Individual wrestling state titles up for grabs this weekend at Conseco Fieldhouse

For the 224 high school wrestlers partaking in tonight's Parade of Champions inside Conseco Fieldhouse prior to the start of the 71st Annual IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals, each step will represent the end of a 22-day journey. Through 32 sectional, 16 regional and four semistate sites, the top 16 grapplers in each of the 14 weight classes up for grabs will vie to become the elite eight in the state. Among the extraordinary 224, a total of 81 wrestlers return as former place winners or state qualifiers, 25 bear perfect records while seven others carry the label of "past champion." On the 23rd day, 14 champions will be crowned. One spotlight. One match. One more step. VYPE'S BREAKDOWN BY WEIGHT CLASS 103 POUNDS Competitive is one way to describe this bracket. Of the 16 contenders, 11 were ranked 14th or better entering the postseason. However, only two hold perfect records, and oddly enough both are freshman. Lake Central's Kyle Ayersman enters a flawless 46-0. Cody Phillips of Union County is 45-0. Fast Facts - Merrillville's Zac Stevens and Evansville Harrison's Dylan Hall (40-6) are the only former state qualifiers (2008). - Stevens (37-5) fell to the eventual 103-pound state champion Ethan Raley of Indian Creek in the opening round last year. - Phillips holds the highest ranking coming into this weekend, slotted at No. 2 overall ahead of third-ranked Jared McKinley of Perry Meridian. - Five of the top-six ranked wrestlers in the state are represented in this bracket. 112 POUNDS Crown Point's undefeated Anthony Hawkins (38-0), a junior, is making his third consecutive state finals appearance to lead the pack in this bracket. A total of six grapplers have placed at either 103 or 112 pounds the past two years. Fast Facts - Five of the top six grapplers in the state will vie for the title this weekend. - Third-ranked Conner Mullins of New Castle carries the most wins at 49-3. - The key opening-round match to watch involves second-ranked Brandon Nelsen (37-2) of Lawrence North and sixth-ranked Devon Jackson (35-4) of Yorktown. - If Hawkins and Nelsen meet in the semifinals, it will mark their second match this year. Hawkins edged Nelsen 6-5 in their previous meeting. 119 POUNDS This bracket could be the most entertaining of the weekend. Three former state champions highlight the field with Indian Creek's Ethan Raley (103 pound, 2008), Anderson Highland's Camden Eppert (103 pound, 2007) and Cathedral's Brandon Wright (112 pound, 2008). Fast Facts - The top-ten ranked grapplers in the state converge to highlight this field. - Warsaw senior Justin Brooks carries the lone perfect record at 38-0. - Eight wrestlers are former place winners and nine are former state qualifiers. - Last year, Eppert (35-4) and Wright (45-2) met for a second straight time in the championship match, marking only the second time in tournament history the feat has occurred. A third time would be a state finals record. 125 POUNDS There aren't many wrestlers better than the two anchoring this field of 16. Lawrence North's Cashe Quiroga, a Purdue University recruit, is ranked first in his weight class and holds a perfect 43-0 record. Crown Point's Jason Tsirtsis, the younger brother of former four-time state champion Alex Tsirtsis, an All-American at Iowa, is 36-2 as a freshman. Fast Facts - Quiroga won the 119-pound state title last year and was runner-up at 112 pounds in 2007. - Merrillville's Anthony Napules (40-4) placed fourth at 119 pounds last February. - Fort Wayne Bishop Luers junior Tony Lovejoy (39-1) placed seventh at 119 pounds in 2008. - Six former state qualifiers and eight of the state's top-ten ranked wrestlers are represented. 130 POUNDS All eyes will be on Mishawaka senior Josh Harper. As a freshman, he capture the 103-pound state title with a record of 47-0. He won his second straight state title at 112 pounds the next season, finishing the individual season a flawless 39-0. Last year, Harper, a Michigan State recruit, made it three straight, concluding the individual state tournament with a record of 45-0 and the 125-pound champion. Fast Facts - If Harper wins a fourth consecutive state title, it will mark the fourth time a wrestler has achieved the feat in nine years (Griffith's Alex Tsirtsis, 2001-04 and Angel Escobedo 2002-05 and Evansville Mater Dei's Blake Maurer 2001-04). - Fort Wayne Carroll's Brock Norton is the only undefeated wrestler with a 34-0 record. - One of Harper's (33-3) three losses came against Perry Meridian's Sampson Cook (36-6). - Second-ranked Francisco Porras (36-1) of Hobart finished runner-up to Harper at 125 pounds last year. 135 POUNDS If perfection is the key to success, then this bracket has three serious state-title contenders. Together, Carmel's Will Mascaro (43-0), Crown Point's Eric Roach (38-0) and Brown County's Mitchell Richey (40-0) have a combined 121 wins this season. Fast Facts - The top five grapplers in the state will compete for the title this weekend (No. 1 Roach, No. 2 Johnny Dillon of Hobart, No. 3 Taylor March of East Noble, No. 4 Mascaro and No. 5 Richey). - Roach finished runner-up at 130 pounds last year. - March is a two-time state runner-up at both 119 pounds in 2007 and 112 pounds in 2006. - Mascaro has lost only three times in 89 matches. 140 POUNDS Experience is busting at the seams in this weight class. Nine wrestlers have been here before at least once. Five are three-time state qualifiers. And seven of the top eight wrestlers in the state are set to lock up. The bottom half of the bracket houses the state's top-two wrestlers in Mishawaka's top-ranked Steven Sandefer (40-1) and Anthony McGinley (36-2) of Cathedral. Fast Facts - Sandefer is seeking his second consecutive title after winning the 140-pound title last year. - Sandefer has defeated four of the 16 wrestlers in this year's 140-pound bracket earlier this season. - McGinley placed fourth at 140 pounds last February. - South Bend Riley's Trace Hall (33-7) was fourth at 135 pounds last year and fourth at 119 pounds in 2007. 145 POUNDS For those looking for intense competition, the 145-pound weight class has plenty on both ends of the bracket. In the top half alone, six ranked wrestlers, including top-ranked Sam Bennett of Anderson Highland and second-ranked Daniel Young of Culver Academies, hold seeds. In the bottom half, four ranked wrestlers are aligned to clash before the championship match. Fast Facts - Young, a third-place finisher at 130 pounds in 2008, holds the bracket's lone undefeated record at 44-0. - Bennett(36-1), a three-time state qualifier, finished runner-up at 145 pounds last year. - Perry Meridian's Jacob Tasseff and Cathedral's Gavin McGinley (third at 145 pounds in 2008) are the fields only other former state place winners. 152 POUNDS This title could come down to perfection. The state's top two wrestlers enter with perfect records. Top-ranked Sean McMurray of Portage is 45-0. Second-ranked Kyle Mosier of Yorktown is 42-0. Eighth-ranked Drake Stein of Princeton is 45-0. Fast Facts - McMurray won the 135-pound state title last February. - Mosier is making his fourth consecutive state finals appearance, finishing fourth at 140 and 152 pounds the last two years. - Seniors Aaron Estrada (23-2) of Munster and Calvin Sullivan (40-1) of Cathedral are ranked third and fourth, respectively. 160 POUNDS This weight class showcases the most unbeaten wrestlers in the state tournament. Top-ranked Briar Runyan of Martinsville is 39-0. Second-ranked Mark Myers of Crown Point is 38-0. Third-ranked Matt Todd of Pendleton Heights is 43-0, and fourth-ranked Ross Powell of Northridge is 40-0. Fast Facts - This bracket highlights 11 ranked wrestlers, including the state's five best in Runyan, Myers, Todd, Powell and Avon's Dalton Jones (35-4). - Runyan finished runner-up at 152 pounds last year and was third at 152 the year prior. - Myers placed fifth at 160 pounds in 2007-08. - Todd, Powell and Jones are making their second consecutive state finals appearances. 171 POUNDS The state's top six wrestlers at 171 pounds are featured in this bracket. Braden Atwood of Delphi carries the only undefeated record at 47-0, while seven wrestlers have amassed three or fewer losses this season. Ten of the 16 wrestlers vying for the state title are ranked or have been this season. Fast Facts - Top-ranked Michael Duckworth suffered his first defeat last week at the New Castle Semistate against fourth-ranked Bryce Grimes (43-1) of Lawrence North. - Duckworth was runner-up at 160 pounds last year. - Atwood was fourth at 160 pounds in 2008. - Evansville Memorial's Tanner Wedding placed eighth at 160 pounds in 2007. 189 POUNDS Three wrestlers are undefeated and 12 are ranked in the state. Among the unblemished are top-ranked Marcus Shrewsbury (38-0) of Crown Point and third-ranked Drew Graber (40-0) of Northridge. Aaron Stevenson carries a 42-0 record into this weekend's state finals. Fast Facts - Shrewsbury is making his third consecutive state finals appearance and was runner-up at 189 pounds last year. - Nick Hodges (28-2) of Southmont placed fifth at 189 pounds last year. - Graber is a three-time state qualifier and was runner-up at 171 pounds in 2008. - Zach Abbott (36-1) placed seventh at 171 pounds in 2008. 215 POUNDS Gabriel Berry (43-0) of Warren Central and Billy Baker (38-0) of Bellmont headline this bracket full of first-time state qualifiers. In all, only two wrestlers have prior state experience, which could leave this title up for grabs. Fast Facts - Berry, a senior, is making his first state finals appearance. - Top-ranked Billy Baker qualified for state last year at 189 pounds. - Eighth-ranked Collin Warner (42-4) of Tipton is making his second straight state finals appearance at 215 pounds. - Nine state-ranked wrestlers will vie for the title in this bracket. 285 POUNDS The experience at this weight class can be found at the top. Third-ranked John Clark (30-3) of Jeffersonville, fourth-ranked Alexander White (50-1) of Mount Vernon, fifth-ranked James Travis (41-1) of Merrillville join No. 1 Adam Chalfant (35-0) of Winchester and No. 2 Craig Fitzgerald (45-0) of John Glenn. Fast Facts - Chalfant, a senior, is making his third trip to the state finals. As a junior he was runner-up to Perry Meridian heavyweight Chico Adams. - Fitzgerald, a senior, placed sixth at 285 pounds last year. - Clark and White were both first-time state qualifiers in 2008. - Travis is making his first state finals appearance.