and most of the second. However, the Triton senior found himself upended and soundly pinned at 2:30.
Area Wrestlers Out of the Running
The rest of the area semistate participants were eliminated from further competition this season.
"This is a tough semistate competition," said Boley. "We saw individuals from many schools who were very good wrestlers who had great seasons come to an end, and some cases careers came to an end as well, including a couple of ours. When you get to this level, it is more mental, with a lot of pressure, and in some times a little bit of luck."
Warsaw's Matt Elvidge (140) was ranked No. 1 at the close of his undefeated regular season, but he lost for the first time last week at the regional. Then at the semistate he won his opening match, beating Tommy Torres of Portage, 7-1. However, Elvidge saw his season and his high school career come to an end when he was defeated in the second round by Hobart's Johnny Dillon, 5-1. Elvidge finished up with a sparkling record of 38-2.
Andy Keener's (152) high school wrestling career also concluded with a loss at the semistate. In his first-round match, Keener lost 6-3 to Kurt Monix of Lowell. Keener's record on the year was 36-3.
Two Tiger underclassmen also were put out of the running. Sophomore Paul Manbu (130) bowed out after losing a 14-6 major decision to Andrew Kepchar of Merrillville. Manbu's record on the season stands at 32-8. Meanwhile, Adam Keener (145) faced Merrillville's Keon Jones and came up short, losing 9-3. The younger Keener, a junior, closed out the season with a record of 25-7.
Wawasee's Bobby Marcuccilli (119) ended his excellent freshman season at 29-10 when he was bumped out in round one, a victim of a fall at the hands of Zack Thornton of Chesterton.
State finals competition at Conseco Fieldhouse begins with the "ticket round" Friday evening at 6 p.m. EST. Winners will advance to compete Saturday, with action beginning at 9:30 am.
Merrillville Semistate
(With Elimination Matches for Other Area Wrestlers)
103 - Anthony Hawkins (Crown Point) pinned Paul Beck (Mishawaka), 7:52, 2ot
Ezra Penn (Lafayette Harrison) def. Zac Stevens (Merrillville), 11-4
112 - Justin Brooks (Warsaw) def. Carlo Martinez (Mvll), 12-0, maj
Dallas Shurg (CP) def. John Petrov (Hanover Central), inj. default
119 - Donavan Alderman (Delphi) def. Adam Guerra (Mish), 10-4
Anthony Napules (Mvll) def. Anthony Fennel (CP), 3-1
(Zack Thornton dnp (Chesterton) pinned Bobby Marcuccilli (Wawasee), 3:07)
125 - Josh Harper (Mish) def. Frankie Porras (Hobart), 2-0
Noah Rausch (Winamac) def. Zach Troxel (LaVille), 10-6
130 - Tommy Churchard (Valparaiso) def. Eric Roach (CP), 6-5
Daniel Young (Culver Academy) def. Jacob Plesac (Hob), 3-1
(Andrew Kepchar dnp (Mvll) def. Paul Manbu (War), 14-6 maj)
135 - Eric Galka (Hob) def. Trace Hall (South Bend Riley), 6-0
Sean McMurray (Portage) def. Chris Almaraz (Highland), 8-6
140 - Steven Sandefer (Mish) def. Brandon Ward (Han C), 12-6
Alex Miller (Val) def. Johnny Dillon (Hob), 5-0
(Johnny Dillion 4th (Hob) def. Matt Elvidge (War), 5-1)
145 - Brennan Cosgrove (Hob) def. Tony Conway (CP), 19-6 maj
David Minix (Win) def. Blake Hoffer (Triton), 8-2
(Keon Jones dnp (Mvll) def. Adam Keener (War), 9-3)
152 - Kyle Long (SBWashington) def. Aaron Estrada (Munster), 12-3 maj
Cameron Vlahos (LH), def. Matt Sands (Han C), 6-4
(Kurt Monix dnp (Lowell) def. Andy Keener (War), 6-3)
160 - Andrew Howe (Han C) def. Mark Myers (CP), inj. default
Craig Fruth (Ham Clark) def. Braden Atwood (Del), 3-2
171 - Branden James (Cul Acad) def. Caleb Norville (Mish), 13-2 maj
Zachary Garpow (Win) def. Fred Lopez (Hland), 6-3
189 - Jake Salas (Mvll) def. Marcus Shrewsbury (CP), 3-1 ot
Adam Penn (Penn) pinned Chad Ulmer (Tri), 2:30
215 - George Malone (SBR) pinned David Balentine (Mish), :47
Josh Thomack (LH) def. Cordero Pollard (Mvll), 9-7
285 - Randy Morin (Mish) def. Mike Palmer (SBR), 5-2
Craig Fitzgerald (John Glenn) def. Justin Deurloo (Plymouth), 3-2, 4ot
Latest News
E-Editions
Warsaw's Justin Brooks (112 pounds) was the only local to win an individual semistate championship, while Triton's Blake Hoffer (145) and Chad Ulmer (189) both advanced with fourth-place finishes.[[In-content Ad]]All other area participants fell out of the running with losses in the early rounds.
Semistate Champion Justin Brooks
Of the area's only semistate champion, Warsaw coach Tony Boley said, "Justin wrestled well and remained focused all day, especially in that last match where he really went out hard. He continued to attack, was very aggressive, and dominated the kid to get the championship."
Brooks moved through his first two matches with consecutive victories by fall in identical times of 3:40. First he pinned senior Ben Williams of Chesterton, followed by a pin of John Petrov of Hanover Central.
In the championship contest the Tiger junior took on Carlo Martinez of Merrillville. Racking up takedowns and nearfalls, Brooks took the first-place title, amassing 12 points against none by Martinez.
Triton's Two State Qualifiers
Triton had two wrestlers hang on for fourth place and a place in the state finals - Blake Hoffer (145) and Chad Ulmer (189).
The second round at semistate is called the "ticket round" because winners advance to the state finals. Hoffer won his ticket-round match by pinning Lowell's Mark Puskar in 3:13.
In the semifinals, the Triton junior lost 14-7 to eventual champion Brennan Cosgrove of Hobart. Though Hoffer lost again in the consolation round, the fourth-place finish sends him to a Friday night match at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Ulmer also finished in fourth place after a victory in the ticket round when he scored a one-minute fall against Grant McCloskey of Logansport. In the consolation match, Ulmer was holding his own against Penn's Adam Penn through the first period and most of the second. However, the Triton senior found himself upended and soundly pinned at 2:30.
Area Wrestlers Out of the Running
The rest of the area semistate participants were eliminated from further competition this season.
"This is a tough semistate competition," said Boley. "We saw individuals from many schools who were very good wrestlers who had great seasons come to an end, and some cases careers came to an end as well, including a couple of ours. When you get to this level, it is more mental, with a lot of pressure, and in some times a little bit of luck."
Warsaw's Matt Elvidge (140) was ranked No. 1 at the close of his undefeated regular season, but he lost for the first time last week at the regional. Then at the semistate he won his opening match, beating Tommy Torres of Portage, 7-1. However, Elvidge saw his season and his high school career come to an end when he was defeated in the second round by Hobart's Johnny Dillon, 5-1. Elvidge finished up with a sparkling record of 38-2.
Andy Keener's (152) high school wrestling career also concluded with a loss at the semistate. In his first-round match, Keener lost 6-3 to Kurt Monix of Lowell. Keener's record on the year was 36-3.
Two Tiger underclassmen also were put out of the running. Sophomore Paul Manbu (130) bowed out after losing a 14-6 major decision to Andrew Kepchar of Merrillville. Manbu's record on the season stands at 32-8. Meanwhile, Adam Keener (145) faced Merrillville's Keon Jones and came up short, losing 9-3. The younger Keener, a junior, closed out the season with a record of 25-7.
Wawasee's Bobby Marcuccilli (119) ended his excellent freshman season at 29-10 when he was bumped out in round one, a victim of a fall at the hands of Zack Thornton of Chesterton.
State finals competition at Conseco Fieldhouse begins with the "ticket round" Friday evening at 6 p.m. EST. Winners will advance to compete Saturday, with action beginning at 9:30 am.
Merrillville Semistate
(With Elimination Matches for Other Area Wrestlers)
103 - Anthony Hawkins (Crown Point) pinned Paul Beck (Mishawaka), 7:52, 2ot
Ezra Penn (Lafayette Harrison) def. Zac Stevens (Merrillville), 11-4
112 - Justin Brooks (Warsaw) def. Carlo Martinez (Mvll), 12-0, maj
Dallas Shurg (CP) def. John Petrov (Hanover Central), inj. default
119 - Donavan Alderman (Delphi) def. Adam Guerra (Mish), 10-4
Anthony Napules (Mvll) def. Anthony Fennel (CP), 3-1
(Zack Thornton dnp (Chesterton) pinned Bobby Marcuccilli (Wawasee), 3:07)
125 - Josh Harper (Mish) def. Frankie Porras (Hobart), 2-0
Noah Rausch (Winamac) def. Zach Troxel (LaVille), 10-6
130 - Tommy Churchard (Valparaiso) def. Eric Roach (CP), 6-5
Daniel Young (Culver Academy) def. Jacob Plesac (Hob), 3-1
(Andrew Kepchar dnp (Mvll) def. Paul Manbu (War), 14-6 maj)
135 - Eric Galka (Hob) def. Trace Hall (South Bend Riley), 6-0
Sean McMurray (Portage) def. Chris Almaraz (Highland), 8-6
140 - Steven Sandefer (Mish) def. Brandon Ward (Han C), 12-6
Alex Miller (Val) def. Johnny Dillon (Hob), 5-0
(Johnny Dillion 4th (Hob) def. Matt Elvidge (War), 5-1)
145 - Brennan Cosgrove (Hob) def. Tony Conway (CP), 19-6 maj
David Minix (Win) def. Blake Hoffer (Triton), 8-2
(Keon Jones dnp (Mvll) def. Adam Keener (War), 9-3)
152 - Kyle Long (SBWashington) def. Aaron Estrada (Munster), 12-3 maj
Cameron Vlahos (LH), def. Matt Sands (Han C), 6-4
(Kurt Monix dnp (Lowell) def. Andy Keener (War), 6-3)
160 - Andrew Howe (Han C) def. Mark Myers (CP), inj. default
Craig Fruth (Ham Clark) def. Braden Atwood (Del), 3-2
171 - Branden James (Cul Acad) def. Caleb Norville (Mish), 13-2 maj
Zachary Garpow (Win) def. Fred Lopez (Hland), 6-3
189 - Jake Salas (Mvll) def. Marcus Shrewsbury (CP), 3-1 ot
Adam Penn (Penn) pinned Chad Ulmer (Tri), 2:30
215 - George Malone (SBR) pinned David Balentine (Mish), :47
Josh Thomack (LH) def. Cordero Pollard (Mvll), 9-7
285 - Randy Morin (Mish) def. Mike Palmer (SBR), 5-2
Craig Fitzgerald (John Glenn) def. Justin Deurloo (Plymouth), 3-2, 4ot
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092