LaPorte's Ashton Jackson focused on state title No. 3 at weekend's IHSAA wrestling finals
He’s a two-time state champ and hasn’t lost in two years.
So you might think that when Ashton Jackson steps out on a wrestling mat, he’s brimming with confidence and knows he can’t be beat.
Think again.
“I get butterflies before every match. I’m nervous, just like everyone else,” says Jackson, the LaPorte High School senior who will be seeking his third consecutive state wrestling championship this weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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“When I go out onto the mat, I’d like to think I’m not human, but everyone else knows that I am,” says Jackson. “When it’s all said and done, I’m human. Sometimes I make mistakes. And sometimes everything goes right. No matter whom I’m up against, I know that I’ve got to bring my best.”
Jackson, who wrestles in the 120-pound weight class, has a season record of 50-0. Last year, he was 50-0. In the four years he has been wrestling at the high school level, his career ledger is 170-10.
Historically, the Slicer star is in elite company. In the 101 years that there has been a state wrestling tournament, only 30 athletes have been three-time champs, even with all the different weight classes.
If he wins Saturday night, Jackson would become number 31.
The last area wrestler to accomplish that feat was Mishawaka’s Josh Harper, from 2006 through 2008. And before that was Riley’s Jon Galloway, from 1964-66.
And for our area, that’s it.
Jackson won the 106-pound weight class as a sophomore, and 113 as a junior.
His freshman year, he wrestled at 106, but was eliminated in the opening round at the East Chicago semistate. That’s the last tournament loss he ever suffered.
“Doing this (winning three titles) is something I’ve been working on since I won the first one,” says Jackson. “When I’m running on the treadmill, I tell myself over and over, ‘three-time state champ.’”
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But first things first. Before history can be made, Jackson must first get past his opening round opponent — Linkin Carter, a freshman from Eastside with a 35-9 record — on Friday afternoon.
After that, there is potentially a matchup with Evansville Mater Dei’s Isaiah Schaefer (34-3) in Saturday morning’s quarterfinals. Schafer is ranked No. 3 in the state by the Website, IndianaMat. Jackson is No. 1.
Jackson is headed to Purdue University next year, where he will compete in the 125-pound class. He has the goal — of course — of winning an NCAA title.
LaPorte coach Louis Kuzdas, who has seen more than his share of outstanding wrestlers come through the Slicer program over the past three decades, has no doubt where Jackson ranks.
“He is, by far, the most focused athlete I’ve ever had,” says Kuzdas, who has been observing Jackson since his junior high days in the La Porte Wrestling Club. “He’s a student of the sport. He’s always trying to get better.
“His freshman year, we knew Ashton would be pretty good,” Kuzdas related. “But after he got beat in the first round of the semistate that year, he said, ‘No more.’ He went head first into whatever he needed to do to get better.”
Jackson was actually an unknown when he won his first state title, as a sophomore, even though he gave up only two points total in his sectional, regional and semistate matches, combined.
That’s not the case any more. He knows it is going to be a bumpy road at Gainbridge Fiedlhouse. He will be absorbing every opponent’s best shot.
“I love getting into those tough, gritty matches,” says Jackson. “It’s annoying to wrestle someone who wants to stall out. I want to push the pace.”
Between matches, Jackson “removes himself from the environment” and just finds someplace to relax.
“But when it’s go time, it’s go time,” he says. “I just want to let it loose and score points and impose my will on my opponents. I will always be ready to wrestle six minutes hard.”
IHSAA State Wrestling finals
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, 125 S. Pennsylvania St., Indianapolis
When: Friday (gates open at 12:30 p.m.) and Saturday (8 a.m.-session I, 3:30 p.m. session II)
Admission: $15 per session; $25 all sessions. Reserved seating only (no general admission). Tickets will be digital only through your mobile phone and may be purchased via Ticketmaster.com (service fees apply).
Television: Saturday's state championship bouts in each weight class will air live on Bally Sports Indiana.
Streaming: All matches on Friday and Saturday, including Saturday night’s championship round, may be viewed via live stream for a subscription fee of $15 via IHSAAtv.org. If you have a FloPro+ plan, you may also view the livestream at FloWrestling.com. Saturday night’s championship round may also be found on the Bally Sports+ app.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: LaPorte wrestler Ashton Jackson aims for third straight state title
