2/20/2009
The Bluffton News-Banner
By PAUL BEITLER
Sports Editor
Back in seventh grade, Matt Morrissey was not involved in wrestling and his friend, Matt Gerber, encouraged him to go out for the Bluffton Middle School team.
Now both of them are preparing to go to Indianapolis on Friday to compete in their first IHSAA Individual State Wrestling Championships at Conseco Fieldhouse.
They are following in the big footsteps of Bluffton state champions Randy Pursley and Ben Sprunger.
Gerber also is following his older brother, Randy, who was a state medalist.
Therefore, it will be an exciting time Friday night when the two seniors take part in the opening Parade of Champions.
“I couldn’t ask for anything more out of my senior year,” said Morrissey after a long, hard practice on Wednesday.
Morrissey has never been at the state finals and doesn’t quite know what to expect.
“I’m really looking forward to the Parade of Champions,” he said. “A lot of people have told me a lot of things about it.”
Gerber and Morrissey have been pumped up all week about going to state.
“In the hallways (at school) we’ll see each other and we’ll be all excited and all jacked up,” said Gerber. “It’s really neat that I can have someone else go with me to state.”
Morrissey placed third at the Woodlan Wrestling Semi-state and Gerber charged to the 135-pound title match unscathed, then fell to three-time state placer Taylor March of East Noble, 5-0, for second place.
Gerber will face 32-12 Forrest Romer of Ben Davis on Friday at Conseco. Mitch Richey (40-0) of Brown County is bracketed with Gerber.
Morrissey, now 32-11, will face Huey Hudson (35-6) of South Bend Riley in the preliminary round Friday night.
“I’m real confident right now in both,” said Bluffton coach Brandon Razo. “I think we got the best draws that we could. I feel confident in the Friday night matches. I’ve got the scoop on both of their opponents and we’ve been working on what they like to do.”
The winner of each Friday night match advances to the medal rounds on Saturday, starting at 9 a.m. Each wrestler is assured of placing from first to eighth.
“I think we can bring back two medals,” Razo added.
“The first thing that they have to keep in mind is not to get overwhelmed by the atmosphere. When they first step onto that floor, the atmosphere comes over you. I know it does to me as a coach, and I know it does to them as a wrestler,” Razo noted.
“Then, you have to focus on the match. You have to go right off the bat. It’s a long season and a long trip to just go down for one match Friday night.”
Morrissey and Gerber have been going through hard workouts all week to get ready for the first round.
“I’m just going to do what I normally do and not change anything and just treat it like any other big Saturday meet — only just a little bit bigger,” said Morrissey.
“This week in practice I’ve been working the hardest I’ve ever worked in my wrestling career and been constantly thinking about Friday’s match and how that match is it,” Morrissey added.
Even though Gerber lost in the championship match at semi-state last Saturday, he knows that he belongs among the top 16 wrestlers in the 135-pound class.
“I’m not out of it,” said Gerber. “I’m up there with those guys.”
“This year, especially, when you look at all the other weight classes that we’re not in, Friday night has a lot in store for the spectators, because there’s so many matches that could go either way. There’s matches with past state qualifiers, past state placers and past state champions. Friday night is going to be a long night of really good wrestling,’’ said Razo.
There are seven past state champions coming back. They are: 119 – Camden Eppert, 12, Anderson Highland (35-4) (2007 state champ at 103); 119 – Ethan Raley, 10, Indian Creek (31-1) (2008 state champ at 103); 119 – Brandon Wright, 11, Indianapolis Cathedral (45-2) (2008 state champ at 112); 125 – Cashe Quiroga, 12, Lawrence North (43-0) (2008 state champ at 119); 130 – Josh Harper, 12, Mishawaka (33-3) (2008 state champ at 125; 2007 state champ at 112; 2006 state champ at 103); 140 – Steve Sandefer, 12, Mishawaka (40-1) (2008 state champ at 140); 152 – Sean McMurray, 11, Portage (45-0) (2008 state champ at 135).
There also are 25 undefeated wrestlers in the field, including Delphi junior Braden Atwood (47-0) in the 171-pound class.
There are three unbeaten matmen in the 135-pound class, including Carmel senior Will Mascaro (43-0), Brown County senior Mitchell Richey (40-0) and Crown Point sophomore Eric Roach (38-0).
Bellmont senior Billy Baker is 38-0 at 215 pounds and Winchester senior heavyweight Adam Chalfant is 35-0.
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