Phone: 317-846-6601
Fax: 317-575-4244 Website:
www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
____________________________________________________________________
MEDIA
INFORMATION February 19, 2005
ESCOBEDO,
HUMPHREY FINISH WRESTLING CAREERS ON TOP
Griffith
senior Angel Escobedo and Lawrence North senior Reece Humphrey grabbed the
spotlight at the 67th Annual IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals
at Conseco Fieldhouse in
Indianapolis.
Each ended
the season in a familiar way – unbeaten and thus at the top step of the awards
podium.
Escobedo capped
a brilliant career in defeating Portage senior Mike Leucuta by a 18-6 count, their second meeting this year, to
win his fourth straight state championship. As time expired in the final
period, he received a standing ovation from the Conseco
Fieldhouse crowd of 10,783.
With the
victory, Escobedo became the seventh four-time state champ in Indiana high
school wrestling and the third in the last two seasons. He joins the elite list
which includes Estil Ritter of Bloomington (1924-27),
Willard Duffy of Muncie Central (1930-33), Howard Fisher of South Bend Central
(1949-52), Lance Ellis of Indianapolis Cathedral (1986-89), Blake Maurer of
Evansville Mater Dei (2001-04) and Alex Tsirtsis of
Griffith (2001-04). Escobedo’s victory also helps Griffith become the first
school to produce two four-time state champions.
At 49-0 this
season, Escobedo completes his stellar prep career with a 223-1 mark. He won
the 130 pound crown last year at 52-1, 125 pounds as a sophomore at 64-0 when
he helped Griffith to a state runner-up finish as a team and 112 pounds as a
freshman in 2002 at 58-0. Escobedo went undefeated in high school against
Indiana wrestlers as his lone loss came against an Illinois prepster
early in his junior campaign.
Humphrey also
capitalized on the opportunity of etching his name into Indiana’s wrestling
history by winning the 130 pound bracket. Humphrey (48-0) defeated Hanover
Central senior and previously unbeaten Andrew Howe in the final, 5-1, to win
his third state championship. He joins 20 other state wrestlers with that
distinction.
He won the 125
pound crown a year ago and led the Wildcats to the Team Wrestling state
championship a week later to finish 55-0 and went 45-2 in winning the 112 title
as a sophomore. For his career, he is 165-8. He’ll again lead Lawrence North in
search of its fourth title in the Team State Finals on Feb. 26 at Center Grove
High School. Humphrey defeated Bellmont’s Matt Irwin,
6-0, in the semifinal round after beating him 7-2 in last year’s championship
final.
Senior Matt
Coughlin of Evansville Mater Dei made it to his fourth consecutive state
championship match and came away with his second straight title finishing
unbeaten at 42-0 pinning Columbia City junior Bryan Deutsch (42-1) in the 152
pound class. Coughlin was the only one of the five returning state champions to
compete in the same weight class as last year. Deutsch finished 42-1.
Senior Chris Kasten of Winamac, last year’s champ at 215, stepped up a
weight class and decisioned Merrillville’s Dexter
Larimore, 3-2 at 275.
The only
returning state champion not to advance to this year’s final was Warren
Central’s Jon Lloyd who was upset in Friday’s first round by Hobart freshman
Brennan Cosgrove, 22-14. Lloyd captured last year’s 103 pound class.
Besides, Escobedo,
Humphrey and Coughlin, six others finished the year unbeaten. They were: Hobart
freshman Eric Galka at 47-0 at 103; Beech Grove
sophomore Ethan Harris at 42-0 at 112; Carmel senior Scott Kelly at 46-0 at
125; Perry Meridian junior Nick Walpole at 53-0 at 140; Columbus North senior
Orrin Kleinhenz finished 49-0 at 189 and; Lynn Panko, a senior from Avon completed his season at 215 at
46-0.
Portage had
three wrestlers in the championship round to lead this year’s field.
Bloomington South, Columbus North and Merrillville had two each.
State Championship
Match Results
103 – Eric Galka (47-0) Hobart
(9) def. Justin LaFlower (48-1) Indian Creek (12), dec. 1-0.
112 – Ethan
Harris (42-0) Beech Grove (10) def.
Jacob Wise (46-7) Warren Central (12),
dec. 6-2.
119 – Anthony Williams (46-2) Evansville Central (11) def. Aaron Sessa
(39-5) Lake Central (11), dec. 3-1 OT.
125 – Scott Kelly (46-0) Carmel
(12) def. Alexander Warren (35-1) Mooresville
(11), dec. 9-7 OT.
130 – Reece Humphrey (48-0) Lawrence
North (12) def. Andrew Howe (47-1) Hanover
Central (9), dec. 5-1.
135 – Angel Escobedo (49-0) Griffith
(12) def. Mike Leucuta (38-5) Portage (12), dec.
18-6.
140 – Nick
Walpole (53-0) Perry Meridian (11)
def. Dan Zemlik (40-4) Portage (12), dec. 6-1.
145 – Wesley
English (41-1) Merrillville (11)
def. Kurt Kinser (49-1) Bloomington South (11), dec. 4-0.
152 – Matt
Coughlin (42-0) Evansville Mater Dei (12)
def. Bryan Deutsch (42-1) Columbia City (11),
fall 1:47.
160 – Paul
Young (48-1) Bloomington South (11)
def. Dallas Hesseltine
(43-2) Portage (12), dec. 4-3 2OT.
171 –
Nicholas Corpe (43-1) Elkhart Memorial (12) def. Ian Hinton (43-2) Mishawaka (10), dec. 5-2.
189 – Orrin Kleinhenz (49-0) Columbus
North (12) def. Kenneth Caldwell (47-1) Union County (12), dec. 11-5.
215 – Lynn Panko (46-0) Avon (12) def. Kyle Nehring (37-5) Columbus
North (12), dec. 7-2.
275 –
Christopher Kasten (46-1) Winamac (12) def. Dexter Larimore (41-2) Merrillville (11), dec. 3-2.
Union County’s Caldwell
Wins Ward E. Brown Mental Attitude Award
Kenneth “Casey” Caldwell
of Union County High School was selected as this year’s winner of the Ward E.
Brown Mental Attitude Award in Wrestling by members of the IHSAA Executive
Committee.
Caldwell, the first
student-athlete from his school to win an IHSAA mental attitude award, competed
in the 189 pound final falling for the first time this season, 11-5. He was a
team co-captain this year and made it to the state finals for the first time in
his prep career.
In addition to wrestling,
he has also competed for Union County in football and track. He’s a four-year letterwinner in football, served as co-captain, was named
MVP of the defense, named All-Tri-Eastern Conference and Academic
All-Conference and was selected to the North-South All-Star Game. He was also a
Wendy’s High School Heisman nominee and earned three
letters in track.
Academically, he ranks
second in his class of 104 students with a 4.113 GPA (4.0 scale). He has served
as junior class president, president of the Octagon Club and is a member of the
National Honor Society. He has received numerous academic awards including the
Underclassmen Awards for Excellence in both Chemistry and Physics and the Air
Force Recruiting Service Math and Science Award last year.
His volunteer work
includes Toys for Kids for the Optimist Club, 4-H and the Elementary Wrestling
Club.
He has received a Navy
ROTC four-year scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University at Pittsburgh and a
nomination and appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis,
Maryland.
The award was named in
honor of the IHSAA’s fourth commissioner (1976-1983)
in 1985. During his term as commissioner, the wrestling state finals
experienced tremendous growth and was moved from Southport Fieldhouse
to Market Square Arena in downtown Indianapolis. Recipients of the award must
be nominated by his principal and coach, must excel in mental attitude,
scholarship, leadership and athletic ability in the sport.
Farm Bureau Insurance,
the IHSAA corporate sponsor, presented a $1,000.00 scholarship to Union County
High School in the name of Kenneth “Casey” Caldwell.
IHSAA Book, Play On,
Recaps 100 Years Of High School Sports in Indiana
The
exciting book, Play On, celebrating 100 years of
high school sports in Indiana, is perfect for that sports fan or the history
buff you know. Filled with 150 pages of engaging photographs, captivating
stories and a walk down memory lane, it’s now on sale through the Indiana High
School Athletic Association. It’s not available in book stores, so contact the
IHSAA at 317-846-6601 or click on the link above to learn more about this
special tribute to 100 years of Indiana high school athletics.
Team Posters And
Individual Action Photographs Available
Visit 20-20 Photographic, the IHSAA’s photographer and the Midwest’s Leader in Sports
Action Photography, for images captured during Saturday’s state championship
matches! Action photos, individual medalist photos as well as 20-20’s Ultimate
Sports Poster will be available for purchase later in the week following the
state finals.
IHSAA State
Championship Merchandise
For
t-shirts and other merchandise commemorating this year’s tournament or for any
of our events, visit our friends at Morris, Inc.
State Finals Programs
Available
Couldn’t be
there for the state championships? To commemorate the event, you can still
purchase a copy of the official state finals program while supplies last!
Programs are $3.00 if you purchase in person at the IHSAA Office (9150 N.
Meridian Street in Indianapolis) or $5.00 by mail (postage included). To order,
send a check for $5.00 made payable to the IHSAA, a note including your return
address and brief description of your request and mail to: IHSAA Programs, PO
Box 40650, Indianapolis, IN 46240-0650. Sorry, no credit cards.