Wawasee Grapplers Pin Rival Warsaw

July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.

By Anthony [email protected]

The Wawasee Warriors appeared to be on top of their wrestling game during their 52-18 Northern Lakes Conference win Thursday at Warsaw.
Getting the 34-point win, the Warriors began the night with back-to-back first-round pins by seniors Kyle Clevenger and Ryan Lindsey at 145 and 152 pounds, respectively.
Over the course of the next hour, other Wawasee pins were accomplished by senior John Zarse (195), junior Chad Eppley (220), senior Dimitri Kaplanis (HWT) and junior Garrett Freel (126).
Despite the big win, Wawasee first-year coach Paul Meyer actually entered the match apprehensive as a bug has been going around, which kept sophomore Jake Sumpter out of the match.
“I was worried about matchups,” Meyer said. “We have a lot of illness and injuries, so we’re using a lot substitutions.”
While Meyer was worrying about illness, Warsaw coach Justin Smith was more concerned with the inexperience of his Tigers.
“A lot of our guys are still learning what wrestling’s all about,” he said. “It’s not that they don’t know how to run the moves, it’s they don’t understand the physicality they need to bring to the wrestling match. Wawasee was a lot more physical than we were. Our guys need to know it’s about going out there and pushing your opponent around.”
Warsaw did get pins by senior Kyle Duzan (170) and junior Luis Munoz (120), but they weren’t nearly enough to make the match close.
“Kyle had a good match, and so did Luis Munoz, and we had a couple other close ones,” Smith said. “The ones that are frustrating are the ones when we’re leading going into the third, then our conditioning fails us.”
One of those matches was at 113 pounds where sophomore Luis Cervantes had Wawasee junior Greg Newman down 8-4 early in the third round, but got reversed and took down late in the round, leading to a 9-8 loss.
The match was Newman’s first of the season, as the usual 106-pounder is fresh off a suspension, and he’ll add need points to a Wawasee team that is already doing pretty well in the heavier divisions.
At last weekend’s Merrillville Super Duals, junior Brian Clark (182), Eppley and Kaplanis combined to go 13-2, while Lindsey went 5-0 at 160 and senior Kyle Clevenger finished 4-1 at 138, giving Meyer a nice balance.
“It’s good to have that anchor there,” Meyer said about his heavier division wrestlers. Sometimes, we hit a bump, but we have tough middleweights and we got our starting 106-pounder back after a suspension.”
Warsaw also has a tough wrestler who’s going to be making his first appearance at Saturday’s Penn Invitational, when senior Jarred Brooks, the nation’s top-ranked 113-pounder, wraps up his own suspension.
On top of supplying six points, Smith is hoping Brooks’ return can also boost the other wrestlers’ intensity.
“Jarred has the attitude that no matter who he faces, he’s going to beat them,” Smith said. “I think our young kids need to learn that. I hope they watch him and understand, maybe they’re not running the moves he runs, but learning how to be physical and learning to have that attitude. Jarred has that attitude that, ‘I don’t care who you are. I’m going to pound you into the mat.’ That’s why he’s had the success he’s had.
Wawasee will also be in action Saturday, hosting their own super duals

WAWASEE 52, WARSAW 18
106 – Greg Griffith (Waw) won by ff; 113 – Greg Newman (Waw) dec. Luis Cervantes 9-8; 120 – Luis Munoz (War) pin. Dylan deSomer 0:50; 126 – Garrett Freel (Waw) pin. Sabas Valencia 1:10; 132 – Josh Gohlke (Waw) maj. dec. Javier Hernandez 10-1; 138 – Ricardo Ahuatl (War) dec. Michael Pena 7-2; 145 – Kyle Clevenger (Waw) pin. Julian Bowen 1:03; 152 – Ryan Lindsey (Waw) pin. Alex Fisher 1:51; 160 – Adam Becker (War) dec. Brandon Morris 10-6; 170 – Kyle Duzan (War) pin. Tyler Goff 0:34; 182 – Brian Clark (Waw) dec. Tim Perkey 2-0; 195 – John Zarse (Waw) pin. Skyler Kanode 1:07; 220 – Chad Eppley (Waw) pin. Ben Plummer 2:52; HWT – Dimitri Kaplanis (Waw) pin. Anthony Hendrickson 4:30.
NLC Records: Wawasee 2-2, Warsaw 0-3.[[In-content Ad]]

The Wawasee Warriors appeared to be on top of their wrestling game during their 52-18 Northern Lakes Conference win Thursday at Warsaw.
Getting the 34-point win, the Warriors began the night with back-to-back first-round pins by seniors Kyle Clevenger and Ryan Lindsey at 145 and 152 pounds, respectively.
Over the course of the next hour, other Wawasee pins were accomplished by senior John Zarse (195), junior Chad Eppley (220), senior Dimitri Kaplanis (HWT) and junior Garrett Freel (126).
Despite the big win, Wawasee first-year coach Paul Meyer actually entered the match apprehensive as a bug has been going around, which kept sophomore Jake Sumpter out of the match.
“I was worried about matchups,” Meyer said. “We have a lot of illness and injuries, so we’re using a lot substitutions.”
While Meyer was worrying about illness, Warsaw coach Justin Smith was more concerned with the inexperience of his Tigers.
“A lot of our guys are still learning what wrestling’s all about,” he said. “It’s not that they don’t know how to run the moves, it’s they don’t understand the physicality they need to bring to the wrestling match. Wawasee was a lot more physical than we were. Our guys need to know it’s about going out there and pushing your opponent around.”
Warsaw did get pins by senior Kyle Duzan (170) and junior Luis Munoz (120), but they weren’t nearly enough to make the match close.
“Kyle had a good match, and so did Luis Munoz, and we had a couple other close ones,” Smith said. “The ones that are frustrating are the ones when we’re leading going into the third, then our conditioning fails us.”
One of those matches was at 113 pounds where sophomore Luis Cervantes had Wawasee junior Greg Newman down 8-4 early in the third round, but got reversed and took down late in the round, leading to a 9-8 loss.
The match was Newman’s first of the season, as the usual 106-pounder is fresh off a suspension, and he’ll add need points to a Wawasee team that is already doing pretty well in the heavier divisions.
At last weekend’s Merrillville Super Duals, junior Brian Clark (182), Eppley and Kaplanis combined to go 13-2, while Lindsey went 5-0 at 160 and senior Kyle Clevenger finished 4-1 at 138, giving Meyer a nice balance.
“It’s good to have that anchor there,” Meyer said about his heavier division wrestlers. Sometimes, we hit a bump, but we have tough middleweights and we got our starting 106-pounder back after a suspension.”
Warsaw also has a tough wrestler who’s going to be making his first appearance at Saturday’s Penn Invitational, when senior Jarred Brooks, the nation’s top-ranked 113-pounder, wraps up his own suspension.
On top of supplying six points, Smith is hoping Brooks’ return can also boost the other wrestlers’ intensity.
“Jarred has the attitude that no matter who he faces, he’s going to beat them,” Smith said. “I think our young kids need to learn that. I hope they watch him and understand, maybe they’re not running the moves he runs, but learning how to be physical and learning to have that attitude. Jarred has that attitude that, ‘I don’t care who you are. I’m going to pound you into the mat.’ That’s why he’s had the success he’s had.
Wawasee will also be in action Saturday, hosting their own super duals

WAWASEE 52, WARSAW 18
106 – Greg Griffith (Waw) won by ff; 113 – Greg Newman (Waw) dec. Luis Cervantes 9-8; 120 – Luis Munoz (War) pin. Dylan deSomer 0:50; 126 – Garrett Freel (Waw) pin. Sabas Valencia 1:10; 132 – Josh Gohlke (Waw) maj. dec. Javier Hernandez 10-1; 138 – Ricardo Ahuatl (War) dec. Michael Pena 7-2; 145 – Kyle Clevenger (Waw) pin. Julian Bowen 1:03; 152 – Ryan Lindsey (Waw) pin. Alex Fisher 1:51; 160 – Adam Becker (War) dec. Brandon Morris 10-6; 170 – Kyle Duzan (War) pin. Tyler Goff 0:34; 182 – Brian Clark (Waw) dec. Tim Perkey 2-0; 195 – John Zarse (Waw) pin. Skyler Kanode 1:07; 220 – Chad Eppley (Waw) pin. Ben Plummer 2:52; HWT – Dimitri Kaplanis (Waw) pin. Anthony Hendrickson 4:30.
NLC Records: Wawasee 2-2, Warsaw 0-3.[[In-content Ad]]
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