County grapplers two wins from state
While Saturday’s semi-state is a 16-man bracket, it is essentially a cluster of four-man brackets, with the real goal being to qualify for state by winning the first two bouts of the day. With that in mind, here are the quarter brackets for each wrestler from Adams County, along with a breakdown of each matchup. Rankings shown are the IndianaMat state rankings.
#11 Linkin Carter (Eastside), Fr. (33-7) vs. Brayden Gibson (Peru), Sr. (21-12) Maverick Dubach (AC), Fr. (33-8) vs. Isaiah McCue (Angola), Sr. (34-4)
Maverick Dubach’s freshman campaign has been an impressive one and he will need to score his biggest win of the season to get out of the first round, facing Angola senior Isaiah McCue in the first round. McCue has just four losses on the year and has split matches with Linkin Carter, the only state-ranked guy in this quarter bracket, so far this season. If the Jets are going to pull off a big upset and sneak an extra guy through–this is where it happens for Coach Currie.
#8 Tye Linser (Western), Jr. (314) vs. Essiah Kamer (Fremont), Sr. (31-7) Xavier Nussbaum (Garrett), So. (21-10) vs. #21 Gavin Cook (AC), Sr. (35-7)
A senior like Gavin Cook should have no problem being prepared to wrestle on top of the ice Saturday when he faces Xavier Nussbaum from Garrett in the opening round. That should allow Cook the time to be warmed up for a potential showdown with Western’s Tye Linser, who is ranked in the top ten in the state. Taking two of his losses at the Al Smith in December, Linser entered the state tournament with just three total losses before losing to Nathan Knopp (Madison-Grant) at sectional. He came back to avenge that loss at last week’s regional. Cook, on the other hand, has felt the pressure of a ticket round match before and come out on top, qualifying for Gainbridge last year. Don’t let the rankings fool you, Gavin Cook keeps tough matches close. The most troubling sign for AC fans will be the fact that Linser beat Ethan Reiley of Jay County 6-3 at Team State. Reiley has a 4-0 record against Cook this season, including wins in the championship bouts each of the last three weekends.
Camron Lapsley (FW Snider), Sr. (28-5) vs. Brennan Whickcar (Elkhart), So. (25-12) Jensen Burrous (Cass), Sr. (28-8) vs. #23 Logan Uhlman (AC), Sr. (33-8)
It’s always nice to be the only guy with a ranking in the quarterfinal, but Logan Uhlman would certainly be the favorite in this group even if he had been left off the rankings. Can anyone in this group knock off a returning state medalist? Can Camron Lapsley learn something from Tony Wood the past few weeks and beat Uhlman with the opening takedown? If not, Uhlman will return to state and join some pretty elite company in BAGUBA history as a three-time state finalist. He has been one of the most consistent wrestlers in Adams County in the last four years and should certainly be viewed as the favorite.
#14 Luke Teusch (Hunt. No.), Jr. (410) vs. Blake Luginbill (Bellmont), Jr. (19-15) Blake Denman (Angola), So. (29-10) vs. Hartley Hoover (North Miami), Fr. (336)
No one wants to draw an undefeated man in the opening round of this tournament, but Blake Luginbill knew he might when he took fourth Saturday at Jay County. For the Bellmont junior there is nothing to lose: he obviously was not at full strength last week, choosing to forfeit in the semifinals. He has been here before so he is not going to feel the pressure. He is not favored against Luke Teusch. If Luginbill has gotten healthier, it is likely that Teusch will not be expecting what Blake has to offer. Regardless, Luginbill will be on the short list of county wrestlers next year who will be potential state streeters.
#8 Gavin Davis (Bellmont), So. (385) vs. Eric Delaney (Bishop Dwenger), Sr. (26-13) Eli Knepper (DeKalb), Sr. (32-9) vs. #11 Greyson Gard (Rochester), Sr. (33-3)
Bellmont coach Tim Myers loves to tell his guys to “Be the bad draw.” This feels like one of those situations. Gavin Davis could be approaching this week with an upset attitude knowing that he got perhaps the toughest draw he could have gotten this weekend. If anyone should be worried, it should be Greyson Gard. Davis has looked awfully good all season long. An early loss to #1 Aidan Torres was more of a confidence booster than any win he had that weekend in Goshen. From there, Davis took three losses at Mishawaka, but it was very obvious that he belonged in the top ten with the way he wrestled some of the top 152s in Indiana. Another loss to Mitchell Betz at Team State provided more fuel to the fire and more film to analyze. Perhaps the truest fact in this entire
preview is this: Gavin Davis believes he can beat Betz and win this semi-state tournament. The Bellmont sophomore could be in for a special tenday run.
160
#19 Conner Watts (Jimtown), Sr. (32-4) vs. Grant Frecker (Woodlan), Jr. (26-13) #22 Deaglan Pleak (Western), Jr. (26-6) vs. Silas Loshe (South Adams), Sr. (32-5)
In both his freshman and sophomore seasons, Silas Loshe reached the ticket round. While he didn’t return last year due to injury, it will not be a surprise if Loshe is back in that round with his career on the line around lunchtime Saturday. To do it, Loshe will have to beat Deaglan Pleak of Western in his first match. Few pick ‘ems masters will choose Loshe (outside of the ones in Berne) to advance, but it’s worth noting that Pleak was defeated soundly by Chase Leech of Garrett at the Al Smith, while Loshe trailed just 6-3 heading into the third period against Leech before losing by fall at the buzzer of the third period at the Garrett Invite. Loshe is one of those wrestlers who makes coaches scratch their heads in common opponent situations. When he can ride and work pinning combinations with the legs in, Loshe is a top-20 guy in the state. When his opponent can avoid that situation and wrestle Loshe on his feet, the Starfire is at a disadvantage. Can the Starfire senior pull off two big wins over Pleak and Conner Watts? Absolutely.
170
#7 Duke Myers (Bellmont), Jr. (37-3) vs. Jake Roemer (Woodlan), Sr. (24-11) Jericko Jackson (Prairie Hts.), Jr. (17-5) vs. Ethan Farnell (Maconaquah), So. (35-6)
Duke Myers is the heaviest favorite of any county wrestler to make it to Gainbridge Fieldhouse. After a fifth-place finish at last year’s state finals, Myers has had another exceptional season. A loss in the opening bout spurred him to dig deep and get better. Losses by scores of 2-1 and 1-0 at the Al Smith have been the only road bumps in his season. Myers is the favorite to win the entire tournament Saturday. To accomplish his goal of reaching the semifinals at state, Myers will need to do just that.
182
#2 De’Alcapon Veazy (FW Snider), So. (34-1) vs. Boston Caudell (Madison-Grant), So. (33-6) Connor Leins (East Noble), Jr. (22-18) vs. Maverick Summersett (South Adams), Sr. (29-3)
While most coaches don’t like to talk about good draws and bad draws, there’s no doubt that the announcement of this quarter bracket was a heartbreaker for coach Jesse Gaskill and senior Maverick Summersett. De’Alcapon Veazy is one of the biggest names in the sport and perhaps the best wrestler in the sophomore class in Indiana. It will be strength versus strength in the ticket round if Summersett takes care of business in the first round. Don’t expect Veazy vs. Summersett to last six minutes.
195
Henry Kukelhan (Bellmont), Sr. (33-7) vs. #25 Nate Elliott (Hunt. No.), Sr. (36-5) #16 Jaxon Copas (Central Noble), Jr. (32-3) vs. #12 Chad Washburn (Kokomo), Jr. (44-3)
No first-round matchup featuring a county wrestler has drawn more discussion than this one. Nate Elliott got the best of Henry Kukelhan on that terrible day at Huntington North where everything seemed to go wrong for Bellmont, winning 5-3 at the end of the day. The two met at New Haven in the NE8 final at 195 and Henry was working for nearfall late in the third period in a very competitive bout. To beat Kukelhan a third time, Elliott will have to beat a wrestler who has pulled off big wins over Trevor Currie in the finals each of the last two weeks. The tall senior with a monster switch is always a matchup problem, no matter the opponent. Ironically, Kukelhan is the only wrestler in the quarter bracket who is not ranked in the top 25. This could be the most exciting set of four at the Coliseum Saturday.
#6 Alex Deming (Rochester), Jr. (39-0) vs. Noah Owsley (Lakeland), Jr. (11-9) Eli Coolman (Leo), Sr. (29-9) vs. #14 Trevor Currie (AC), (38-4)
The aforementioned Henry Kukelhan was knocked out by Alex Deming last year at semi-state and the Zebra 195 will have to beat another Adams
County wrestler if he wants to return to state Saturday. Trevor Currie was a tough-luck loser in the regional finals, but with the draw Kukelhan received, he shouldn’t worry much. Deming is not unbeatable and Currie has shown in previous matches against ranked guys this year that he is competitive. His 8-7 loss to Chad Washburn of Kokomo in December should be enough proof that Currie is not just a possibility for a state qualifier, but a contender for the entire 195 class in Fort Wayne this weekend.
220
#12 Julante Hinton (FW Northrop), Jr. (34-1) vs. Preston Stimac (Elkhart), Sr. (15-11) #23 Keegan Bluhm (AC), Jr. (37-5) vs. Elias Cressell (Wabash), Jr. (24-8)
County fans have two mats to track at both 195 and 220 this year and Keegan Bluhm of Adams Central should have an entertaining match in the ticket round against Julante Hinton, one of the biggest and strongest kids in the city of Fort Wayne. Hinton has qualified for state in each of his two seasons so far for the Bruins, but Bluhm has been sandwiched between Trevor Currie and Zac Wurm all season long. Coach Currie and his staff will attempt to outmaneuver Hinton, relying on the prestige of the Adams Central program as ammunition in the fight to pull off the upset.
#5 Keagan Martin (Bellmont), Jr. (43-1) vs. Keyton Ousley (Peru), Jr. (25-9) Caleb Evans (Homestead), So. (24-12) vs. Breckan Maran (Fairfield), So. (28-7)
The Braves will be favorites again at 220 to advance. It’s worth recalling that Martin’s only loss in his remarkable season came on the first day of the Al Smith after not practicing for a week due to illness. While he lost to Devin Kendrex in the opening rounds, he finished higher than Kendrex on that maroon podium. All the way up to #5 in the state rankings, last year’s ISWA state champion is the favorite to win this weight class and his current form suggests that he may have a path to reaching the semifinals at state next week.
285
Jack Maley (Columbia City), Sr. (26-5) vs. Camron Montgomery (Maconaquah), Sr. (22-10) #22 Zac Wurm (Adams Central), Jr. (36-6) vs. Lance Army (Concord), Sr. (31-7)
Adams Central fans got a bonus when they scoured the semi-state brackets for Fort Wayne once they got to the last page. Zac Wurm, who has only been wrestling for 15 months, is the favorite to advance out of this quarter bracket. He will face a stern test in the opening round, but if he can survive, he will face the winner of two heavyweights he’s already defeated–Jack Maley and Camron Montgomery. Wurm could put the icing on the cake to a grand day for county wrestlers.