Tears, bear-hugs and backflips: IHSAA wrestling state finals a special night for so many

The 85th annual IHSAA State Wrestling championships featured all the backflips, grappling and bear hugs under the spotlight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse that make it one of the most dramatic and unique spectacles in the state.

Crown Point entered as the reigning team champ, trying to repeat without four-time champion Jesse Mendez. The Bulldogs proved they have the staying power of a powerhouse program, holding off Center Grove to win back-to-back team titles. Crown Point won four individual titles helping it amass 167 points as a team. Center Grove finished second with 131 points, followed by Brownsburg with 129 points. Brownsburg had three wrestlers win individual titles. Center Grove had one.

Headed for gridiron, Leighton Jones ends wrestling career with title

Brownsburg's Leighton Jones is one of the best football players in the state. He's a three-star recruit heading to play offensive line at Iowa, a program known for consistently producing NFL-caliber offensive linemen.

Jones could've left Brownsburg early, enrolled at Iowa this winter and begun training as a football player. But the 6-4, 285-pound mauler had unfinished business on the mat. Jones finished in third place at state championships last season.

Falling short of a state title left a bitter taste in Jones' mouth and he wanted to end his wrestling career on a high note. Against Evansville Memorial's Kelton Farmer, Jones started on the attack, quickly getting a takedown and earning a two-point lead. Jones wrestled like he had something to prove. He wrestled like he knew it would be the last time he'd be in the middle of the circle, performing for a program that has helped him grow so much over the past four years. Jones added five more points in the second period, holding off Farmer for a 7-2 decision.

"It was the only way for me to end it," Jones said. "If I came back here and then didn't reach my goal, I knew it would haunt me forever so I knew after the past two years all the motivation all the runs, sprint, workouts — I knew it was gonna pay off."

After the match, Jones sprinted to his coach and gave him a flying bear hug, taking him to the ground. Jones had great form on the tackle, but he'll soon be tasked with preventing his teammates from getting tackled at Iowa. The tackle was a display of appreciation from Jones. His way of saying thank you to the people who helped him become a state champion.

"These coaches right here, they poured everything into me so I knew I had to pay it back to them," Jones said. "(Wrestling) has done so much for me. It's taught me so many lessons other than just winning and losing — mental toughness, all my teammates, the memories — that will last a lifetime."

Bryce Lowery finally breaks through with title

Roncalli senior Bryce Lowery reached the state semifinals as a 106-pound freshman. A state title seemed almost preordained for the lifelong wrestler from a family of lifelong wrestlers, but it took him three years to reach the championship round, each failed attempt more heartbreaking than the last.

Lowery placed seventh at 126 pounds in 2021. Last year he finished fifth at 138 pounds. Now wrestling at 152 pounds, Lowery entered the finals as the top seed in his weight class with a perfect 43-0 record.

Despite his unbeaten record, Lowery was taking nothing for granted during his finals match against Evansville Mater Dei's Hunter May. Lowery took an early 1-0 lead, but he knew that wouldn't be enough. Instead of playing it safe and trying to cling to a lead, Lowery stayed on the offensive and scored a two-point takedown, helping him earn a 3-1 victory and the elusive state title.

"Coming back in this back hallway, breaking down crying every year just knowing you're not getting your goal that year. It eats at you," Lowery said. "Training with that image in your mind. That image of you in that back corner, head on the ground, bawling. I did everything in my power to make sure that never happened again."

Lowery's career mirrors that of his older brother, Brayden. Brayden placed in the state finals three times before breaking through as a senior. Now younger brother Bryce has bragging rights of his own.

"It's good to be in company with Brayden, he's a great guy," Bryce said. "I'm glad I can share this experience with him."

Third time is the charm for Joey Buttler

Whiteland 132-pounder Joey Buttler is a confident kid, but even he exceeded his expectations with the senior season he put together.

Buttler headed into the state championship a perfect 44-0. His last two wins were over Brownsburg's Brady Ison, his opponent in Saturday's 132 state final. Beating an opponent once is hard, beating him twice is really hard. Beating the opponent three times, in three consecutive weeks in almost unheard of, but that's what Buttler was tasked with doing under the spotlight at Gainbridge.

Buttler knew there would be no secrets on the mat against Ison, but he stuck to his game plan and pulled out a 6-3 win. Buttler is Whiteland's first state champion since 2007.

"I never could have expected it," Buttler said of his storybook season. "I always expect to be dominant, but I didn't expect anything like this. ... Beating somebody twice as hard. Beating someone three times is really hard. So I had confidence in myself. I've done it twice, so I tried to go out and put on my best effort."

Hockaday joins elite company with two straight titles, Dickman wins first

The plan started to take form at the team hotel before Saturday's championship round. If Brownsburg's Jake Hockaday — the No. 2 seed at 120 pounds — knocked off No. 1 seed, unbeaten Ashton Jackson of LaPorte, he was going to celebrate with a powerful takedown of Bulldogs assistant coach Kyle Ayersman.

Last year, Hockaday was a confident freshman but not completely aware of his immense talent before winning the 106-pound title. As a sophomore, Hockaday focused on sharpening his technique and perfecting the finer details of the sport, things that can decide a match as you go up in weight class.

Hockaday was familiar with Jackson. They'd wrestled at the prestigious Disney Duals when Hockaday was still in middle school and Jackson was at LaPorte. Jackson pinned Hockaday then, but the loss stayed in the young Bulldogs mind.

Hockaday knew Jackson was going to attack, so he matched his energy, stayed on the offensive and earned a 6-3 win.

"I felt everybody else looked at me as the underdog, but the whole season me and my coaching staff knew that I was gonna come out on top," Hockaday said. "I trusted them. They gave me the right training schedule. The right diet, did everything they said at the end of the day."

After the match, Hockaday looked like he was hugging his coach, but he flipped his hips and threw him to the mat. The two got off the mat slapped five in celebration.

"I told him that I was gonna five him," Hockaday said of the celebration.

The win gives Hockaday two state titles. Freshman Revin Dickman is Brownsburg's next young hotshot. Dickson won his first state title with a 3-0 decision over Avon's Nathan Rioux. Rioux, a talented freshman in his own right, finished his season 39-6. All six losses came from Dickman.

Charlie LaRocca bests training partner in state final

They say iron sharpens iron, and after a summer spent training together at Contenders Wrestling Academy in Brownsburg, partners Charlie LaRocca (Center Grove) and Jackson Heaston (Indian Creek) faced off in the 113-pound championship match.

The match was a hard-fought battle, but LaRocca did just enough to earn a 3-0 win, clinching the state title. LaRocca said despite his familiarity with Heaston's tendencies and vice versa, he approaches the match with the same high level of intensity he always does.

"Just treat every opponent the same really," LaRocca said. "It makes no difference how many times you wrestle a guy. What matters is if you beat them in six minutes and I got that done tonight" .

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana high school wrestling state finals 2023: Crown Point repeats