By RICHARD TORRES
For The Reporter
NEW CASTLE – Nothing came easy Saturday during the New Castle Wrestling Semi-state, but the finale proved worth the struggle for more than a dozen Hamilton County competitors.
Led by a pair of semi-state champions and a trio of state qualifiers from Carmel, Hamilton Southeastern and Westfield apiece, the county will be well represented during next weekend’s Indiana High School Athletic Association wrestling state finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
A total of 14 county wrestlers will compete at state, beginning on Friday night, including semi-state champions Michael Major (25-0) of Carmel at 138 pounds and Dom Burgett (35-2) of HSE at 285.
The duo ran the table at New Castle, with Major, who is ranked sixth in the state by Indianamat, making his second state finals appearance seem effortless.
Major opened the day with a pin in 3 minutes, 19 seconds over Mt. Vernon’s Tristan Trevino before solidifying his state berth with a 9-0 major decision in the quarterfinals over Delin Jones (31-6) of Providence Cristo Rey.
In the semifinals, Major defeated Cathedral’s 10th-ranked Max McGinley (35-9) by decision 5-4, and he capped his title run with a 6-4 decision against 15th-ranked Gavyn Whitehead (30-3) of New Castle.
Experience paid off for Major, a 2022 state qualifier at 132, as it did for Westfield’s Ike O’Neill, who took second at 145.
O’Neill was a state qualifier at 138 last year, but this year, he’s aiming higher.
“It’s not where I wanted. The first three matches of the day, I was getting in my own head. Overanalyzing things, and I didn’t come into the last match, mentally into it,” O’Neill said. “It’s nice having the experience. Last year, I was trying to figure things out before my matches because it was all new to me. This year, it seemed more routine, so it definitely helped.”
His know-how came to the surface during his first two matches. In the opening round, O’Neill scored a 15-1 major decision over Warren Central’s Aaron Dunham (21-10). In the quarterfinals, he won by decision 6-4 against Hamilton Heights’ Carson Fettig (37-7).
The son of former Westfield head coach Terry O’Neill, Ike was the aggressor in the semifinals, defeating fourth-ranked Jack Todd (32-3) of Pendleton Heights by decision 3-2 to reach the finals.
His run ended in the title match, as ninth-ranked Dillion Graham (40-4) of team champion Cathedral prevailed in a 7-4 decision.
“It’s not a bad spot for him to be in, and we liked his chances in the finals, but overall it was a pretty good day for him. We have to clean some stuff up, but really what it comes down to first, second, third, fourth, we have to have the best day out of anybody next Friday and Saturday,” Shamrocks head coach Phil Smith said. “That’s really what we’re shooting for. We’re still training for a state title and that’s still within our sights.”
O’Neill will be joined at state by teammates Porter Temples (30-14), who was fourth at 113, and Jason Rooney (25-11), who was fourth at 152.
“I was really impressed with Porter Temples. He really had an incredible postseason tournament up to this point, too. For him to put himself in this position, and now we’re riding off to the state finals, it’s a really great step for him, coming from where he’s been to be a sophomore at the state finals,” Smith said.
O’Neill plans to sharpen his focus for a podium finish at state.
“He’s a tough, hard-nosed kid, and that’s what you love about Ike. You know you’re going to get every bit of effort. Every bit of toughness. He’s never going falter when it comes to that stuff,” Smith said. “There may be some guys that make fewer mistakes than us, but there’s never going to be anybody tougher than us.”
Carmel’s Jackson Elliott (31-7) finished second at 113 along with seventh-ranked Nathan Powell (18-2) taking second at 160.
Fishers’ Griffin Ingalls (38-4), a state qualifier in 2022 at 126, placed third at 126 after losing to eventual semi-state champion fifth-ranked Tylin Thrine (38-0) of New Castle, by decision 10-3, in the semifinals.
Guerin Catholic’s Peter Nguyen (39-4), who is ranked 10th in the state at 120, finished third.
Noblesville’s Carter Richardson (32-14) was third at 152. Austin Hastings (37-4), who is ranked fourth in the state, took third at 220. Hastings was upset by eventual semi-state champion 10th-ranked Brandon Johnson (40-4) of Lawrence North in the semifinals. Johnson upset No. 7 Devin Kendrex (40-4) in the finals in overtime.
HSE’s Zach Lang (34-7), ranked 13th in the state, was runner-up at 152, falling to top-ranked Bryce Lowery (40-0) of Roncalli by pin in 1:03.
Zack Wagner (36-6), ranked 10th, placed fourth at 170.
Burgett upset Frankton’s Hunter Branham (31-2) in the quarterfinals, by decision 3-1, in a battle between No. 6 and 12. He later knocked off No. 9 Andrew Just (26-3) of Franklin Central in sudden-victory overtime, 6-1 before beating Zionsville’s Eli Smith (25-8) in the finals by decision 5-3.
Hamilton Heights’ Evan Tilton (48-1) finished third at 182. Tilton, a state qualifier in 2022, lost to Warren Central’s seventh-ranked Mike Durham (33-4) by decision 5-3 in the semifinals. The third-ranked Husky bounced back in the consolation round to beat Eastern Hancock’s Brayden Tincher (36-6) by decision 6-4.
“Obviously, I’m a little disappointed because things didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted them to, but he outwrestled me today,” Tilton said. “He’s good, so I just have to train hard at practice and work on that.”