By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
Top-ranked Mishawaka suffered three individual setbacks but failed to disappoint as a team Dec. 29-30 in capturing the Cavemen’s fourth consecutive title at the loaded 32nd Annual Al Smith Classic.
Host Mishawaka totaled 254.5 points to outpoint runner-up No. 4 Merrillville (210.5) in the 32-team event, while No. 15 Penn took third with 164.5. No. 20 Bellmont (146) nosed out No. 19 Lawrence North by a point for fourth place, while Center Grove (132.5) finished sixth.
Every championship bout either had a pair of ranked wrestlers going at it or saw an upset of a ranked grappler by an unranked foe. Eleven of the finals’ 14 matchups featured headline-grabbing results:
• 103: Warsaw’s No. 3 Jarred Brooks scored a 10-5 upset of No. 2 Zac Stevens of Merrillville.
• 112: Top-ranked Paul Beck of Mishawaka barely got past Lake Central’s No. 4 Kyle Ayersman, 2-1.
• 119: No. 3 Brandon Nelsen of Lawrence North scored the only point in a 1-0 decision over No. 6 (at 125) Alex Gregory of Penn.
• 125: Merrillville’s No. 5 Anthony Napules blanked No. 8 Zack Thornton of Chesterton, 4-0.
• 130: No. 4 Nick Schrader of Mishawaka trailed 7-3 to Calumet’s No. 14 Mike Clark with a minute left before rallying for an 8-7 victory.
• 135: Jimtown’s unranked Jeremy Hill shocked No. 6 Matt Guerra of Mishawaka, 6-4.
• 145: Munster’s No. 3 Alex Surma shut out No. 9 (at 152) Dalton Sparks of Peru, 7-0.
• 160: No. 3 Anthony Quiroz of Chesterton narrowly held off No. 6 (at 152) Zack Corpe of Elkhart Memorial, 8-7.
• 189: Bellmont’s unranked Travis Belcher shocked No. 13 Nathan Fowler of Calumet, 5-2.
• 215: No. 2 Nate Cleveland of Lowell upset Mishawaka’s top-ranked Christian Lentz with a 4-2 decision, scoring a takedown just ahead of the final buzzer.
• Hwt: Merrillville’s top-ranked James Travis held off No. 3 Travis Thomas of Mishawaka, 3-0.
Mishawaka crowned three champions on the day – Beck at 112, Schrader at 130, and No. 2 Ryan Stahl at 152 in a 7-1 decision over No. 14 Jimmy Larowe of East Noble. Coach Darrick Snyder’s Cavemen also boasted three runner-up finishers (Guerra at 135, Lentz at 215, and Thomas at heavyweight) as well as a pair of thirds (No. 9 Taylor Wisler at 125, No. 6 Richard Morin at 171).
That was significantly better than Merrillville, which finished with two champs (Napules at 125 and Travis at heavyweight), one second-place wrestler (Stevens at 103), and a third (No. 9 Adam Garcia at 112).
“We set our goal to wrestle well, and if we did we figured we’d win it,” Snyder told the South Bend Tribune. “But our goal all along is to peak at the end of the season, and we’re on our way toward that.”
Team scores
1. #1 Mishawaka 254.5
2. #4 Merrillville 210.5
3. #15 Penn 164.5
4. #20 Bellmont 146
5. #19 Lawrence North 145
6. Center Grove 132.5
7. Goshen 129
8. Jimtown 126.5
9. Elkhart Memorial 110
10. Princeton 106.5
11. Chesterton 101
12. Lake Central 99.5
13. South Bend Riley 98.5
14. Warsaw 94.5
15. Prairie Heights 85.5
16. Calumet 84.5
17. Hobart 83
18. Munster 82
19. Peru 79
19. Lawrence Central 79
21. Lowell 74.5
22. Jasper 71.5
23. East Noble 66
24. LaPorte 56
24. South Bend Adams 56
26. New Prairie 54
27. Southport 49
28. Columbus East 45.5
29. NorthWood 35
30. Valparaiso 31
31. Michigan City 24.5
32. South Bend St. Joseph’s 14
Results from the championship round:
103: #3 Jarred Brooks (Warsaw) dec. #2 Zac Stevens (Merrillville), 10-5
112: #1 Paul Beck (Mishawaka) dec. #4 Kyle Ayersman (Lake Central), 2-1
119: #3 Brandon Nelsen (Lawrence North) dec. #6 (at 125) Alex Gregory (Penn), 1-0
125: #5 Anthony Napules (Merrillville) dec. #8 Zack Thornton (Chesterton), 4-0
130: #4 Nick Schrader (Mishawaka) dec. #14 Mike Clark (Calumet), 8-7
135: Jeremy Hill (Jimtown) dec. #6 Matt Guerra (Mishawaka), 6-4
140: #1 Frankie Porras (Hobart) dec. #12 Matt Milton (Center Grove), 11-4
145: #3 Alex Surma (Munster) dec. #9 (at 152) Dalton Sparks (Peru), 7-0
152: #2 Ryan Stahl (Mishawaka) dec. #14 Jimmy Larowe (East Noble), 7-1
160: #3 Anthony Quiroz (Chesterton) dec. #6 (at 152) Zack Corpe (Elkhart Memorial), 8-7
171: #2 Drake Stein (Princeton) pin Andy Wiseman (Penn), 3:46
189: Travis Belcher (Bellmont) dec. #13 Nathan Fowler (Calumet), 5-2
215: #2 Nate Cleveland (Lowell) dec. #1 Christian Lentz (Mishawaka), 4-2
Hwt: #1 James Travis (Merrillville) dec. #3 Travis Thomas (Mishawaka), 3-0
Results from the consolation round:
103: #9 Shannon Garretson (Peru) dec. Alex Sparks (Lawrence North), 9-6
112: #9 Adam Garcia (Merrillville) dec. Clint Plake (Center Grove), 8-4
119: Marc Escobedo (Lake Central) dec. Alex Griesemer (Princeton), 3-2
125: #9 Taylor Wisler (Mishawaka) dec. #14 Travis Barroquillo (Prairie Heights), 7-6
130: Collin Crume (Jimtown) won by DQ
135: Brooks Faurote (Bellmont) dec. Bradley Wartman (Lake Central), 4-0
140: #5 Paul Manbu-Thompson (Warsaw) dec. Ryan Ntende (Goshen), 5-3
145: Cameryn Brady (Lowell) dec. Pat Davenport (Penn), 4-2
152: Sean Mappes (Center Grove) pin Dillan Escobedo (New Prairie), 1:31
160: Quinton Brooks (Lawrence North) dec. Austin Kunze (Penn), 5-2
171: #6 Richard Morin (Mishawaka) dec. J.B. Singer (Goshen), 5-1
189: Brandon Dillenbeck (Goshen) pin #10 Timmy Buckingham (SB Riley), 0:54
215: Vlade Nacovski (Lake Central) dec. Andrew Bultemeier (Bellmont), 8-5
Hwt: #12 Tyler Jenkins (Jasper) dec. #6 Daniel Meyer (Bellmont), 4-3 (OT)
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