By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
The 2007-08 winter sports postseason gets under way Jan. 26 with 32 wrestling sectionals set to take place around the state, kicking off nine straight glorious weekends of high school “playoffs.”
Four of those 32 sites feature multiple ranked schools, with Evansville Central and Shelbyville boasting three Top 20 teams each – obviously, somebody’s gonna be outside lookin’ in there Saturday evening. Mishawaka and Lawrence Central, meanwhile, both have a pair of ranked schools that figure to advance easily to team regionals four days later.
On the individual side, there are surprisingly few monster matchups looming on opening weekend, either a testament to excellent geographical layout or pure flukeage. It doesn’t really matter which, of course, as that simply means we should have juicier battles further on down the road as it should be.
The state’s biggest potential battle this weekend between studs ranked in the top eight may come at Jeffersonville, where the 171-pound championship bout should pit Floyd Central top-ranked senior Cooper Samuels (the defending state champion at 160) against No. 3 New Albany senior John Jenkins (sixth at 171 a year ago).
Here’s a look at some of the high-profile action prior to sectionals (sorted by team semistate) …
1. Valparaiso Semistate
The state’s far-northwest corner figures to a playground for fifth-ranked Crown Point – the Bulldogs host their own sectional and can face only one ranked school (No. 20 Merrillville) before the team state finals.
There are no possible opening-weekend showdowns between top-eight wrestlers here.
2. Rochester Semistate
Just like with Crown Point above, this portion of the state belongs to Mishawaka. The third-ranked Cavemen also host their own sectional and also can face only one other ranked school (No. 14 South Bend Riley) before the state finals.
There are no possible opening-weekend showdowns between top-eight wrestlers here.
3. Columbia City Semistate
Again with the prohibitive favorite! Ninth-ranked Elkhart Memorial should coast into the team state finals as the Chargers cannot face a ranked opponent beforehand.
There should be one hugely anticipated individual battle this weekend, however. That would come at 189 pounds, where top-ranked senior Ryan Konrath of Jimtown (36-0) should face Elkhart Memorial’s fourth-ranked senior Steve Stahl (14-1).
4. Bellmont Semistate
The sixth-ranked semistate host Braves figure to qualify for the team state finals here as No. 15 Peru would be the only ranked school between Bellmont and a probable state finals quarterfinals rematch with Perry Meridian.
There are no possible opening-weekend showdowns between top-eight wrestlers here.
5. Lawrence North Semistate
At the Lawrence Central Sectional, the team outcome should be a slam dunk as No. 4 Indianapolis Cathedral and 10th-ranked Lawrence North are all but guaranteed to advance to the North Central (Indianapolis) Regional. That’s because of the 18 ranked wrestlers competing Saturday, 14 of them attend either Cathedral or LN.
Regardless of which one advances out of the team regional, No. 11 Carmel figures to await Feb. 6 at the Lawrence North Semistate.
For being one of the four “hot spots” sectionally speaking, there are precious few marquee matchups on the horizon in one of the last events held at LC’s unique domed gymnasium. The day’s biggest showdown figures to come in the championship at 145, where Cathedral sixth-ranked junior Gavin McGinley (27-3) should face LN No. 15 senior Qwion Booker (24-6).
Otherwise, there are no possible opening-weekend showdowns between top-eight wrestlers here.
6. New Castle Semistate
Despite the presence of four Top 20 teams in this semistate, second-ranked Perry Meridian figures to dominate this region. The Falcons enter the postseason with 10 ranked wrestlers and have, generally speaking, been beating the stuffing out of overmatched foes – including Nos. 12 (New Palestine, 54-9) and 18 (Warren Central, 58-6).
That doesn’t bode well for No. 16 Roncalli, either.
There is the possibility of one very exciting sectional bout at Shelbyville, where top-ranked senior D.J. Rackley of Franklin Central should face Shelbyville’s No. 4 senior Justin Lock in the finals at 119.
Otherwise, there are no possible opening-weekend showdowns between top-eight wrestlers here.
7. Center Grove Semistate
Avon (13th) and Columbus North (19th) are the two teams ranked in this region, and their probable semistate matchup figures to be closer than any other in the state in two weeks.
Individually speaking, this also is the state’s most attractive grouping early on as up to three top-eight battles could take place.
The 135-pound championship at Mooresville should see second-ranked senior Jae Van Horn of Franklin (34-1) and Martinsville’s No. 3 junior Jordan Krulik (15-1). The 112 finale at Jennings County figures to find Brown County’s No. 4 junior Mitchell Richey vs. Columbus North’s No. 8 sophomore Francisco Colon. And also at North Vernon should be the 130 championship between Brown County’s No. 4 junior Zach Wojdyla and No. 8 senior Michael Harmon of Southwestern (Hanover).
8. Castle Semistate
Despite the presence of three other ranked teams (No. 7 Castle, No. 8 Evansville Reitz, and No. 17 Evansville Memorial), the southwestern corner of Indiana belongs to top-ranked Evansville Mater Dei until somebody takes it away. The Wildcats were just moved back into the state’s top slot by the coaches, and they have won the last two team titles and a dozen overall.
As for opening weekend, the aforementioned Samuels-Jenkins epic at 171 pounds highlights on the individual side.
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