Coyle toils, excels under ‘different’ spotlight
Oak Forest transfer adds Indiana regional champion to his list in first season with Portage
Even with fans limited — if not prohibited — at most meets this season, Portage senior Jack Coyle said there has been a different atmosphere for his matches
A 132-pounder who transferred to Portage from Oak Forest for this school year, Coyle has learned there’s a noticeable intensity among Indiana wrestling fans.
“The atmosphere in Indiana is really different,” he said. “The fans get more pumped up during matches, especially with all the spotlights in the final rounds.”
Coyle has thrived under that spotlight all winter, including Saturday’s Hobart Regional, where he finished first at 132 while moving his season record to 26-2.
Last season, Coyle finished sixth at 132 in Class 2A of Illinois’ three-class state tournament. He made an immediate connection in Portage’s wrestling room with classmate Bradley Conrad, a returning state qualifier who took first Saturday at 138.
“It’s good to have him in the room, someone with state meet experience,” Coyle said of Conrad. “He’s always helping out with my moves, always teaching me stuff. He’ll definitely be a coach one day.”
While Coyle and Conrad have a new wrestling connection, Trevor Schammert has a pair of lifelong ones at Hobart.
Schammert, a junior who’s now 28-0 after winning the regional title at 113, grew up with two of his most frequent wrestling partners. His older brother, Nathan, is a 2020 Hobart graduate and semistate qualifier. His cousin, Devin Wible, is a sophomore who was the regional runner-up Saturday at 126.
That trio had countless unofficial matches, part of a neverending competition to come out on top in their family rivalry. But Trevor Schammert said the combative nature of those matches has shifted over the years.
“It’s changed for the better,” he said. “When we used to wrestle, we were just trying to be better than the other one. Now we’re pushing each other, trying to make each of us better.”
Schammert was one of four individual champions for Hobart, leading the Brickies to a thirdplace team finish with 146 points.
Portage was the runner-up with 157.5, while Merrillville won its third straight regional title with 177 and three first-place finishers in senior Malik Hall at 126, junior Caleb Carter at 152 and senior Jason Streck at 220.
Hall’s regular season was disjointed because of a few injuries, although the two-time state qualifier is still ranked sixth in his weight class by IndianaMat.
With Saturday’s regional title in hand, Hall improved his record to 19-2. He attributes his success to a sharper mental approach.
“I wanted to focus on how I approach matches and all the little things going on up there,” Hall said while pointing to his head. “Physically, I feel like I’m pretty good.”
Hall tackled his plan the same way he would work on any physical attributes.
Repetition.
“It’s not easy,” he said. “But when things get hard, you spin it positive. It’s the mental habits you create whenever struggles come in because anything can happen out there.”
Even if Hall ends up on his back in the next two weeks, inches away from a pin that could end his high school career, don’t expect him to panic.
“That’s exactly what it’s for,” he said. “A lot of guys in the postseason, they don’t lose because they weren’t ready but because they weren’t mentally in the right place. I don’t get as nervous during matches. I’m confident.”
“If I’m mentally in the right place,” Hall said. “I feel like I’ll be fine.”
Dave Melton is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.