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All you need to know about South Bend-area IHSAA wrestling regionals on Saturday

tim creason
·4 min read

Christian Chavez is a member of an exclusive wrestling club.

As the IHSAA tournament reaches its regional stage, the Mishawaka High School senior is one of a few — and it’s only a few — wrestlers who can still claim to be undefeated this season.

Chavez is 33-0 in the 195-pound weight class, heading into Saturday’s regional meet at Penn.

Last week:Emotions run high as Penn nips Mishawaka for wrestling sectional title

Who else? Let’s see, there’s LaPorte senior Ashton Jackson, 43-0 at 120. He’ll be wrestling in a regional at Crown Point.

Then there’s New Prairie freshman Jeff Huyvaert, 42-0 at 138.  He’ll be at Crown Point, also.

Northridge sophomore Travis Henke, he’s 34-0 in the 220-pound class and headed to Goshen’s regional.

And … that’s it. In the entire Tribune area, there are four unbeaten guys left.

Derron Lee of South Bend Washington wrestles Christian Chavez of Mishawaka at 195lbs during the IHSAA Wrestling Sectionals Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at Mishawaka High School.
Derron Lee of South Bend Washington wrestles Christian Chavez of Mishawaka at 195lbs during the IHSAA Wrestling Sectionals Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at Mishawaka High School.

In the case of Jackson, it’s no real surprise. The Slicer star was 50-0 as a junior and is seeking his third consecutive state championship. In his four-year career, he is 163-10.

But everybody else? Ask each one, and he’ll tell you that he expected to be here, even if nobody else did.

“No, I’m not surprised, this is what I’ve been working for,” said Chavez, who pinned his way to a sectional championship last Saturday at Mishawaka, sticking Penn’s Samuel Sullivan in 1:56 during the title match.

“That doesn’t mean I’m overconfident,” the Caveman team leader said. “I still get nervous before each match. Honestly, I feel like, if you’re not nervous, you’re not ready.”

A year ago, Chavez advanced to the state finals, where he was promptly eliminated in the first round, closing his junior season at 33-6.

That experience motivated him to raise his game. Big time.

“Last year, I was just satisfied to get to state,” Chavez said. “But I only lost by one point in that (opening round), and the guy who beat me went on to finish third. I thought about it and I realized, that could have been me up on the awards stand.

“So I decided this year, I’m getting there.”

NIC awards:Penn's AJ Steenbeke and Glenn coach Andy King earn top honors

Chavez’s dedication has paid benefits outside of his own performances.

“Christian has become a great leader in our (practice) room,” said Mishawaka coach Steve Sandefer. “He especially does a great job of bringing the younger kids along.

“As his own wrestling has improved, he’s helping everyone else improve,” said Sandefer. “His leadership really gave us a lift at (the IHSWCA team duals).”

Mishawaka won Class 3A at the IHSWCA duals in January, an event sponsored by the coaches association that serves as a pseudo state dual meet championship. The Cavemen knocked off defending champ Columbus East in the finals.

Mishawaka also won a Northern Lakes Conference title — Chavez was the 195-pound champ — before falling just short to Penn in a bruising sectional battle.

Last weekend, when emotions got heated during the sectional 170-pound weight class final, Chavez moved among his teammates, reminding them to focus.

“I tried to tell them that we still had a long way to go,” said Chavez.

Now, in what could be an extremely close battle for the regional title at Penn, he again must be a team leader.

“Keep your mind right,” he said. “I keep telling myself that.”

Bryce Denton of Penn wrestles Market Warren of South Bend Washington at 152lbs during the IHSAA Wrestling Sectionals Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at Mishawaka High School.
Bryce Denton of Penn wrestles Market Warren of South Bend Washington at 152lbs during the IHSAA Wrestling Sectionals Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023 at Mishawaka High School.

There will be several intriguing matchups at the regional, but the most interesting weight class may be 152.

In that class, Mishawaka’s Beau Brabender is 34-3, Wawasee’s Hunter Miller is 30-4, LaVille’s Justin Brown is 27-8, and Penn’s Bryce Denton, coming back from injury, is 20-2.

At Crown Point, meanwhile, there is a potential championship match in the 138-pound class between New Prairie’s Huyvaert (42-0) and Kankakee Valley’s Cole Solomey (38-0).

Solomey is ranked No. 1 in the state by the Website, Indiana Mat.  Huyvaert is ranked No. 5.

IHSAA REGIONAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENTS

  • WHEN: Saturday

  • ADMISSION: $10 per person. Children 5 years or younger admitted free.

  • ADVANCEMENT: Top four finishers in each weight class advance to IHSAA semistate tournaments on Saturday, Feb. 11.

At PENN 

  • WRESTLING STARTS: 9 a.m. (EST)

  • TEAMS: Adams, Bremen, Culver Academies, Culver Community, LaVille, Marian, Mishawaka, Penn, Plymouth, Riley, Saint Joseph, Tippecanoe Valley, Triton, Warsaw, Washington, Wawasee.

  • QUALIFIERS ADVANCE TO:  East Chicago semistate

At GOSHEN 

  • WRESTLING STARTS: 9:30 a.m. (EST)

  • TEAMS: Angola, Central Noble, Concord, DeKalb, East Noble, Elkhart, Fairfield, Fremont, Goshen, Jimtown, Lakeland, Northridge, NorthWood, Prairie Heights, West Noble, Westview.

  • QUALIFIERS ADVANCE TO:  New Haven semistate at Fort Wayne

At CROWN POINT 

  • WRESTLING STARTS: 8 a.m. (CST)

  • TEAMS:  Boone Grove, Chesterton, Crown Point, John Glenn, Hanover Central, Hebron, Illiana Christian, Kankakee Valley, Knox, Lake Central, La Porte, Lowell, Michigan City, New Prairie, North Judson, Valparaiso, Wheeler.

  • QUALIFIERS ADVANCE TO:  East Chicago semistate

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: IHSAA high school regional wrestling preview