Payton Sewell will get the start at 160 this weekend at the NLC Championships.

This season has proven to be one of close calls and tight competition for the Wawasee wrestling program. Very likely not much is going to change this weekend at the Northern Lakes Conference Wrestling Championships hosted by Goshen High School.

All three of the dual matches at the IHSWCA Team State came down to the final couple matches, making it over a half-dozen duals Wawasee has been in that predicament. Wawasee once again couldn’t solve Mishawaka during the regular season, now chasing the Cavemen once again as the tournament looms. But just as the Al Smith was a chance to hit the refresh button on the individual season after a wild December Duals the week before, the NLCs is a chance for the Warriors to push reset and refocus on individual champions after a wild calendar week of competition.

Wawasee will have representation at the top of the bracket at 106, where Kaleb Salazar leads the way. The junior gunner is 24-4 this season and unbeaten in NLC matches. He will start his quest for an NLC title paired against Plymouth’s Jaden Eskew. The 106 bracket is unique in that Salazar is one of two juniors with two-seed Bryce McNees of Warsaw, but the remainder are freshmen, two of them female in state finalist Naima Ghaffar of NorthWood and Maria Rescalvo of Goshen.

The Warriors, which went 6-1 in NLC duals this season, have several two-seeds in the competition.

At 132 is Titus Taylor, 138 is Logan Stuckman, 145 is Ethan Rodriguez, 152 is Hunter Miller and 170 is Gavin Malone, all with the second seed in their respective brackets. In four of the five cases, Mishawaka is the top seed in the bracket, and all four had Mishawaka win head-to-head this past Wednesday at Wawasee. For the Cavement topping 132 is Zar Walker, 138 is Mikey Robles, 152 is Beau Brabender and 170 is Isaac Valdez. Plymouth’s Wesley Smith is the top seed in the 145 bracket. The Cavemen have the top overall seed in six of the 14 brackets, the team holding a 7-0 round robin mark and in the driver’s seat to repeat as team champions.

“Fairly satisfied with how our draws came as a whole,” stated Wawasee head coach Frank Bumgardner. “There are always some paths you like better than others, but overall we can perform well.”

Bumgardner noted he likes Salazar’s path to the final to potentially see McNees again, and the same with Cam Senter at 113, who is a four-seed but has a win over Goshen’s Cole Hinkel, the top seed in the group. The coach also noted Payton Sewell will see action at 160 after seeing limited action during the regular season, and despite having a tough dual season, Derek Morrison at 220 could surprise some people.

“With only two athletes in the bracket with a winning record, it could provide Derek an opportunity to show off the hard work he’s been putting in,” offered Bumgardner.

Action at Goshen starts at 9 a.m. Full brackets are listed on Track Wrestling and will be updated live as the tournament progresses.

Wawasee’s opening round matches:

106 – Kaleb Salazar v. Jaden Eskew (Ply)
113 – Cam Senter v. Drake Shilling (War)
120 – Luke Stuckman v. Jalen Chappell (NR)
126 – Colten Sutton v. Isaiah Martinez (War)
132 – Titus Taylor v. Casin Truex (NW)
138 – Logan Stuckman v. Tyler Dittman (NW)
145 – Ethan Rodriguez v. Jaxon Meyer (Con)
152 – Hunter Miller v. Drew Trigg (Con)
160 – Payton Sewell v. Cael Arroyo (NR)
170 – Gavin Malone v. Liam Smith (War)
182 – Cam Zimmerman v. Alex Gard (NR)
195 – Donnie Blair v. Brody Streeter (NR)
220 – Derek Morrison v. Aaron Anglemyer (Gos)
285 – Eleazar Vazquez v. Lance Army (Con)