Taking part in the Parade of Champions during the opening ceremonies of the IHSAA State Wrestling Finals is a thrill that stays with competitors and coaches for as long as they’ll remember.
For some, taking part in the ceremonial start for the state finals is the best memory.
Whether it’s because they were able to take a moment to realize where they were and what they had accomplished just by qualifying for state or because their stay on the mats ended with a loss on Friday night depends on each person who has laced up a pair of wrestling shoes on the biggest stage for a high school wrestler in Indiana.
For those who have never been to the state wrestling finals, here’s a brief synopsis of the Parade of Champions.
Think of the opening ceremonies to the Olympics.
On Friday, 224 wrestlers and their coaches will be introduced to the crowd at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse as they enter the arena.
The competitors are introduced alphabetically according to school.
Every color of every school represented then assembles on the mats before the evening’s matches begin.
Friday’s matches are to determine who will go on to Saturday’s finals and earn, at least, a spot on the podium as one of the top eight wrestlers in Indiana in their respective weight class.
Out of that group of 224, four will be representing schools in The Herald Bulletin’s coverage area.
Alexandria junior Luke Blanton will be making his second trip after a sixth-place finish last season.
From Pendleton Heights, defending state champion Mason Todd is going for the fourth time.
Fellow Arabian Clint Nicholson makes his first trip to the state tourney in his senior season.
Shenandoah junior Jacob Lumpkin will be the first Raiders wrestler to be in the parade since 1997.
There will be a more in-depth look at the competitors in Thursday’s and Friday’s editions of The Herald Bulletin.
Are all four capable of ending up on the podium on Saturday night? Sure.
That’s an easy thing to say.
Just like saying I’m capable of losing 50 pounds in three months, but that’s not an easy task to actually accomplish either.
The phrase “nature of the beast” is one that I employ quite a bit. And never is it more applicable than to the event that is a little over 72 hours away.
If ever there was a perfect environment to serve as an example of natural selection in sports, where only the strong thrive and survive, it’s the individual state wrestling tournament.
Another cliche that I believe in is if something is worth having, it won’t be easy to get it.
It’s a pretty safe bet that the easiest thing any of the aforementioned foursome attained was their wrestling shoes.
After all, you can buy those.
You can’t buy much else when it comes to wrestling.
Contact Quintin Harlan: 640-4835, quintin.harlan@heraldbulletin.com.
Local Sports
Related Photos
-
Contact Quintin Harlan: 640-4835, quintin.harlan@heraldbulletin.com
Discussion
Quintin Harlan: Wrestlers prep for state finals
- Local Sports
-
-
Triumphant Tribe
Seventeen years of frustration and disappointment for the Anderson Indians baseball team ended in a jubilant dog pile atop junior pitcher Curtis Wilson on Monday night at Pendleton Heights’ Field of Dreams.
-
Argylls squeeze into crown
Madison-Grant coach Ben Rodriguez liked his squeeze play so much that he called it again in the pivotal inning of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 championship game at Eastern High School on Monday night in Greentown.
-
Bulldogs’ comeback falls just short
Not even a heroic seventh-inning rally could save the Lapel baseball team in the Class 2A sectional title game at Frankton on Monday afternoon.
The Bulldogs scored four runs in the seventh inning but still came up a run short as the Wapahani Raiders won the championship 9-8. -
Tribe rallies past Pendleton Heights into final
This is the stuff of legend.
The kind of game that defines a rivalry.
The kind of victory that breathes new life into a program.
And the kind of defeat that won’t ever be forgotten. -
Tyler runs away with second Little 500 win
Deuces were wild at the 64th running of the Pay Less Little 500 as Brian Tyler recorded his second win and brought team owner Larry Contos win No. 2 at Anderson Speedway.
-
Rick Teverbaugh: Spectacle lacking on local TV
The Greatest Spectacle in Racing, on television, is a myth in its own backyard.
-
Tipton bedevils Madison-Grant
The Madison-Grant softball team dug a deep hole on Friday night in the championship game of the Class 2A, Sectional 39 at Eastern High School in Greentown. Trailing 5-0 after four innings, the Argylls scratched their way back into the game, but were on the short end of a 5-4 decision against the Tipton Blue Devils.
-
Nominate an athlete for Madison County Area's 100 Greatest Athletes book
Nominate an athlete to be included in The Herald Bulletin's coffee table book, "The Madison County Area's 100 Greatest Athletes."
-
Indians’ Dabney headed to state
The North Central Boys Track Regional is traditionally one of the toughest in the state with powerhouses Lawrence Central, Ben Davis, Pike and the host Panthers among the competitors
But that didn’t faze Anderson senior Derrick Dabney, who turned in two brilliant performances in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles at Thursday’s regional to advance to the state meet at Indiana University in Bloomington next Saturday. -
Roller coaster ride comes to end for Lapel
The Lapel Bulldogs couldn’t overcome one more hurdle in their roller-coaster season on Thursday as they fell to Wapahani 4-1 in the softball championship game of the Class 2A, Sectional 40 at Shenandoah High School.
- More Local Sports Headlines
-
