Duke captures state medal
INDIANAPOLIS--Saturday’s State Finals featured two major storylines for the local fans who made the weekend trek to the state’s capital city–the three-team race for the team state title and Duke Myers’ journey through the 170 pound bracket as the only county wrestler to survive to the season’s ultimate day.
Myers ended the day with a seventh-place medal with a gutsy performance at the end of the day and the Crown Point Bulldogs won the IHSAA title for a second straight season with one of the best performances in the history of the tournament.
By the time Duke Myers stepped onto the mat for his quarterfinal at 170, the top three teams were separated by just one point at 66.5 to 65.5. After losing the first two matches in the morning, Crown Point won all of their final seven, making big gains on Brownsburg and Center Grove.
Hoping to find a spot into the semifinals, Myers wrestled Anthony Cashman from Warren Central in the opening round.
Myers looked primed to score the first takedown of the match off of a restart with an ankle pick, but Cashman drew a stalemate call by blocking Myers’ attempt to score from the Iranian position. The two were in the same position near the edge of the mat with 25 seconds left and the line saved Cashman, but on the next restart, it was Cashman with a swift throw-by to get behind Myers while they were still on their feet and it came with no time to allow Myers to escape at the end of the first.
The ideal timing of the takedown for Cashman was eventually the difference in the bout.
After scoring his escape with his own choice in the second, Cashman got in deep on the legs of Myers and the two scrambled for 30 seconds before the Bellmont 170 was able to sprawl out.
Myers tied the bout with 1:23 remaining with a blast double. He immediately cut Cashman and went for another but couldn’t bring in the legs with 45 seconds to go.
Cashman did his best to pull Myers up while fighting off Duke’s leg attempts and the two went over the line again with 17 seconds remaining. Cashman secured the victory by
negating another deep single leg by Myers and a late high crotch, advancing with a 4-3 decision.
The bracket over the weekend sparked memories of the Al Smith in December, where eventual state champion Cody Goodwin was not in the lineup, but five of the other seven state placers, Myers included, were also involved at Gainbridge.
The runner-up at Mishawaka was Noah Clouser of Center Grove, but he was defeated on Friday night by Braxton Russell of Delta. Kyle Harden of Cathedral and Cashman also finished ahead of Myers in both competitions, as did Aidan Costello, who shut out Duke 7-0 in the consolation semifinals, setting up a rematch with Russell for the third consecutive week.
Crown Point took some lumps in the semifinal round, losing Logan Frazier and Anthony Bahl, but the Bulldogs clinched the state title with victories in four of the next five weight classes.
Myers was the one who dished out the payback last week in the medal round, avenging a loss to Logan Farnell of Maconaquah from the Semi-State finals a week prior. Duke had no intention of having that scenario play out again against Russell.
Coming back after the break, Myers wrestled through considerable pain to force overtime with Russell in the medal round.
“There was a little bit of adversity for me, I just don’t feel my best and I am a little banged up from earlier,” said Myers after the win. “I knew I had to stay solid and he wasn’t going to score on me if I did. I wrestled smart and safe and it was a good win for me.” Both 170s got their own escape in regulation and neither was able to find a takedown in the one-minute overtime. Myers won the match with a 30-second ride of Russell, followed by the winning escape.
“I am not the best on top but I found something deep inside and the Lord helped me out with my abilities there, I’m sure,” Myers theorized. “I was a little nervous because I took the stall call there when I pushed him out of bounds but in the end he didn’t get the points, so that’s what matters.”
Receiving his medal from former state champion Paul Voigt, who is now a member of the IHSAA board, Myers became just the 25th wrestler in Bellmont history to win more than one state medal. Only ten wrestlers have won more than two.
“This phrase may be overused this weekend but at the end of the day this wasn’t my goal, but I know that it’s nice to go home with something and to be in the mix of all this great wrestling all day today.”
The junior also gave credit to his coaches, especially his father.
“It means everything to me to have my dad out there. I also appreciate having Brandon (Razo) and Sean (Faurote) being right there with me. We have the best coaches in the state.”
Crown Point’s four finalists were all victorious, with Sam Goin, Cody Goodwin, Orlando Cruz and Will Clark all finishing at the top of the podium.
Brownsburg had a shot at the runner-up trophy when Leighton Jones stepped into the circle at heavyweight, but with a 5-2 lead over Kelton Farmer late in the match, he took no chances with a late throw and Center Grove held on to second place, despite going 1-4 in the finals.
Remarkably, the Brownsburg Bulldogs finished in third place despite winning three weight classes, finishing second in another, taking two more thirds and a sixth.
Myers took in the finals with family and friends as he awaited receiving his medal.
“These weekends, staying up late with your buddies, this is what it’s all about.”
30,787 attended the weekend’s wrestling over three sessions, with many discussing the possible venue for next season’s event, which will not be held in Indianapolis. The IHSAA is likely to choose between the Ford Center in Evansville and the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum as an alternate site in the coming days.