Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.

     9150 North Meridian Street, Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650

Phone: 317-846-6601    Fax: 317-575-4244    Website: www.ihsaa.org

Blake Ress, Commissioner

____________________________________________________________________

MEDIA INFORMATION

February 14, 2007

Contact: Jason Wille, Sports Information Director

E-mail: jwille@ihsaa.org

 

SIX FORMER CHAMPS LEAD WAY INTO INDIVIDUAL WRESTLING STATE FINALS

Four returning state champions from 2006 and two others that won titles in 2005 head the field of participants in the 69th Annual IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals this weekend at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

 

Two hundred twenty-four wrestlers in all, 16 in each of the 14 weight classes, will begin first round competition on Friday at 6 pm ET / 5 pm CT. First-round winners will return to wrestle on Saturday with quarterfinal action beginning at 9:30 am ET / 8:30 am CT and semifinal matches to follow after all weight classes have concluded. Consolation bouts begin at 5 pm and championship matches under the spotlight are scheduled for 7:30 pm.

 

Two of the four defending state champions are from Mishawaka and enter the state finals undefeated over the last two seasons. Sophomore Josh Harper, last year’s winner at 103, enters the state finals with a 35-0 mark at 112 while teammate Ian Hinton will attempt to make his third state championship match in thee years. He finished as the runner-up at 171 in 2005 before winning that class last year with a 42-0 mark. This year, he’s competing at 189 where he’s 44-0.

 

Also returning with the hope of winning for the second year in a row are Munster senior Eric McGill and Hanover Central junior Andrew Howe. McGill won the 125 pound crown a year ago and comes in 39-3 at 140 this season. Howe, like Harper and Hinton, completed a perfect 51-0 campaign last year at 140. He’ll begin Friday’s first round at 152 with a 44-0 record.

 

Two other former winners are back hoping to duplicate the success they enjoyed in 2005. Beech Grove senior Ethan Harris won the 112 bracket as a sophomore, fell in the 119 pound quarterfinals last season and has advanced to this year’s 125 state finals with a 35-4 ledger. Hobart junior Eric Galka brings a perfect 44-0 record into the 130 pound tournament this weekend. He won it all at 103 two years ago but was beaten in the first round of last year’s state finals at 119.

 

In all, 21 participants have made it to the state finals with an unblemished mark this year.

 

One hundred and eighteen schools will be represented at the state finals this year with Evansville Mater Dei leading the way with 11 participants in the 14 weight classes. Mishawaka will be represented by seven wrestlers with Bellmont, Indianapolis Cathedral and Perry Meridian each with six. Mater Dei and Cathedral each had four individuals win their class in last Saturday’s semi-state action. Each school will also participate in the Team Wrestling State Finals at Center Grove High School next Saturday.

 

69th IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals

Site: Conseco Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis.

Dates & Times

Friday, Feb. 16 (Friday’s first round begins at 6 pm ET).

Saturday, Feb. 17 (Quarterfinals at 9:30 am ET with semifinals to follow; Consolations at 5 pm ET; Finals at 7:30 pm ET).

Admission: $8 per session or $18.00 both days.

State Finals Brackets

 

STATE FINALS NOTES

 

2006 State Champions in the Field (4)

112 – Josh Harper, 10, Mishawaka, 35-0 (Champ at 103).

140 – Eric McGill, 12, Munster, 39-3 (Champ at 125).

152 – Andrew Howe, 11, Hanover Central, 44-0 (Champ at 140).

189 – Ian Hinton, 12, Mishawaka, 44-0 (Champ at 171).

 

2006 State Runners-Up in the Field (4)

119 – Taylor March, 10, East Noble, 39-0 (Runner-up at 112).

135 – Dustin Bruce, 12, Bloomington North, 14-3 (Runner-up at 130).

140 – Brennan Cosgrove, 11, Hobart, 42-3 (Runner-up at 135).

160 – Cooper Samuels, 11, Floyd Central, 31-1 (Runner-up at 145).

 

Former State Champions in the Field (2)

125 – Ethan Harris, 12, Beech Grove, 35-4 (State champ at 112 in 2005).

130 – Eric Galka, 11, Hobart, 44-0 (State champ at 103 in 2005).

 

Former State Runners-Up in the Field (3)

140 – Eric McGill, 12, Munster, 39-3 (Runner-up at 103 in 2004).

152 – Andrew Howe, 11, Hanover Central, 44-0 (Runner-up at 130 in 2005).

189 – Ian Hinton, 12, Mishawaka, 44-0 (Runer-up at 171 in 2005).

 

Undefeated Wrestlers in the Field (21)

112 – Mitchell Richey, 10, Brown County, 43-0; Justin Wight, 11, Homestead, 30-0; Josh Harper, 10, Mishawaka, 35-0.

119 – Taylor March, 10, East Noble, 39-0.

125 – Reece Freeman, 12, Bloomington South, 40-0.

130 – Eric Galka, 11, Hobart, 44-0; Jacob Fleckenstein, 12, East Central, 44-0; Brandon Brown, 11, Carroll (Fort Wayne), 34-0.

135 – David Zimmer, 12, Angola, 42-0.

140 – Rhys Canaday, 12, Fairfield, 43-0.

145 – Nick Dewig, 12, Evansville Mater Dei, 42-0; Jamal Lawrence, 12, Merrillville, 41-0.

152 – Andrew Howe, 11, Hanover Central, 44-0.

160 – John Schmaltz, 12, Indianapolis Cathedral, 37-0; Derrick Duke, 12, Peru, 28-0.

171 – Matt Powless, 12, Evansville Memorial, 47-0; Ryan Konrath, 11, Jimtown, 40-0.

189 – Ian Hinton, 12, Mishawaka, 44-0; Chad Friend, 12, Leo, 37-0.

215 – Luke Watkins, 12, North Central (Indianapolis), 13-0; George Malone, 11, South Bend Riley, 42-0.

 

 

Public Entrance: The public may enter from Pennsylvania Street or Delaware Street into a common lobby on the north side of Conseco Fieldhouse. Ticket office windows are located there.

 

Media Credentials: Please note that the 2006-07 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential will NOT allow admission to this event as a specific credential is required. No exceptions. Legitimate working news media should make their credential requests on company letterhead and fax to IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille at 317-575-4244. Please, no e-mail requests. The application deadline is Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 4 pm ET. Approved requests will be left to claim by the individual at media will-call at Conseco Fieldhouse the day of the event. This policy does not affect the Team Wrestling State Finals at Center Grove High School on Saturday, Feb. 24. The 2006-07 IHSAA State Finals Media Credential, issued earlier this year for other state finals events, will allow admission to that event.

 

Media Hosts: IHSAA Sports Information Director Jason Wille, Communications Director Chris Kaufman along with assistants Mike Wilson and Don Kaczorowski will be on hand to assist in your coverage of the state meet.

 

Media Entrance: The entrance is in the southeast corner of Conseco Fieldhouse adjacent to Delaware Street. The door is marked Media and Employee Entrance and is located at the opposite end of the building from the public entrance. Please allow a few extra minutes to pass through security. Media credentials left at will-call are to be claimed at this entrance.

 

Media Work Room: As in previous years, the media workroom at Conseco Fieldhouse will be open both days and be available to working media members throughout Friday evening and all day on Saturday. The work area contains complimentary phones that will accept credit card and 800 calls. Soft drinks and snacks will be available.

 

Mat Access: As has been the practice in recent years, Conseco Fieldhouse will have the hockey boards set up around the perimeter of the wrestling mat area. During the championship round only on Saturday night will credentialed photographers be allowed inside the hockey boards to shoot action mat-side. Other than that, only participants, coaches and fieldhouse workers will have access to the mat area.

 

Programs: Copies of the official program containing brackets for each weight class and some tournament history will be available in the Media Work Room free of charge.

 

Results: Will be updated continuously throughout both days of the tournament on the IHSAA website at www.ihsaa.org. Copies of the updated brackets will also be available in the media work room throughout the two days.

 

 

Tom Clark TO BE Honored as Wrestling Official of the Year

A licensed official for 23 years, Noblesville resident Tom Clark is this year’s recipient of the Interscholastic Athletic Official Association Award for excellence in the sport of wrestling.

 

Clark will be honored in a special ceremony during this weekend’s state finals in Conseco Fieldhouse.  Including this season, Clark has 11 sectionals, nine regionals, seven semi-states, and four state finals to his credit.  He is one of 12 officials working the 2007 Individual Finals.

 

Each year, the Indiana High School Athletic Association, in cooperation with the National Federation of Interscholastic Officials Association, recognizes and honors an outstanding official in each of the 11 sports during the school year.

 

Clark was nominated for this award by Dave Nicholson, sports chairman of the Indiana Officials Association (IOA), one of 26 associations located throughout Indiana comprised of men and women who give up much of their personal time to assist in providing meaningful and healthy activities for the student-athletes of our state.  This honor comes as a result of Clark’s selection by a committee representing those 26 associations. Statewide, there are almost 7,500 officials licensed by the IHSAA in 11 sports.

 

An 11-year member of the Indiana Officials Association, he has served as an IHSAA rules interpreter for three years.

Clark has officiated four Olympic trials dating back to 1992.

 

In 1998, he was named USA Wrestling National Official of the Year (Freestyle and Greco-Roman). Clark is a native of Bluffton, Ohio and attended Ohio State University.

 

He is vice-president of Clark, Baker and Associates, which operates Edible Arrangements in Fishers. Tom and his wife Retha have two kids: Taylor and Hayden.

 

 

GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONALS SATURDAY

Three of the four defending state championship teams survived sectional play last week and three schools that claimed their first girls basketball sectional title lead the charge into the regional round of the 32nd Annual IHSAA Girls Basketball State Tournament.

 

Regional games will be played Saturday, Feb. 17, at 16 sites in the four classes with two semifinal games early in the day followed by a championship game that evening. The survivors will move on to the semi-state round for a single game on Saturday, Feb. 24, with the winners earning a spot in the March 3 state finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

 

Defending state champs Castle (4A), Heritage Christian (2A) and Lafayette Central Catholic (A) each won their respective sectional on Saturday and are among 28 repeat winners from last year. Both Castle and Shenandoah (2A) won their eighth consecutive sectional championship.

 

Fort Wayne South Side (4A), Whiteland (3A) and Oak Hill (2A) each won the first sectional championship in school history.

 

Three significant sectional droughts went by the wayside last Saturday as well as Cascade (2A) won its first championship since 1986; Portage (4A) won its first since 1988 and Gary Roosevelt (3A) won its first since 1989.

 

South Bend St. Joseph’s (3A) takes a state-best streak four straight regional crowns into the weekend.

 

Please note that the location of each semi-state game will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 18, following the regional games.

 

Regionals

Date: Saturday, Feb. 17.

Admission: $6 per session; $9 both sessions

Pairings

 

TOURNAMENT NOTES

 

Looking for First Regional Title (20 of 64)

4A – Fort Wayne South Side, Lawrence North, Logansport, Terre Haute North.

3A – Elwood, Tippecanoe Valley, Whiteland.

2A – Cascade, Jimtown, Mitchell, North Montgomery, Oak Hill, Wheeler, Winchester.

A – North Daviess, Oakland City Wood, Oregon-Davis, Southern Wells, Waldron, West Central.

 

Looking to Break Regional Championship Drought (Five or More Years)

31 years – Portage (1976).

26 – Hammond (1981).

25 – Jac-Cen-Del, Twin Lakes (1982).

22 – Wawasee (1985).

18 – Gary Roosevelt (1989).

14 – Elkhart Memorial, Winamac (1993).

13 – Anderson, Owen Valley (1994).

10 – Evansville Bosse, New Castle (1997).

9 – Carroll (Fort Wayne), Jeffersonville, Manchester, Southridge, Tri (1998).

8 – Columbus East, Kouts, Madison (1999).

7 – Center Grove, Lapel (2000).

6 – Connersville, Fort Wayne Concordia, New Washington (2001).

5 – Ben Davis, Gibson Southern (2002).

 

Defending Regional Champions Still Alive

4A – Castle, Hamilton Southeastern, South Bend Washington.

3A – South Bend St. Joseph’s.

2A – Harding, Heritage Christian.

A – Attica, Lafayette Central Catholic.

 

Active Regional Championship Streaks (Three or more years)

4 – South Bend St. Joseph’s.

 

Most Consecutive Regional Championships

6 – Pike Central (1990-95); NorthWood (1994-99)

 

Top Five All-Time Regional Championship Leaders

12 – Kokomo.

11 – Valparaiso.

10 – Ben Davis, NorthWood, Scottsburg.

 

Best Records in the Field (Two losses or less)

4A – Anderson (22-2), Columbus East (21-2), Fort Wayne South Side (22-1), Hamilton Southeastern (24-0), South Bend Washington (24-1).

3A – New Castle, (23-2), Owen Valley (23-1), South Bend St. Joseph’s (21-2).

2A – Garrett (21-2), Jimtown (21-2), Oak Hill (22-1), Southridge (21-1).

A – Bloomfield, (21-1), Fort Wayne Canterbury (21-2), Kouts (20-2).

 

2006 State Champions Still Alive (3 of 4)

4A – Castle.

2A – Heritage Christian.

A – Lafayette Central Catholic.

 

2006 State Finals Teams Still Alive (4 of 8)

4A – Castle, South Bend Washington.

3A – None.

2A – Heritage Christian.

A – Lafayette Central Catholic.

 

First-Time Sectional Champions

4A – Fort Wayne South Side.

3A – Whiteland.

2A – Oak Hill.

A – None.

 

Sectional Championship Drought Breakers (Five or more years)

21 years – Cascade (1986).

19 – Portage (1988).

18 – Gary Roosevelt (1989).

11 – Winamac (1996).

10 – Evansville Bosse, Logansport, Terre Haute North (1997).

9 – North Daviess (1998).

8 – Jimtown, Madison, Winchester (1999).

6 – Center Grove, Connersville, Kouts, Lapel, New Washington, Twin Lakes, Wawasee (2001).

5 – Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Mitchell (2002).

 

Repeat Sectional Champions (28 of 64)

4A – Anderson, Castle, Elkhart Memorial, Hamilton Southeastern, Jeffersonville, Lawrence North, South Bend Washington.

3A – Gibson Southern, Hammond, New Castle, Owen Valley, South Bend St. Joseph’s, Tippecanoe Valley.

2A – Charlestown, Harding, Heritage Christian, Manchester, North Montgomery, Shenandoah, Southwestern (Hanover).

A – Attica, Bloomfield, Fort Wayne Canterbury, Lafayette Central Catholic, Northeast Dubois, Oakland City Wood, Tri, Waldron.

 

 

BOYS BASKETBALL STATE TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS SUNDAY

The pairings for the 97th Annual IHSAA Boys Basketball State Tournament Series will be announced this Sunday, Feb. 18, on the IHSAA Championship Radio Network.

 

The 90-minute show will be broadcast to network affiliates statewide beginning at 1:06 pm ET / 12:06 pm CT. It will originate from Wendy’s Restaurant (1450 W. Morris Street) in Indianapolis and be produced by flagship station WIBC. A list of network affiliates is included below. At the conclusion of the show at approximately 2:30 pm ET / 1:30 pm CT, the complete pairings will be posted to the IHSAA website at www.ihsaa.org.

 

The boys tournament begins with sectionals the week of Monday, Feb. 26; regionals on Saturday, March 10; semi-states on Saturday, March 17 and; the state finals on Saturday, March 24.

 

City

Station

Freq.

Alexandria

WHTI

96.7 FM

Anderson

WHBU

1240 AM

Attica

WFWR

91.5 FM

Bedford

WBIW

1340 AM

Bedford

WQRJ

102.5 FM

Berne

WZBD

92.7 FM

Boonville

WBNL

1540 AM

Brazil

WSDX

1130 AM

Chesterton

WDSO

88.3 FM

Corydon

WOCC

1550 AM

Crawfordsville

WIMC

103.9 FM

Elkhart

WFRN

1270 AM

Elkhart

WTRC

1340 AM

Ferdinand

WQKZ

98.5 FM

Fort Wayne

WLYV

1450 AM

Greencastle

WREB

94.3 FM

Hammond

WJOB

1230 AM

Indianapolis

WIBC

1070 AM

Indianapolis

WXLW

950 AM

Jasper

WITZ

104.7 FM

Jeffersonville

WAVG

1450 AM

Kendallville

WAWK

1140 AM

Logansport

WLHM

102.3 FM

Logansport

WSAL

1230 AM

Loogootee

WRZR

94.5 FM

Louisville

WKJK

1080 AM

Madison

WORX

96.7 FM

Madison

WXGO

1270 AM

Marengo

WBRO

89.9 FM

Merrillville

WWCA

1270 AM

Michigan City

WEFM

95.9 FM

Michigan City

WIMS

1420 AM

Mitchell

WPHZ

102.5 FM

Mount Vernon

WRCY

1590 AM

Mount Vernon

WYFX

106.7 FM

Muncie

WERK

104.9 FM

Muncie

WXFN

1340 AM

New Castle

WMDH

1550 AM

Plymouth