Bulldogs capture 3rd straight Duneland Athletic Conference Wrestling Title

A USA-365.com Special Report by Mark Smith

01-19-2009

2009 Duneland Athletic Conference (DAC) finals
1-17-9 at LaPorte
1. CROWN POINT 251
2. MERRILLVILLE 238.5
3. Portage 201
4. Chesterton 129.5
5. LAKE CENTRAL 121.5
6. Michigan City 85.5
7. Valparaiso 81
8. LaPorte 54

Individual Final Results by Weight Class

103 pounds:  (LC) Kyle Ayersman (33-0) 5-3 over (MERRILLVILLE) Zack Stevens (27-2)
3rd: (CP) Cameron Halsted (18-4) 3-0 over (Portage) Jesse Duque (18-10)

112 pounds:  (CP) Anthony Hawkins (21-0) 6-3 over (Portage) Brandon Coppinger (24-4)
3rd (MERRILLVILLE) Al Padilla (24-9) 2-1 over (LC) Bryan Smith (29-6)

119 pounds:  (CP) Josh Manes (19-3) 3-2 over (LC) Marc Escobedo (27-3)
3rd: (MERRILLVILLE) Willie Costakis (26-9) 8-4 over (Portgae) Damian Torres (16-13)

125 pounds:  (CP) Jason Tsirtsis (20-1) 11-0 over (Portage) Luis Acuna (24-2)
3rd: (MERRILLVILLE) Anthony Napules (28-3) 12-4 major decision over (LC) BRadley Wartman (25-7)

130 pounds:  (Chesterton) Zack Thornton (25-2) 11-2 major decision over (MERILLVILLE) Frankie Valdivia (22-7)
3rd: (CP) Dallas Schrug (17-5) 17-5 major decision over (MC) Jimmy Poplawski (26-6).

135 pounds:  (CP) Eric Roach (21-0) pinned (MC) Thomas Lusco (19-6) 4:25
3rd: (MERRILLVILLE) Eddie Deluna (15-7) pinned (Portage) Chris Santos (16-10)  :49.

140 pounds:  (MERRILLVILLE) Darius Richmond (23-4) 8-7 over (MC) Garrett Payne (25-4).
3rd: (CP) Josh Flamme (18-4) 13-3 major decision over (LaPorte) Nick Santana (20-10).

145 pounds:  (MERRILLVILLE) Keon Jones (24-5) pinned (Valpo) Josh Kazee (22-16) 2:51.
3rd: (Chesterton) Spencer Stockwell (12-3) 8-6 over (Portgae) Tony Nuzzo (15-13).

152 pounds:  (Portage) Sean McMurray (28-0) 14-3 major decision over (Chesterton) Anthony Quiroz (25-8).
3rd: (CP) Jeremy Pogorzelski (18-6) 18-6 major decision over (MERRILLVILLE) Vic Nzeata (12-16)

160 pounds:  (CP) Mark Meyers (21-0) pinned (LC) Rob Keough (29-6) 1:13.
3rd: (MERRILLVILLE) Robbie Jordan (18-10) 7-4 over (Portage) Justin Rhein (9-7).

171 pounds:  (MERRILLVILLE) Kourtney Berry (19-5) 15-4 major decision over (CP) Jeremy Kooi (11-12)
3rd: (LC) Joe Kalemba (9-6) pinned (Portage) Aaron King (19-9) 4:20.

189 pounds:  (CP) Marcus Shrewsbury (21-0) 16-4 major decision over (Valpo) Will Hoefflikcer (27-11)
3rd: (Portage) Kyle Keith (23-4) 4-2 over (MERRILLVILLE) Jeremy Wengel (16-12)

215 pounds:  (Portage) Nate Coleman (22-5) 6-4 over (CP) Jimmy Bakalik (13-7)
3rd: (LC) Vlade Nacovski (28-2) 8-7 over (LaPorte) Bryce Holland (18-9)

HEAVYWEIGHT:  (MERRILLVILLE) James Travis (28-0) pinned (Chesterton) Alex Boatwright (21-6) 4:51.
3rd: (Portage) Travis Pride (6-7) 8-3 over (Valpo) Zack Grenier (18-20)

LaPORTE (1-17-2009) There is a school of thought that it's now or never for Crown Point wrestling.  That they have this one year where talent, experience and depth have come together and that all titles can be theirs.

Well yes and no.

At Saturday's eight-team Duneland Athletic Conference wrestling finals, two seniors, a sophomore and a junior from Crown Point remained undefeated as CP (251 team points) beat Merrillville (238.5) and Portage (201) for the league title.

Crown Point already has gone 6-0 in dual meets and they will win the league championship even if they lose to Lake Central in the final dual meet of the regular season on Jan. 28.  But the top performance of the day may have been displayed by CP's future, freshman 125-pounder Jason Tsirtsis (20-1) who pinned Michigan City's Dalton Yeransian and Merrillville's Anthony Napules (28-3) before dominating Portage's Luis Acuna (24-2) in the title match.

"I thought the wrestler of the meet was Tsirtsis," sais Crown Point coach Scott Vlink, who watched his boys win the DAC for the third year in a row.

"Napules is a very, very good wrestler and Jason just controlled him. and Acuna had only lost once all year and Jason dominated him.  He really does hate to lose.  Nobody likes to lose, but he's come so far this year in putting that feeling, that anger on the mat.  He takes it personally.  He was always good, but he's learning how to counter what everyone throws at him.  He's always been very technical, but he's become very hard-nosed now."

Merrillville was never out of contention on this day, and even with the expected victories by undefeated Anthony Hawkins (112), Eric Roach (135), Mark Myers (160), Marcus Shrewsbury (189), and Tsirtsis (125) the PIrates, rated sixth in the state, could have upset No. 3 CP.  Merrillville's DAC champs included Darius Richmond (140), Keon Jones (145) and undefeated heavyweight James Travis (28-0) and CP's lead was just 211-200.5 heading into the final place (5th, 3rd and 1st) matches.

Crown Point, ranked third in the state, got a big boost when Josh Manes (19-3) defeated Merrillville's Willy Cosatakis (26-9) in the semifinals and Lake Central's Marc Escobedo (37-3) for the 112 pound championship.  Costakis beat Portage's Damion Torres (16-13) for third place, but if he had defeated Manes, CP's 16-point margin of victory would have been less.

"I had never faced him before," Manes said of Escobedo, who was favored.  "I wrestled him in club wrestling.  We've all wrestled each other.  This was my second time (as DAC champ). I won at 125 last year."

Escobedo nearly had a winning takedown in the final seconds, but Manes was ruled to be out of bounds.

"We really can't see where our feet are," said the CP senior.  "I don't know if I was out of bounds.  We really don't know."

Manes moved from 125 to 119 this year (a tough move for a growing senior) so Tsirtsis, the 15-year-old younger brother of Griffith's four-time state champ Alex Tsirtsis (2003-2006) could move in at 125.

Crown Point also benefitted greatly from Jeremy Kooi (189) and Jimmy Bakalik (215) reaching the finals.  Bakalik upset the top seed, Lake Central's Vlade Nacovski (28-2) in the semifinals and his second place finish gave CP more than they probably expected from that weight.

The CP followers in the crowd of about 500 on a tough travel afternoon in LaPorte County got a shock when sophomore Eric Roach appeared to injure his neck early in the title match agaisnt Mchigan City's Thomas Lusco.  There was an injury time out and Roach came back strong.

"You've got to just forget about it," said Roach later, "and keep taking your shots.  You go on the offensive.  I tweaked my neck.  You can't show it though.  You can't change the expression on your face."

Merrillville junior heavyweight James Travis barely changed the expression on his face as he pinned two foes and won a major decision over another.

"I lost eight times last year," said the Pirate two-way football lineman who dropped from 250 pounds to 225 for wrestling.  "I was fifth in the DAC last year.  What's changed?  I think I've gotten stronger.  I'm more experienced now."

All seven wrestlers who began the day undefeated left the LaPorte school building as champions.  And the defending champion was champ again.  Still ranked third in the state with four boys who are undefeated on the season.

"You don't ever take anything for granted in the Duneland," said Scott Vlink, who has been CP's head coach since the school joined the DAC in 1993.  "You don't assume you're going to win in any sport.  We respect Merrillville.  We respect Portage.  We respect Lake Central.  We know that.  And there is no hint of overconfidence in any of us here.  If we see any of that, we work it out in the (wrestling) room.  There will be none of that."

Crown Point can't hide that they're going for the state finals as a team and that they have five boys with legitimate chances for individual state titles.

"We've tried to preach constantly that it's not okay just to win," said Vlink.  "You've got to dominate."

"We went though a streak in the 1980s that we'd have had four or five teams qualify for the state finals if they'd had a (team) state tournament back then.  I'm not just blowing smoke. We were very, very good.  In the 1990s, I don't think we were ever down.  But we didn't have the kids we have now."

"We are on a streak of really good kids right now.  Our seniors are really, really good.  That's what it's all about.  When you get the kids, you're going to be really good."

DAC NOTES:  CP's Mark Myers has not just won matches.  He's ended them.

"He's got 18 pins this year," said coach Scott Vlink.  "He just knows how to counter every move.  Mark Myers is the most dominant wrestler I've had since I've been here.  He's the best pinner."

Myers wrestled with a white bandage around his head covering a wound that, if reopened, could have stopped him from competing.

"I did it last week (in the CP Duals on Jan. 10).  I got head-butted.  We stepped forward at the same time.  It looks strange."

It was a difficult weather week for all northern Indiana high schools with blizzard conditions Tuesday and Wednesday and sub-zero temperatures all day Thursday.

"We found out at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday that Valpo was not coming (to a scheduled match)," said Marcus Shrewsbury.  "School got cancelled Thursday, but we wrestled anyway.  So we actually came in and had a practice Thursday.  Friday, we didn't have school again so we came in for practice.  But it was finals week, too, and I'm not complaining about not having to take finals.  Two more half days.  Can't go wrong with that."

New DAC champ Jason Tsirtsis of CP, the 2007 national champion at 105 pounds, was the Indiana middle school state eighth grade champion last year at 125 pounds.  New 103-pound DAC champ Kyle Auersman of Lake Central was the Indiana middle school champ last year at 90 pounds.

CP freshman Cameron Halstead, who placed third in the DAC at 103 Saturday, was third in the state in last year's middle school eighth grade finals at 102 pounds.  Halstead lost 7-6 to Merrillville's Zack Stevens (27-2), who lost 5-3 to Ayersman.

All four of CP's undefeated wrestlers sit at 21-0 on the season.  Freshman Jason Tsirtsis, who has lost only to undefeated and top-ranked Cashe Quiros of North Central, is 20-1.

Comments from Crown Point's four Undefeated Wrestlers:
 
ANTHONY HAWKINS (21-0)
"You try to make each match about bettering myself and not just going out there and wrestling.  (expectations) I try to pressure myself to make it perfect.  I've learned that you always say: You don't do enough.  You don't do enough.  You don't do enough.  I'm really trying to push myself so there will be no doubt in my head.  Did I do enough?  Or maybe did I do too much?  You can think too much.  But I just try staying calm and listening to my tunes.

I usually don't take injury time ever.  I've never done that and I don't want to.  You stand there for 10 seconds and you act injured and the other guy is suddenly a superstar.
If you're hurt, you keep on going through.  That's what my dad (1991 state finalist Bill Hawkins) always tells me and that's what I do."

Loses?

"Including state, I think five.  What was it like as a feshman?  Freshman year you learn a lot.  Now, I understand much more about what I'm doing.

"(He wrestles freshman Jason Tsirtsis in workouts) He gets so angry in practice if I take him down.  He does not like to lose.  He'll get up and he'll come at me with everything he's got).
 

ERIC ROACH (21-0)
"More fun last year?  I've got a bit of a target on my back now.  But I put a little more on myself, saying how much I should get in the first period.  You just have to work your butt off."

The undefeateds?

"We joke around about it.  We make fun of each other.  They remind me of when I lost.  We talk about it sometimes.  I think we're all proud of it.  We have to keep this thing going.  We want to separate ourselves from the other teams.  We want to win by as much as we can."

"You cant go in thinking 'I hope we win'.  You have to 'know' you're going to win.  You have to stay very confident.  You can't go in there 50-50 or the other guy will take advantage of you mentally.  You have to be confident."


MARK MYERS (21-0)
"I've been wrestling long enough so it just comes naturally.  When I warm up it's just mental focus about what I want to do as opposed to thinking defensively about the other guy.  I get more mentally ready by picturing what I'm going to do.

"The four of us (Undefeateds) who are still undefeated, we have high expectations and we've been wrestling for so long.  Each match just comes and it's just another match.  Another day.  You don't analyze it so much as you have one match, two or three.  You get through them and keep going.  We're all one big family.  Roach, he moved here when he was a freshman, but I've been wrestling with him since I was five or six.  I've known him for a long time.  I have noticed that a couple of guys have changed their approach on things to try to stop some things I do.  But that only sets up other things."

"Some guys will try to circle away or back up a little to stop by hands from coming on them.  That's where my hand speed has to come in.  I can shoot some lower singles and try some quicker stuff.  When we're on the man, they try to control my wrists all the time because I run that cradle.  But that just opens up other 'handles' as they call them."

"I lost to Jamal (Lawrence) my freshman year.  I have 19 losses.  Most of them are off the same kind of guys.  Jamal and Andrew Howe.  It was a lot of little things and I've worked on them and and I think I've fixed them.  I'm a couple of years older now.  I think I recognize things faster.

(Myers lost 3 times to Andrew Howe in 2008) He's such an offensive wrestler.  When he's coming at me, I think a little more defensively than I do with other wrestlers.  I tried a lot of different things against him, but last year, with my ACL (he wrestled with a torn ACL in 2008), I couldn't do much of what I wanted to against him.  The thing with him was his hands. He's moving you all around."


MARCUS SHREWSBURY (21-0)
"When you're younger its more of, what do I have to do to win.  You don't expect to win so much.  When you're older it's 'I've been here; done that.'  You don't think about losing.  At least, I don't.  I don't think the other guys who haven't lost do, too."

"I just don't have negative thoughts.  Even at state.  It's early to talk about that.  But even there, you don't think about losing."

(Talk) Nothing too serious, honestly.  There's some talk, but it's not serious.  I'm pretty sure to being champion at any weight.  It's a good feeling.  We had a lot of winners today."

"I've got nothing but high hopes and good expectations.  I think the whole team does.  It's a good attitude.  The goal is to get to state and go from there.  We have to do what we haven't done yet and once we do that, hopefully, we'll keep going."