SYRACUSE - Wawasee's wrestling team advanced to the state finals for the first time in school history by upsetting Bellmont, ranked No. 2 and 20-0, at the semistate.

That was last year.

Things have changed.

Darrell Carr (140 pounds), who went 42-2 and was the runner-up in the state championship match, graduated. So did Shaun Belin (152, 39-3), another state finalist. John Merchant (140), Rob Burke (160) and Jeremy Walls (171), who were in last year's varsity lineup, graduated.

Don't cry a river for these Warriors. They have hopes for even bigger things.

"Our goal every time we start the year is to get to the state finals," Wawasee coach Scott DeHart said. "Now we have to add one more peg and try to be state champs."

On paper, the Warriors have the veterans to make another solid run in the postseason. They return 12 letterwinners, including big names like Kevin Carr (152), Chet Wortinger (112), Travis Coy (119), Ryan Johnson (135), Jason Carr (160) and Jamie Salazar (275). Kevin Carr went 41-4 and placed fourth at the state finals as a sophomore. Jason Carr went 35-4. Wortinger went 29-9. Coy went 25-14. Johnson went 19-10. Salazar went 18-14.

"If you look at our returning lettermen with the varsity experience they have, this could be a good year," DeHart said. "We have a good group of seasoned veterans. We wrestle Concord on Tuesday to open the season. That's our first step toward the state finals."

Before they can get there, the Warriors will work on defending their Northern Lakes Conference championship. The Warriors were 14-4 and 6-0 in the NLC.

Goshen, Plymouth and Warsaw, DeHart says, are gunning for their title.

"We're right in the pack with those three teams," he said. "There is no clear-cut favorite to be champion. Teams will come after us because they know we were conference champions. They know we went to the state finals.

"They won't bow down before us."

Conference rival coaches Tony Boley (Warsaw) and Dennis Lewis (NorthWood) agreed with DeHart.

"There's no doubt Wawasee's up there, Goshen's loaded, and Plymouth and NorthWood have a strong wrestling tradion," Boley said.

"I think Wawasee and Goshen will have outstanding teams," Lewis said. "The conference will be tough all around. Plymouth was young last year and should be much improved this year. Warsaw always has a strong program."

In a year full of magical moments, the one DeHart cherished most was the night the Warriors knocked off Bellmont when Salazar pinned his opponent in the last match.

The night symbolized the Warriors' season. They went to the state finals, but no one had ranked them until the last week of the regular season. Outside of their team, very few - if any - prognosticators picked them to beat Bellmont.

"It wasn't just because we won," DeHart said. "It was because we had so many kids come through in key situations. Kids we expected to win always didn't. Kids we didn't expect to win did. And the kids who lost battled and didn't get pinned."

1997-1998 WRESTLING PREVIEWS

(Wrestler's weights are in parentheses)

Manchester Squires

Wrestlers on roster: 19

Last year's record: 4-11 (2-7 TRC)

Team postseason results: Lost at sectional

Key losses: Shane Hoffman (135, fifth at regional)

Key returners: Greg Groombridge (171, advanced to semistate)

Lineup: N/A

Opening match: 7 p.m. Dec. 1 vs. White's Institute

Miscellaneous: Shortly after Shane Hoffman placed fifth at regional, he was killed in a car wreck.

Head coach Pat Powers says: "We will fill every weight class one, and we will start three freshman. Last year we were plagued by injuries. We never wrestled our complete starting lineup one time. We have a great bunch of kids this year. Mentally, in terms of desire and commitment to excel, this is the best group I've had in a long time. These guys want to be here."

NorthWood Panthers

Wrestlers on roster: 24 (number will increase when football players join team)

Last year's record: 9-8 (3-3 NLC)

Team postseason results: Lost to Goshen in sectional championship match

Key losses: Gary Schmucker (103, state champion), Amos Frye (145, advanced to state finals), Nick Yoder (275, advanced to state finals)

Key returners: Jesse Espinoza (103), Nick Roelandts (119), Bill Mitschelen (160)

Lineup: N/A

Opening match: N/A

Miscellaneous: The NorthWood Panthers will have zero senior wrestlers on the varsity roster.

Head coach Dennis Lewis says: "We still need to add some of the football players to the team, and then we'll spend a week putting the lineup together. We have to do our challenge matches yet. We're at a point now where I don't know who will be in the lineup. A lot of kids have possiblities."

Tippecanoe Valley

Wrestlers on roster: 10

Record: 3-22 (TRC N/A)

Team postseason results: Lost in Warsaw Sectional

Key losses: Chris Hoover (160, advanced to regional)

Key returners: Mike McNeal (171, advanced to regional), Mark Wortley (189, advanced to regional)

Lineup: No entrant (103), No entrant (112), Rafael Villalon (119), Nathan Shewman (125), Kevin Miller (130), No entrant (135), No entrant (140), No entrant (145), Josh Hill (152), David Reese (160), McNeal (171), Wortley (189), No entrant (215), No entrant (275)

Opening match: 9 a.m. Nov. 22, Warsaw Invitational (Eastside, Kokomo, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Whitko)

Miscellaneous: McNeal, Miller, Reese, Villalon and Wortley have at least two years or wrestling experience at the varsity level.

Head coach Scott Smith says: "Teamwise, we can't win too many matches because we give up too many weight classes. We're looking at how individuals do. If we wrestle eight guys in a match and win six of them, we'll look at that as a win. We'd like to see our juniors and senior be able to make it to regional."

Triton Trojans

Wrestlers on roster: 17

Last year's record: N/A

Team postseason results: Placed third in Warsaw Sectional

Key losses: Dan Sellers (140, advanced to regional), Ryan Klotz (103, advanced to regional)

Key returners: Jason Lemler (152, advanced to regional), Josh Hooley (130, advanced to regional)

Lineup: No entrant (103), No entrant (112), Jim Young (119), Brandon Chapman (125), Landon Grubbs (125), Hooley (130), Ryan Kauffman (130), Matt Wanemacher (135), Nick Lovechio (140), Nick Heckaman (145), Lee Ulmer (145), Lemler (152), William Holland (160), Dustan Bradley (160), Derric Kauffman (171), Jared Faulkner (171), Jason Brown (189 or 215), Ken Reed (189 or 215), Ryan Trieschman (275)

Opening match: 9 a.m. Nov. 22, Warsaw Invitational (Eastside, Kokomo, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Whitko)

Miscellaneous: The Trojans figure to forfeit the lower weight classes at every match.

Head coach Sam Davis says: "We have 17 out, but the problem is, many of them weigh the same. We will have to rely on (Hooley and Lemler) pretty heavily. We don't have any little guys out. Our littlest guy is at 119."

Warsaw Tigers

Wrestlers on roster: 25

Last year's record: 16-7 (4-2 NLC)

Team postseason results: Won sectional, lost at regional

Key losses: Carl Hartwell

Key returners: Adam Harter (112, advanced to semistate), Robbie Boley (125, sectional champion), Greg Patrick (130 sectional champion), Aaron Banks (140), Matt Zellers (145), Chris Wilson (160), Marvin Farmer (171, sectional champion), Steve Fribley (189, sectional champion), Steve McKinley (215), Joey Navarro (215 or 275)

Lineup: Scott Snyder (103), David Sumper (112), Harter (112), Tim Roe (119), Boley (125), Patrick (130), Richard Wolfe (135), Jerry Hammer (135), Banks (140), Zellers (145), Corey Patrick (152), Isaac Perry (152), Wilson (160), Farmer (171), Fribley (189), McKinley (215), Navarro (275), Steve Zon (275)

Opening match: 9 a.m. Nov. 22, host Warsaw Invitational (Eastside, Kokomo, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Whitko)

Miscellaneous: The Tigers lost only one wrestler to graduation. They have only three seniors this year, Banks, Boley and Patrick.

Head coach Tony Boley says: "We have experience, but we're young. We were pleased with out 16-7 record last year. You look at the teams that beat us - Jimtown, Elkhart Memorial, Fremont, Mishawaka, Goshen and Wawasee. We didn't lose to any slouches. If we win 16 again, I'll be happy with that."

Wawasee Warriors

Wrestlers on roster: 26

Last year's record: 14-4 (6-0 NLC)

Championships won: Wawasee Invitational, East Noble Invitational, Northern Lakes Conference, East Noble Sectional, Churubusco Regional, Bellmont Semistate

Team postseason results: Advanced to state finals, lost to Carmel 44-15 in first round

Key losses (weight/record): Troy Hendricks (125/8-3), Darrell Carr (135/42-2), John Merchant (140/18-6), Shaun Belin (152/39-3), Rob Burke (160/20-9), Jeremy Walls (171/10-11)

Key returners: Chet Wortinger (112), Travis Coy (119), Kevin Carr (152), Ryan Johnson (135), Jason Carr (160), Jamie Salazar (275)

Lineup (records for returning letterwinners are listed after weights): Rob Chalfant (103), Josh DeGood (103), Steve Mikolajczak (103), Kevin M. Carr (112), Wortinger (112/29-9), Coy (119/25-14), Jeremy Tackitt (119), Tim Cotton (125), Nathan Goldenberg (125), Ken McIntosh (125), Hendricks (130/15-14), Johnson (135/19-10), J.J. Davis (140/2-2), Andrew Waugh (140), Chris Cline (145), Tyler Cline (145/4-2), Shane Heimann (145/5-6), Kevin A. Carr (152/41-4), Jason Dewart (152), Justin Gerber (152), Jason Carr (160/35-4), Aaron Drumm (171), Craig Jensen (189), Jesse Leonard (189/13-21), Tom Bryan (215/5-16), Salazar (275/18-14)

Opening match: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 25 vs. Concord

Whitko Wildcats

Wrestlers on roster: 24

Last year's record: 10-11 (4-3 TRC)

Team postseason results: Lost by three points to Northfield in sectional championship match

Key losses: Scott Barker (275 pounds, advanced to semistate)

Key returners: Todd Grube (160, sectional champion, fourth at regional), Ben Watson (112, sectional champion), Keith Byrd (119, sectional champion), Robbie Nieto (189, sectional champion), Jimmy Linn (215, sectional runnerup)

Lineup: N/A

Opening match: 9 a.m. Nov. 22, Warsaw Invitational (Eastside, Kokomo, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Whitko)

Miscellaneous: The Wildcats had nine first-year wrestlers in the lineup last season. This year, the Wildcats have 16 returning letterwinners and no first-year wrestlers in the lineup.

Head coach Brian Balsmeyer says: "Our philosophy when we took over the wrestling program four years ago was, we thought we needed six seniors to be competitive. This year we have eight seniors, and all of them are in the varsity starting lineup. That will put our theory to the test." [[In-content Ad]]