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Individual Wrestlers Wanting State Berth

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Now, it is time for the individuals.

After advancing to the state meet on Wednesday as a team, Wawasee will see if any of its eight individual wrestlers can do the same on Saturday.

The Adams Central Semistate is Saturday at the Fort Wayne Coliseum starting at 9:30 a.m.

The top four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the state meet.

Warsaw, Whitko and Manchester all will be sending one wrestler each to the semistate.

Of the eight Wawasee wrestlers, four of them (Kevin Carr, 125; Darrell Carr, 135; Jason Carr, 145; Shaun Belin, 152) have first-round byes coming into the semistate as regional champs.

The other four wrestlers are Chet Wortinger (103), Travis Coy (112), Jacen Hendricks (119) and Ryan Johnson (130).

"Realistically all four of our guys who are wrestling in the first round could win," Wawasee coach Scott DeHart said. "If they win that second-round match, then they are going to Market Square Arena next week. There are no slouches left. You have to win the tough 1-2 and 3-4 (seeds) matches. They are going to have to wrestle well."

The eight wrestlers are the most DeHart has ever taken to the semistate, beating seven wrestlers in 1992.

"I would love to take all eight to state," DeHart said. "It depends on who comes to wrestle. Looking at the draws, four or five of them have really good shots, and the other three can do it, they will just have to wrestle real good kids. That is what is all about. Sure things are not sure things at this level. All our kids are capable of being at the state meet."

The Warriors may have a little bit of a disadvantage against some of the other wrestlers in the fact that they are still alive in the team competition and have been wrestling twice a week for the past two weeks.

"We have gone a Saturday and Wednesday and Saturday and Wednesday," DeHart said. "It is nice to not have to worry about going next Wednesday. We have some time to give the kids a little break in there, which I think is important. At this point in the season, they have been battled tested. We are just trying to keep them as fresh as we can."

Wawasee will face Carmel on March 1 as a team in the eight-team state finals at Center Grove High School.

Warsaw's Adam Harter

Harter (112 pounds) will take on Bellmont's Andy Miesse in the first round Saturday.

"He is a very good wrestler," Warsaw coach Tony Boley said of Miesse. "He won the Mishawaka Invitational with 32 teams there. We have our work cut out for us."

Boley said that Harter, a sophomore, is probably at his best right now, both physically and mentally.

"Hopefully Adam is mentally ready," Boley said. "He was last week (at regional). Some of our kids weren't, but he was. I feel he can wrestle with this kid and anybody else over there. The only time he didn't wrestle well as the conference. Besides that, he has been wrestling really well."

Harter finished third in his weight class at the Goshen Regional last Saturday.

"The 112-pound weight class is extremely strong at the semistate," Boley said. "At this level, very rarely does anybody get through that is not an outstanding wrestler. You have to be prepared for anybody. At this level, it is mental. You have to believe you can wrestle with anybody."

First round matchups

103 - Chet Wortinger, Wawasee (29-7) vs. Cody Whithouse, Leo (8-1)

112 - Travis Coy, Wawasee (23-13) vs. Dustin Groover, Elwood (28-10)

112 - Adam Harter, Warsaw (35-8) vs. Andy Miesse, Bellmont (26-3)

119 - Jacen Hendricks, Wawasee (14-12) vs. Alonso Miller, Yorktown (24-10)

125 - Kevin Carr, Wawasee (36-1) bye

130 - Ryan Johnson, Wawasee (19-8) vs. Jason Brown, Peru (29-4)

135 - Darrell Carr, Wawasee (35-1) bye

145 - Jason Carr, Wawasee (35-2) bye

152 - Shaun Belin, Wawasee (36-1) bye

171 - Greg Groombridge, Manchester (13-5) vs. Chris Mac, Muncie South (22-8)

275 - Scott Barker, Whitko (35-1) vs. Adam Haynes, Oak Hill (21-6)