Wrestler Kevin Carr Wins State Title
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
INDIANAPOLIS - Wawasee's Kevin Carr wrestled his way to the 160-pound state championship at Market Square Arena Saturday to conclude his high school career and bring a second state championship to the Carr family.
Carr's brother, Jason, won a state title last year. Kevin is Wawasee's fifth state champion.
Teammate Chet Wortinger placed third at 119 pounds, and Jamie Salazar finished in seventh place at 275 pounds.
For Warsaw, Matt Zellers took fifth place at 152 pounds while his teammates, Adam Harter (112) and Joey Navarro (275), were each eliminated after first-round losses.
Kevin Carr.
Kevin Carr reached the finals by winning his first match Friday in a 9-3 decision over Chad Wilkerson of Whiteland.Ê Carr's next opponent was Justin Benge of Calumet, who had a record of 35-4. Carr took it to Benge, scoring a convincing 10-1 major decision to advance to the semifinal round.
In the semifinal, Carr met another wrestler with a 35-4 record on the season, Andrew Patton of Roncalli.Ê Manhandling Patton through three periods, Carr came out the winner in a 5-1 decision to head to the championship extravaganza Saturday evening.
The state finals in wrestling is a wild form of Hoosier Hysteria where anybody can win, from any size school, big or small.
In the case of Carr's final at 160 pounds, no one could have planned a better matchup.ÊÊ Former Warsaw assistant coach Rick Troxell, now at Jimtown, described it as a meeting between a bull with technique and a dancer with technique.Ê Carr would face Mishawaka's Brad Harper, last year's state champ at 152 pounds, who also went undefeated last season with a record of 44-0. His record this season was 27-1, giving him a two-season record of 71-1.
Harper's only loss came in a match earlier in the season to, you guessed it, Carr. Harper was edged out by Carr at the Mishawaka Invitational in a 2-1 double overtime decision.Ê Observers at the state finals explained that Harper had just recovered from a crushed elbow when he met Carr earlier and that now he was stronger. A number of sportswriters made confident predictions that Carr would not have a chance, especially since Harper was a returning champion.
Harper reached the Saturday evening finals this year with a pin in the first round and then in round two, he scored a close 3-2 victory. In the semifinals he beat Rick Garder (34-1) of Greenfield Central in an 8-1 decision to reach the final round. It was clear that Harper was strong and that his injury was not hampering him at all.
A record crowd of 11,027 was in attendance for the championship finals.Ê
The total attendance for all for sessions was 40,112, also a new record.Ê
With a brand new "field house" under construction, this is to be the last state championship at Market Square Arena.Ê The upper seating sections, which have been curtained off in the past, were opened for the Saturday evening championship finals, and the crowd was in an uproar as the two 160-pounders came to the center of the mat.
Neither wrestler could gain control in the first period.Ê This first period was no boring two-minute waltz. Several times each wrestler nearly scored a take down just as they were whistled out of bounds. Twice Carr was nearly controlled by Harper, but Carr quickly turned the tables only to have Harper stuggle back to his feet to remain in neutral positon. Harper had some deep shots for takedowns where he was able to wrap up Carr's leg and had him hopping, but Carr would not succumb and fought back to maintain a neutral position. Carr also darted in catlike to snatch a Harper ankle, but he would wriggle free or muscle around to put Carr in jeopardy but he would twist around to stand face to face once again.
Carr's style is relentless control.Ê He controls himself and he controls his opponent, but he could not score a take down against Harper.Ê Carr was able to avoid being taken down by his quickness and balance and by his own attacks on Harper.Ê Period one ended scoreless.
In the second and third period each wrestler starts in a position of control and works for a pin while the wrestler in the defensive positon works to escape.Ê In these two periods each wrestler was able to escape from the defensive positon for one point.Ê The score at the end of regulation time was tied at 1-1.
"Overtime!" cried the announcer and the crowd was roaring.Ê At the whistle the bullfight continued.Ê After two minutes the score remained unchanged.
"Double-overtime!" the announcer blared again and the crowd was on its feet, cheering at the excellent match they were witnessing.Ê This would be a period of only one minute with one wrestler in the defensive position based on a coin toss.Ê Carr won the toss and chose the defensive position.Ê If Harper can hold him, Harper wins.Ê If Carr can escape, Carr wins.Ê In
thirty-five seconds Carr was on his feet and free, winning the Championship by a 2-1 score in double overtime, the exact outcome of his earlier match with Harper.Ê Carr was one of only five wrestlers in the state going undefeated as he ends his season with a record of 41-0.
Now two Carrs have earned Indiana State Championship titles, Kevin at 160 pounds this year and Jason at 160 pounds in 1998.
OTHER AREA WRESTLERS
Finishing in third place at 119 pounds was Wawasee's Chet Wortinger.Ê
Wortinger won his first match by a 21-4 technical fall (margin of 15 points or more).Ê He won his second match by a 6-3 score but lost a 13-8 decision in the semi-final to Andrew Bradbury of Portage.Ê In the consolation round Wortinger defeated Bellmont's Nick Koons in a 4-3 decison to take third place in the state championship.ÊWortinger concludes his injury-shortened season with a record of 29-2.
Warsaw's Matt Zellers (152) took fifth place.Ê He won his first match,
beating Bobby Dinn of Warren Central 9-7.Ê In his second match, Zellers was unable to score a single takedown and lost to Fred Joseph of Portage in a
tough 7-5 decision.Ê Joseph went on to win the championship.Ê Zellers
wrestled in a consolation round and defeated Ben Wyssel of Richmond to take fifth place and finish his season with a record of 39-4.
At 275 pounds Wawasee's Jamie Salazar took seventh place after a first round victory by fall at 1:48 over Steve Jenkins of Chesterton.Ê In round two Salazar lost a tough 5-3 overtime decision to Adam Rosemeyer of Brownsburg to head to consolation round.ÊThere, Salazar defeated Dan Winter of Palestine in a 4-2 overtime decision to earn his seventh place honors and finish the season with a record of 36-5.
Rochester's Dusten Roe (119) pulled off a major as a junior when he
handed Joey Coffey of New Albany his first defeat.Ê Coffey was ranked second in the state but Roe eliminated the 43-0 senior in a solid 9-5 decision.Ê
Roe finished the tournament in eighth place, losing his consolation match to
Derek Donelson of Plainfield.Ê Travis Horn, also of Rochester, was
eliminated in the first round, losing to Chad Kees of Woodlan.
Two Warsaw wrestlers made it to the state meet but lost in the first
round.ÊAdam Harter (112) was eliminated when he lost to Ryan Alb of Lake Central 13-1.Ê Alb went on to take third in the tournament.Ê Harter ends his season with a record of 35-9.
Warsaw junior, Joey Navarro (275) was pinned in 3:19 by Ryan Lee of Michigan City who went on to take third place.Ê Navarro was among four
juniors wrestling in the 275-pound weight class and all four juniors were
eliminated in the first round as a result of pins.Ê Navarro's season record is 36-7 and he said he will be spending a great deal of time in the weight room and that he is going to wrestle freestyle in preparation for his senior year.
Warsaw Coach Tony Boley now turns his focus to the second wrestling season, that is freestyle.Ê Freestyle wrestling is open to all ages and
Boley expects most of his Warsaw Tiger wrestlers to be involved.Ê Warsaw has
a big two-day tournament scheduled for March 26 and 27.Ê For information
contact Charles Patrick at 267-4251.Ê Wawasee's freestyle tournament isscheduled for March 19 and 20.Ê For information contact, Cheryl Merchant at 834-7171.
KEVIN CARR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS, COMPLETE
160 Kevin Carr (Wawasee 41-0)
Round OneÊÊÊ 9-3 dec over Chad Wilkerson np (Whiteland 33-7)
Round TwoÊÊÊ 10-1 maj dec over Justin Benge 5th (Calumet 36-5)
Semi-finalÊÊÊÊÊÊ 5-1 dec over Andrew Patton 4th (Roncalli 35-5)
Final RoundÊÊÊ 2-1 double OT dec over Brad Harper 2nd (Mishawaka 27-2)
OTHER AREA WRESTLERS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS, CONCLUDING MATCH
112 Adam Harter np (Warsaw 35-9) 13-1 maj dec by Ryan Alb 3rd (Lake Central
41-3)
119 Dusten Roe 8th (Rochester 35-7) 4-1 dec by Derek Konelson 7th
(Plainfield 33-2)
119 Chet Wortinger 3rd (Wawasee 29-2) 4-3 dec over Nick Koons 4th (Bellmont
32-5*)
140 Travis Horn np (Rochester 35-5) 4-2 dec by Chad Kees 4th (Woodlan 27-5)
152 Matt Zellers 5th (Warsaw 39-4) 8-5 dec over Ben Wyssel 6th (Richmond
25-9)
275 Joey Navarro np (Warsaw 36-7) 3:19 pinned by Ryan Lee 3rd (Michigan City
42-2)
275 Jamie Salazar 7th (Wawasee 36-5) 4-2 ot dec over Dan Winter (New
Palestine 28-8)
*final record may change due to involvement in state team championship
Wrestler's finish in tournament follows his name, np = no place. [[In-content Ad]]
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INDIANAPOLIS - Wawasee's Kevin Carr wrestled his way to the 160-pound state championship at Market Square Arena Saturday to conclude his high school career and bring a second state championship to the Carr family.
Carr's brother, Jason, won a state title last year. Kevin is Wawasee's fifth state champion.
Teammate Chet Wortinger placed third at 119 pounds, and Jamie Salazar finished in seventh place at 275 pounds.
For Warsaw, Matt Zellers took fifth place at 152 pounds while his teammates, Adam Harter (112) and Joey Navarro (275), were each eliminated after first-round losses.
Kevin Carr.
Kevin Carr reached the finals by winning his first match Friday in a 9-3 decision over Chad Wilkerson of Whiteland.Ê Carr's next opponent was Justin Benge of Calumet, who had a record of 35-4. Carr took it to Benge, scoring a convincing 10-1 major decision to advance to the semifinal round.
In the semifinal, Carr met another wrestler with a 35-4 record on the season, Andrew Patton of Roncalli.Ê Manhandling Patton through three periods, Carr came out the winner in a 5-1 decision to head to the championship extravaganza Saturday evening.
The state finals in wrestling is a wild form of Hoosier Hysteria where anybody can win, from any size school, big or small.
In the case of Carr's final at 160 pounds, no one could have planned a better matchup.ÊÊ Former Warsaw assistant coach Rick Troxell, now at Jimtown, described it as a meeting between a bull with technique and a dancer with technique.Ê Carr would face Mishawaka's Brad Harper, last year's state champ at 152 pounds, who also went undefeated last season with a record of 44-0. His record this season was 27-1, giving him a two-season record of 71-1.
Harper's only loss came in a match earlier in the season to, you guessed it, Carr. Harper was edged out by Carr at the Mishawaka Invitational in a 2-1 double overtime decision.Ê Observers at the state finals explained that Harper had just recovered from a crushed elbow when he met Carr earlier and that now he was stronger. A number of sportswriters made confident predictions that Carr would not have a chance, especially since Harper was a returning champion.
Harper reached the Saturday evening finals this year with a pin in the first round and then in round two, he scored a close 3-2 victory. In the semifinals he beat Rick Garder (34-1) of Greenfield Central in an 8-1 decision to reach the final round. It was clear that Harper was strong and that his injury was not hampering him at all.
A record crowd of 11,027 was in attendance for the championship finals.Ê
The total attendance for all for sessions was 40,112, also a new record.Ê
With a brand new "field house" under construction, this is to be the last state championship at Market Square Arena.Ê The upper seating sections, which have been curtained off in the past, were opened for the Saturday evening championship finals, and the crowd was in an uproar as the two 160-pounders came to the center of the mat.
Neither wrestler could gain control in the first period.Ê This first period was no boring two-minute waltz. Several times each wrestler nearly scored a take down just as they were whistled out of bounds. Twice Carr was nearly controlled by Harper, but Carr quickly turned the tables only to have Harper stuggle back to his feet to remain in neutral positon. Harper had some deep shots for takedowns where he was able to wrap up Carr's leg and had him hopping, but Carr would not succumb and fought back to maintain a neutral position. Carr also darted in catlike to snatch a Harper ankle, but he would wriggle free or muscle around to put Carr in jeopardy but he would twist around to stand face to face once again.
Carr's style is relentless control.Ê He controls himself and he controls his opponent, but he could not score a take down against Harper.Ê Carr was able to avoid being taken down by his quickness and balance and by his own attacks on Harper.Ê Period one ended scoreless.
In the second and third period each wrestler starts in a position of control and works for a pin while the wrestler in the defensive positon works to escape.Ê In these two periods each wrestler was able to escape from the defensive positon for one point.Ê The score at the end of regulation time was tied at 1-1.
"Overtime!" cried the announcer and the crowd was roaring.Ê At the whistle the bullfight continued.Ê After two minutes the score remained unchanged.
"Double-overtime!" the announcer blared again and the crowd was on its feet, cheering at the excellent match they were witnessing.Ê This would be a period of only one minute with one wrestler in the defensive position based on a coin toss.Ê Carr won the toss and chose the defensive position.Ê If Harper can hold him, Harper wins.Ê If Carr can escape, Carr wins.Ê In
thirty-five seconds Carr was on his feet and free, winning the Championship by a 2-1 score in double overtime, the exact outcome of his earlier match with Harper.Ê Carr was one of only five wrestlers in the state going undefeated as he ends his season with a record of 41-0.
Now two Carrs have earned Indiana State Championship titles, Kevin at 160 pounds this year and Jason at 160 pounds in 1998.
OTHER AREA WRESTLERS
Finishing in third place at 119 pounds was Wawasee's Chet Wortinger.Ê
Wortinger won his first match by a 21-4 technical fall (margin of 15 points or more).Ê He won his second match by a 6-3 score but lost a 13-8 decision in the semi-final to Andrew Bradbury of Portage.Ê In the consolation round Wortinger defeated Bellmont's Nick Koons in a 4-3 decison to take third place in the state championship.ÊWortinger concludes his injury-shortened season with a record of 29-2.
Warsaw's Matt Zellers (152) took fifth place.Ê He won his first match,
beating Bobby Dinn of Warren Central 9-7.Ê In his second match, Zellers was unable to score a single takedown and lost to Fred Joseph of Portage in a
tough 7-5 decision.Ê Joseph went on to win the championship.Ê Zellers
wrestled in a consolation round and defeated Ben Wyssel of Richmond to take fifth place and finish his season with a record of 39-4.
At 275 pounds Wawasee's Jamie Salazar took seventh place after a first round victory by fall at 1:48 over Steve Jenkins of Chesterton.Ê In round two Salazar lost a tough 5-3 overtime decision to Adam Rosemeyer of Brownsburg to head to consolation round.ÊThere, Salazar defeated Dan Winter of Palestine in a 4-2 overtime decision to earn his seventh place honors and finish the season with a record of 36-5.
Rochester's Dusten Roe (119) pulled off a major as a junior when he
handed Joey Coffey of New Albany his first defeat.Ê Coffey was ranked second in the state but Roe eliminated the 43-0 senior in a solid 9-5 decision.Ê
Roe finished the tournament in eighth place, losing his consolation match to
Derek Donelson of Plainfield.Ê Travis Horn, also of Rochester, was
eliminated in the first round, losing to Chad Kees of Woodlan.
Two Warsaw wrestlers made it to the state meet but lost in the first
round.ÊAdam Harter (112) was eliminated when he lost to Ryan Alb of Lake Central 13-1.Ê Alb went on to take third in the tournament.Ê Harter ends his season with a record of 35-9.
Warsaw junior, Joey Navarro (275) was pinned in 3:19 by Ryan Lee of Michigan City who went on to take third place.Ê Navarro was among four
juniors wrestling in the 275-pound weight class and all four juniors were
eliminated in the first round as a result of pins.Ê Navarro's season record is 36-7 and he said he will be spending a great deal of time in the weight room and that he is going to wrestle freestyle in preparation for his senior year.
Warsaw Coach Tony Boley now turns his focus to the second wrestling season, that is freestyle.Ê Freestyle wrestling is open to all ages and
Boley expects most of his Warsaw Tiger wrestlers to be involved.Ê Warsaw has
a big two-day tournament scheduled for March 26 and 27.Ê For information
contact Charles Patrick at 267-4251.Ê Wawasee's freestyle tournament isscheduled for March 19 and 20.Ê For information contact, Cheryl Merchant at 834-7171.
KEVIN CARR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS, COMPLETE
160 Kevin Carr (Wawasee 41-0)
Round OneÊÊÊ 9-3 dec over Chad Wilkerson np (Whiteland 33-7)
Round TwoÊÊÊ 10-1 maj dec over Justin Benge 5th (Calumet 36-5)
Semi-finalÊÊÊÊÊÊ 5-1 dec over Andrew Patton 4th (Roncalli 35-5)
Final RoundÊÊÊ 2-1 double OT dec over Brad Harper 2nd (Mishawaka 27-2)
OTHER AREA WRESTLERS INDIVIDUAL RESULTS, CONCLUDING MATCH
112 Adam Harter np (Warsaw 35-9) 13-1 maj dec by Ryan Alb 3rd (Lake Central
41-3)
119 Dusten Roe 8th (Rochester 35-7) 4-1 dec by Derek Konelson 7th
(Plainfield 33-2)
119 Chet Wortinger 3rd (Wawasee 29-2) 4-3 dec over Nick Koons 4th (Bellmont
32-5*)
140 Travis Horn np (Rochester 35-5) 4-2 dec by Chad Kees 4th (Woodlan 27-5)
152 Matt Zellers 5th (Warsaw 39-4) 8-5 dec over Ben Wyssel 6th (Richmond
25-9)
275 Joey Navarro np (Warsaw 36-7) 3:19 pinned by Ryan Lee 3rd (Michigan City
42-2)
275 Jamie Salazar 7th (Wawasee 36-5) 4-2 ot dec over Dan Winter (New
Palestine 28-8)
*final record may change due to involvement in state team championship
Wrestler's finish in tournament follows his name, np = no place. [[In-content Ad]]