Senior staff writer
Eleven wrestlers from the Southside, including five semistate champions, will compete in the state finals this weekend at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Perry Meridian’s Brayden Lowery (106 pounds) and Noah Warren (152) and Roncalli’s Alec Viduya (113) and Tyce Freije (120) captured semistate championships Saturday at New Castle. Perry Meridian’s Sunny Nier (120), Jack Servies (132) and Kain Rust (145) and Beech Grove’s Ethan Smiley (132) also qualified for the finals.
Center Grove’s Gleason Mappes, 160-pound champion, led four Trojans into the state finals from the Evansville Reitz Semistate. Qualifiers include Alex Petro (113), Logan Coyle (145) and Jonah Hays (160).
After winning 42 consecutive matches this season, Smiley was defeated by eventual semistate champion Breydon Bailey of Cathedral 4-1 in a semifinal. Smiley earned third place against Servies 6-2.
In their championship matches, Lowery defeated Seth Johnson of North Montgomery 4-0; Viduya defeated Skylour Turner of Warren Central 15-4; Freije pinned Carter Noehre of Greenfield; and Warren defeated Andrew Negangard of East Central 7-3.
At Evansville, Mappes dominated his class by winning his first two matches by falls, a shutout in his semifinal match, and defeating Monrovia’s Ethan Stock 9-1 for the title.
Perry Meridian was runner-up to Cathedral in points at New Castle with Roncalli third; Center Grove was fifth at Evansville.
State finals begin Friday at 6 p.m. and resume Saturday at 9:30 a.m., followed by consolation rounds at 5 p.m. and the title matches. Admission is $8 per session.