The way in which the two finalists in each weight class are introduced at the state wrestling finals is mesmerizing, to say the least.
An otherwise darkened arena is pierced by a beam of light concentrated on a single mat.
Center Grove’s Hayden Watson, making his state debut this weekend, maintains pretty lofty goals. The sophomore wants badly to experience having his credentials read before stepping into the circle in front of thousands of spectators inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
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Watson, who is 42-1 in the 132-pound division, competes in a first-round match this evening against Pendleton Heights junior Jared Brown. Watson is ranked sixth in the state in his division, highest among the eight Johnson County wrestlers who qualified.
“My mentality is to get to the final and wrestle against one of the top kids in the nation,” said Watson, referring to Crown Point sophomore Jesse Mendez (36-1), who is ranked first and on the opposite side of the bracket from Watson. “I’m really excited and a little bit nervous because I’ve never been to the finals before.
“The Ford Center (in Evansville) kind of helps with that because it’s a big building.”
If Watson was intimidated at semistate last weekend, he didn’t show it. He pinned his first three opponents and scored a 9-1 decision over Evansville Mater Dei senior Kane Egli in the title match.
Not bad for a kid who jumped up three weight classes since last year.
“During the offseason, Hayden competed a lot at 126, so we got a look at where he stood,” Trojans coach Maurice Swain said. “We decided to go 132, and he’s looked pretty solid all year. Hayden had a pretty good growth spurt between his freshman and sophomore years, and we felt 132 would fit his body.
“Hayden’s been wrestling a long time, so his wrestling IQ is really high. But more than anything, it’s his work ethic, and if you put those two things together he has what it takes to be a really good wrestler.”
Should Watson and Mendez meet, it would be the second time this season. Mendez pinned Watson at the Al Smith Holiday Tournament in Mishawaka, Watson’s lone defeat this winter. Mendez is the reigning state champion at 126 pounds, going 42-0 at that weight last season.
As a freshman, Watson advanced to semistate at 113 pounds but lost a 2-1 decision to Floyd Central’s Gavinn Alstott in the second round.
“Honestly, I’ve done better than I thought I would this season after going up in weight and not making the state finals last year,” Watson said. “That really motivated me to get there this season.”
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A look at the weight classes in which Johnson County wrestlers will be competing this weekend:
132 pounds
This weight class features two local finalists in Center Grove sophomore Hayden Watson (42-1), champion at the Evansville Semistate, and Roncalli’s Sam Slivka (36-7), a Greenwood resident who took third at the New Castle Semistate.
Watson, ranked sixth, wrestles Pendleton Heights junior and 16th-ranked Jared Brown (28-4) in the opening round. The winner then takes on either No. 3 Hunter Cottingham of Western (42-2) or Penn’s Vince Sparrow (34-7), ranked 14th. Slivka, who is in the top part of the bracket, faces Kane Egli (35-5) of Evansville Mater Dei in the first round.
145 pounds
Center Grove junior Riley Rust (27-7) and Franklin senior Ethan Nash (30-11) are on opposite ends of the bracket. Rust goes against 15th-ranked Reece Luhmann (38-6) of Hamilton Southeastern in the opening match, while Nash wrestles Roncalli’s Alec Viduya, the state’s top-ranked competitor in this division. Viduya, who is making his fourth state finals appearance, was the champion of the 113-pound class as a freshman.
152 pounds
Greenwood junior Anthony Walker (33-7) goes up against Aidan Hardcastle of Oak Hill (41-2) tonight, with the winner advancing to Saturday to face the between Lowell’s Shawn Hollis (34-4) and Bryer Hall of East Central (40-1). Hall, the third-ranked wrestler in the state, is favored to move on to the semifinals; Hollis is ranked 11th.
170 pounds
Franklin junior Jalen Ward (35-7), the 14th-ranked wrestler in the division, wrestles Plymouth senior Graham Calhoun in the opening round. Calhoun is 43-0 this season and ranked first in the state after placing fifth a year ago at 152 pounds.
182 pounds
Drake Buchanan of Center Grove (37-3), runner-up at the Evansville Semistate, is at the bottom part of the bracket against Valparaiso junior Colin Kwiatkowski (41-2). Buchanan and Kwiatkowski are ranked 11th and 10th, respectively. The winner will likely face NorthWood senior Jake Lone, ranked fifth, the next morning.
195 pounds
Franklin’s Harris Eason is ranked 10th with a 37-4 mark, but the junior has his work cut out in the first round against Mishawaka senior Jacob LaPlace, who is 42-0 and ranked second in the state.
285 pounds
Jacob Johnson, a Franklin sophomore who has so far posted a record of 32-9, goes against Hamilton Southeastern senior Andrew Irick, who is ranked No. 2 and lost just one match all season. Irick’s setback came against top-ranked and defending 285-pound state champion Dorian Keys of Brownsburg, 2-1. Johnson, ranked 16th, lost a competitive 3-1 decision earlier this season to third-ranked Damari Dancy of Portage.
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IHSAA State Finals
At Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Today
First round, 6 p.m.
Saturday
Quarterfinals and semifinals, 9:30 a.m.
Consolation matches, 5 p.m.
Finals, 7:30 p.m.
Admission: $10 per session or $20 for both days; children 24 months or younger free
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