Hollendonner in command for Crown Point
Senior leads way at 160 as Bulldogs repeat at regionals
On a team loaded with talented underclassmen, Crown Point senior Noah Hollendonner has embraced additional responsibilities.
The 160-pound wrestler said he has taken extra care in guiding his new teammates through the rigors of the high school season.
“Just showing them the ropes,” Hollendonner said. “In high school, it’s a lot different. You can end up in situations you never thought you’d be in. I’ll be gone pretty soon, so I’m trying to help them out as much as I can.”
Hollendonner led by example during Saturday’s Crown Point Regional, finishing in first place as part of the Bulldogs’ second straight team title.
Crown Point had five individual champions, racking up 195.5 points to stay just ahead of runner-up Chesterton at 187.
Hollendonner (33-4), who improved upon his third-place regional finish from last season, pointed out how he has felt more comfortable on the mat.
“Last season, there was still more of a learning curve,” Hollendonner said. “I think I’m really peaking now.”
The tightest match of the meet came at 120, with Crown Point senior Riley Bettich — ranked No. 2 by IndianaMat — facing off against Wheeler senior Giovanni Diaz.
Diaz, who’s ranked third, won for the second straight week by scoring a reversal with 20 seconds remaining in the third period to break a 2-2 deadlock.
Despite the frequent meetings between Bettich and Diaz — already their third match of the season, with the potential for two more — there’s no animosity between the two.
“I have so much respect for him,” Bettich said of Diaz. “Every time we’ve wrestled, it feels like we have the match of the day. He’s just a good competitor.”
“It’s all a part of wrestling,” Diaz said. “Even if you lose, it doesn’t mean you can’t still be a good sport about it.”
At 138, LaPorte senior Tyson Nisley (40-4) won his second straight regional title. Nisley also wrestled at 138 as a junior but said he’s in better physical shape this season thanks to a better diet.
“I dropped more weight than I did last year, so I’ve had to be more specific about what I eat,” Nisley said. “Last year, after every tournament, I’d eat whatever I wanted.”
Cutting down on those victory meals has been one key for Nisley this winter, but that’s just part of what he’s doing differently to ensure he reaches the state finals after falling one win shy of qualifying in 2019.
“Last year, I let the regional championship get to my head,” Nisley said. “It got too big and I lost in the ticket round.
“It’s a good accomplishment, but I don’t want to let that deter me from what I want to do.”