A 2-1 day at Team State usually yields a pretty good feeling for most teams. In a scenario where 12 of the top teams in the state are paired up, two wins, the second to end the day, should be a solid step.

A 2-1 day for Wawasee left a lot to be desired as the team settled for ninth in what most in the program deemed a disappointing day at Jay County for the IHSWCA Class 2-A Team State tournament.

Rensselaer Central 36, Wawasee 32

For the seventh time in the 2022-23 season, Wawasee hinged a dual win or loss on the final showdown of the contest. And Rensselaer wasn’t about to let a shot at advancement over a ranked opponent get past them in the opening round. A Trent Simmons pin of Derek Morrison sealed up the win, rallying the Bombers from two down to upset the Warriors. The loss knocked Wawasee out of the winner’s bracket and guaranteed the Warriors no better than ninth, wrestling in the cafeteria the remainder of the day no less.

Key Matches: The Bombers were good where they were advertised, with wins from ranked wrestlers Jordan Cree at 285, Mason Stanley at 126 and Caleb Oliver at 132, Oliver’s win key in a major over a red hot Titus Taylor. But Central also had a major at 145 from Larz Hughes and Elias McAdow avoided a pin twice to only lose by decision to Logan Stuckman, 8-2, which was a three-point swing that played into the final scenarios. Donnie Blair’s pin was huge for Wawasee, putting the Warriors up by two to set up the Simmons-Morrison showdown.

Thoughts from Wawasee head coach Frank Bumgardner: “We knew Rensselaer was going to be an interesting kind of dual team-wise from a score perspective, and it was. This was a prime example where there weren’t a lot of close matches. They were almost all swayed one way or the other. No real margins. It was all push for bonus on the end. They just had a couple more than we did, and it hurt us.”

• 285 – Jordan Cree (Rensselaer Central) over Eleazar Vazquez (Wawasee) Fall 3:07
• 106 – Kaleb Salazer (Wawasee) over Brayan Padilla-Carrera (Rensselaer Central) Fall 0:42
• 113 – Cameron Senter (Wawasee) over Beck Doughty (Rensselaer Central) Maj 13-0
• 120 – Kolton Ploughe (Rensselaer Central) over Luke Stuckman (Wawasee) Fall 4:30
• 126 – Mason Stanley (Rensselaer Central) over Zeke Spore (Wawasee) Fall 1:32
• 132 – Caleb Oliver (Rensselaer Central) over Titus Taylor (Wawasee) Maj 11-3
• 138 – Logan Stuckman (Wawasee) over Elias McAdow (Rensselaer Central) Dec 8-2
• 145 – Larz Hughes (Rensselaer Central) over Ethan Rodriguez (Wawasee) Maj 8-0
• 152 – Hunter Miller (Wawasee) over Avery Stanley (Rensselaer Central) Maj 9-1
• 160 – Jack Jordan (Rensselaer Central) over Carson Nine (Wawasee) Maj 14-2
• 170 – Gavin Malone (Wawasee) over Dominic Maddox (Rensselaer Central) Fall 5:07
• 182 – Cameron Zimmerman (Wawasee) over Austan Pullins (Rensselaer Central) Dec 14-8
• 195 – Donovan Blair (Wawasee) over Michael King (Rensselaer Central) Fall 5:27
• 220 – Trenton Simmons (Rensselaer Central) over Derek Morrison (Wawasee) Fall 2:47

Wawasee 45, Owen Valley 33

In another showdown against a very seldom seen program, Wawasee and Owen Valley squared off in the shadows of the concession stand in round two. Technically, round two also came down to the last match, as Wawasee held a 39-33 lead with one match to go. But Kaleb Salazar made no bones about letting round one happen again, pinning Trayton Reuter in the second period to end it.

Key Matches: Salazar’s pin was absolutely what Wawasee needed in the worst way after the disappointment of the first round. Wawasee had a criteria lead of 6-5 on pins before Salazar’s pin made it academic. Cam Senter started the round with a big pin and Luke Stuckman stepped up at 120 with a big decision. Pins by Hunter Miller and Gavin Malone, both first round specials, really took the steam out of the Patriots.

Thoughts: “To come back and have yet another dual come down to the last match, it says a little about the character of these kids to find a way and win it. Stay in the fight, be gritty, and stay the course.”

• 113 – Cameron Senter (Wawasee) over Eli Collier (Owen Valley) Fall 3:02
• 120 – Luke Stuckman (Wawasee) over Isaiah White (Owen Valley) Dec 6-4
• 126 – Jackson Emery (Owen Valley) over Zeke Spore (Wawasee) Fall 2:54
• 132 – Titus Taylor (Wawasee) over Kyvin Willoughby (Owen Valley) Fall 2:32
• 138 – Branson Weaver (Owen Valley) over Logan Stuckman (Wawasee) Dec 6-2
• 145 – Ethan Rodriguez (Wawasee) over Conner Rogers (Owen Valley) Fall 2:55
• 152 – Hunter Miller (Wawasee) over Lucas McBee (Owen Valley) Fall 1:01
• 160 – Quaid Hishaw (Owen Valley) over Carson Nine (Wawasee) Fall 0:46
• 170 – Gavin Malone (Wawasee) over Jensen Ackison (Owen Valley) Fall 0:41
• 182 – Kyvan Bandy (Owen Valley) over Cameron Zimmerman (Wawasee) Fall 1:28
• 195 – Donovan Blair (Wawasee) over Collin Willen (Owen Valley) Fall 3:24
• 220 – Eli Hinshaw (Owen Valley) over Derek Morrison (Wawasee) Fall 0:41
• 285 – Bryce Mills (Owen Valley) over Eleazar Vazquez (Wawasee) Fall 4:18
• 106 – Kaleb Salazer (Wawasee) over Trayton Reuter (Owen Valley) Fall 2:16

Wawasee 32, Heritage Hills 27

Still working in the gloamin of the Jay County popcorn machine and long line from the swim invite separating tides from the top eight in the arena and the next four in the cafeteria, Wawasee closed out with a gritty win over more Patriots from the southern half of the state.

Key Matches: The biggest win of the dual was by Eleazar Vazquez of Wawasee, ‘X’ getting a late pin over Gabe Jackson after nearly getting pinned multiple times earlier in the 285 showdown. The win not only ended a 12-0 run for the Patriots, but sparked Wawasee’s bench for Salazar and Senter to close out with a 13-0 run to rally for the team win. Mixed into the middle of the contest was an excellent 5-3 decision from Miller and Payton Sewell rallying for a 5-4 decision in his only action of the day. Malone then controlled his third win of the day in a 15-6 clinic.

Thoughts: “I thought our effort was a huge step up from Thursday, and we responded to what happened in the first round with a solid pair of wins to finish it. I think the kids are starting to understand urgency. When every point is crucial, you have to get as many as you can.

• 120 – Dalton Pledger (Heritage Hills) over Luke Stuckman (Wawasee) Fall 1:40
• 126 – Sean Windell (Heritage Hills) over Zeke Spore (Wawasee) Fall 3:16
• 132 – Titus Taylor (Wawasee) over Blake Duttlinger (Heritage Hills) Dec 9-4
• 138 – Logan Stuckman (Wawasee) over William Pagragan (Heritage Hills) Fall 1:19
• 145 – Alex Smith (Heritage Hills) over Ethan Rodriguez (Wawasee) Dec 11-6
• 152 – Hunter Miller (Wawasee) over Brenden Chew (Heritage Hills) Dec 5-3
• 160 – Payton Sewell (Wawasee) over Chris Scherer (Heritage Hills) Dec 5-4
• 170 – Gavin Malone (Wawasee) over Jett Goldsberry (Heritage Hills) Maj 15-6
• 182 – Braxton Schaefer (Heritage Hills) over Cameron Zimmerman (Wawasee) SV-1 8-6
• 195 – Parker Hart (Heritage Hills) over Donovan Blair (Wawasee) Dec 7-4
• 220 – Brody Ford (Heritage Hills) over Derek Morrison (Wawasee) Fall 0:59
• 285 – Eleazar Vazquez (Wawasee) over Gabe Jackson (Heritage Hills) Fall 5:41
• 106 – Kaleb Salazer (Wawasee) over MaKenize Smith (Heritage Hills) Dec 7-4
• 113 – Cameron Senter (Wawasee) over Berke Eisenhauer (Heritage Hills) Maj 14-4