Indiana wrestling state finals: Avon's Carson Brewer won't be denied; Cathedral, Roncalli enjoy solid opening night
INDIANAPOLIS – Carson Brewer wasn’t necessarily surprised, but the Avon senior sure wasn’t expecting arguably the IHSAA wrestling state finals toughest test on opening night either.
Ranked first in the state at 182 pounds, Brewer (39-0) had one goal Friday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse after drawing second-ranked Jacob Laplace (39-2) of Mishawaka during the tournament’s elimination round.
Not again.
Ousted in his first state appearance last year, Brewer made sure history wouldn’t repeat despite Penn’s Noah Brown (20-6) dropping out of the state finals due to an injury suffered at the East Chicago semistate.
Brown was replaced by Laplace, but Brewer couldn't care less, advancing into Saturday’s placement rounds with a 7-1 decision.
“This is a long time coming," Brewer said. "I hit a lot speed bumps on the way here, and I’m coming for mine now.”
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Caught in the ultimate survive-and-advance matchup, Brewer built a 4-1 lead by the end of the second period against Laplace and added another takedown in the third to put his mind at ease. Brewer, who is ranked 14th in the nation by Intermat, will face sixth-ranked Jake Lone (37-4) during Saturday’s quarterfinals at 9:30 a.m.
“When you come here, every match is difficult, but you typically don’t see that level of match right out of the gate,” Avon coach Zach Errett said. “A 1-2 matchup doesn’t happen very often on Friday, so it was great to come out on top.”
Survival was the mission and defending state champions Cathedral came out unscathed. All five of the Irish’s state qualifiers advanced, including 160-pound Jordan Slivka (33-3), who is seeking a his second straight state title. Last year, he won the 145 title.
Slivka wasted no time on in the opening round, winning by fall in 43 seconds. Alex Mosconi (40-3), who was state runner-up at 132 last year, won by decision 7-2 at 145.
Lukasz Walendzak (37-7) advanced at 126 with a 5-3 decision, and second-ranked Zeke Seltzer won by fall in 2:57 at 113.
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Elliott Rodgers (38-4) needed a late move to keep the Irish perfect as he rallied with a takedown and four seconds left in regulation.
Rodgers was tied with Avon’s seventh-ranked Nathan Conley at 3-3 before he circled around to secure an ankle for the call.
“Something that really stuck out there was, it was really a tricky situation. It was funky,” Rodgers said. “There are many different outcomes, so there’s not guarantee to know exactly what to do. You have to make something out of what you have.”
Rodgers couldn’t free Conley’s defensive grip but was able to show enough to get the official’s ruling.
“I believed I had control, but you have to show it,” Rodgers said. “By hooking that ankle, I showed it, and the refs saw it and counted the points. I’m grateful that I could come out on top.”
Roncalli rolled through with four wrestlers advancing into Saturday’s medal rounds after securing the program’s first semistate title in New Castle last weekend.
Second-ranked Alec Viduya (39-1) won his match at 132 by major decision 10-0, second-ranked Tyce Freije (37-2) won at 138 by major decision 9-0, and fifth-ranked Elijah Mahan (38-1) won by decision 9-7.
Fourth-ranked Brayden Lowery (40-0) battled in a tiebreaker against Avon’s Tyler Conley at 120 to prevail. Lowery led 1-0 before Conley scored an escape to send the match in to overtime.
Lowery responded with a reversal in the first 30-second overtime period and then kept Conley down to win 3-1.
“I’ve beaten him before, so I was pretty confident, but then at the same time, I knew I could ride him out too, so I just kept my composure the entire time,” Lowery said. “You have to stay motivated to be good in this sport. Everything motivates me. I try anything to try to get better.”
Brownsburg advanced seven wrestlers onto Saturday to lead all teams.
Perry Meridian’s top-ranked Alexander Cottey (39-0) won at 106 with a fall in 39 seconds. Avon’s top-ranked Asa Garcia (43-1) won by tech fall 19-4 in 5:39. Garcia is chasing down his third state title this weekend and four state medal.
BEST NIGHT IN HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
The IndyStar Sports Awards recognizes and honors the top athletic accomplishments in Indiana High School Sports. This event is hosted by the IndyStar and will take place May 5, 2019 at Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University. The show features various awards, contests and a special appearance from Danica Patrick.