Gavin Malone and Wawasee are hopeful a rematch with Norwell is in the offing at the IHSWCA Team State tournament this weekend at Jay County.

To say it’s been a minute since Wawasee walked out of Team State on point is beginning to carry some age.

A handful of Wawasee’s coaching staff were on mat competing the last time the Warriors claimed a IHSWCA Team State championship, dating back to the 2017-18 season, and the optimism of going down without anything to bring back is starting to wear out.

Wawasee is ready to bring the banner home again.

The 2023 IHSWCA Team State will once again present its challenges. Being contested this Saturday at Jay County, the host Patriots are ranked No. 1 and will serve as a second-round opponent for the Warriors should Wawasee escape the first round. The eighth-seeded Warriors drew Rensselaer Central in the first round of the bracketed Class 2-A tournament, a grid of 12 teams in total.

Wawasee and Rensselaer Central have not battled head-to-head in a dual format, but several of the individuals are familiar with each other as the two programs feed into the East Chicago Semi-State. The Bombers have three ranked individuals, one of which – Mason Stanley at 126 – has a direct match under his belt with a Wawasee opponent from last year’s semi-state when he defeated Logan Stuckman in a 132 opening round battle. Stanley is working down at 126 and is ranked No. 2 per Indiana Mat, Stuckman is competing at 138.

Also ranked for Central are Caleb Oliver at 132 (7) and Jordan Cree at 285 (3).

Wawasee, however, comes in off of a very good showing at the Al Smith Invite, where seven individuals came away with three wins and three placed on the podium in Kaleb Salazar (106, 4), Hunter Miller (152, 7) and Donnie Blair (195, 5).

“Right now, I think we are doing really well as a team,” stated Cam Zimmerman after Wednesday’s practice. “We just finished well at the Al Smith, the biggest state tournament aside from the state series. We are in a good place in the NLC. All of the guys are optimistic. All of the guys are ready to get after it, face anybody who is lined up across from them.”

Jay County is listed as 16-0 this season, and have some very impressive dual wins under their collective belts. The Patriots have beaten No. 2 Delta (42-29), No. 4 Garrett (48-23) and No. 5 Norwell (52-24) and also have wins over Class 1-A Team State contenders Adams Central and Bluffton. Should Wawasee upset the hosts, a potential rematch against Norwell or 2022 foe Garrett could be eminent. Norwell and Owen Valley meet opposite Wawasee-Rensselaer Central in round one on the top of the bracket.

Western, Delta, Bellmont and Hamilton Heights are the four ranked programs on the other half of the bracket, which also includes Heritage Hills and New Prairie.

“It’s OK to be nervous, but it’s not OK to be scared,” Zimmerman said. “Team State is a big event, it can look a little scary from the outside. There will be nerves, but it’s not OK to shut down and be overwhelmed to not wrestle the way you should be wrestling.”

Wawasee and Rensselaer Central kick off at 9 a.m. as part of a day that will have Wawasee wrestle at least three placement matches to settle the top 12.

Fans who can’t make it to Portland can follow along here on Track Wrestling.