Final Team Wrestling State Tournament This Saturday

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Provided by IHSAA Communications

One week after the best individuals were decided, the best team of the season will be determined this Saturday in the 17^th Annual IHSAA Team Wrestling State Finals at Center Grove High School.

Four of the top five teams and five of the top 10 in the final state coaches poll are among those dueling in the final year of this format. Next year’s team champion will be decided during the Individual State Finals based on accumulated points.

Top-ranked and defending champion Perry Meridian leads the way and will face No. 15 Warren Central. The two teams squared off on Dec. 30 with the Falcons winning decidedly. No. 3 Evansville Mater Dei or No. 14 Bellmont will await in the semifinal round. The other half of the bracket includes No. 2 Crown Point taking on unranked Kokomo for the second time this season (Crown Point won handily on Nov. 19) and No. 4 Indianapolis Cathedral facing No. 8 Penn.

Four wrestlers who won a state championship and three more who finished as a runner-up will be among those on the mats in Greenwood. Chief among those is Crown Point’s four-time state champion Jason Tsirtsis competing at 145 pounds. He became just the eighth four-time winner in Indiana history last Saturday evening and, along with classmate Tyler Kral who won it all at 220, has helped Crown Point to a fourth straight appearance in the team finals.

Perry Meridian senior Jared McKinley is a two-time state champion winning at 132 last weekend and 125 pounds a year ago and he’ll be joined by a pair of teammates who took runner-up honors, sophomore Cody LeCount at 126 and junior Jake Masengale at 170. The Falcons, who finally broke through with last year’s title, are making their seventh straight trip to the team finals and tied with Evansville Mater Dei last weekend with the most state qualifiers with nine each.

Indianapolis Cathedral followed with eight qualifiers including senior Brian Harvey and sophomore Vinny Corsaro. Harvey won the 160 pound class while Corsaro was the 145 runner-up to Tsirtsis.

State Finals

Site: Center Grove High School, 2717 S. Morgantown Road, Greenwood.
Date: Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012.
Time: Quarterfinals begin at 10 am ET with semifinal round and championship round to follow.
Admission: $8.
Advancement: This is a single elimination tournament in which the winning team shall advance to the next round.
  

Meet the Teams

Quarterfinals, 10 am ET
Match 1: Indianapolis Cathedral (24-3) vs. Penn (24-3).
Match 2: Kokomo (35-5) vs. Crown Point (21-0).
Match 3: Perry Meridian (24-0) vs. Warren Central (21-7).
Match 4: Bellmont (21-5) vs. Evansville Mater Dei (22-0).

Semifinals, approximately 12 pm ET
Match 5: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2.
Match 6: Winner of Match 3 vs. Winner of Match 4.

Championship, approximately 2:30 pm ET
Match 7: Winner of Match 5 vs. Winner of Match 6.

State Champions in the Field (4)

132: Jared McKinley, 12, Perry Meridian. 2-time state champion; 125, 2011; 132, 2012.

145: Jason Tsirtsis, 12, Crown Point. 4-time state champion; 125, 2009; 130, 2010; 140, 2011; 145, 2012.

160: Brian Harvey, 12, Indianapolis Cathedral. 160, 2012.

220: Tyler Kral, 12, Crown Point. 220, 2012.

State Runners-Up in the Field (3)

126: Cody LeCount, 10, Perry Meridian. 126, 2012.

145: Vincent Corsaro, 10, Indianapolis Cathedral. 145, 2012.

170: Jake Masengale, 11, Perry Meridian, 170, 2012.