State finals event will take place February 19-20, 2021 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Two hundred twenty-four (224) wrestlers in all, 16 in each of the 14 weight classes, will begin first round competition on Friday. Due to facility restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, two sessions will used with weight classes 106-145 beginning at 11 am ET and weight classes 152-285 beginning at 7 pm ET. First-round winners will return to wrestle on Saturday with quarterfinal action beginning at 9:30 am ET and semifinal matches to follow after all weight classes have concluded. Consolation bouts begin at 5 pm ET and championship matches under the spotlight are scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
Team scoring will begin with Friday night’s preliminary matches. Scoring, per National Federation (NFHS) rules, will go to eight places and, additionally, two (2) advancement points will be awarded per match for a championship bracket victory while one (1) point is earned for advancement in the consolation bracket.
Finally, points will be awarded to the top eight place-winners: 1st place: 16 points; 2nd place: 12 points; 3rd place: 9 points; 4th place: 7 points; 5th place: 5 points; 6th place: 3 points; 7th place: 2 points; 8th place: 1 point. n Five of last year’s state champions including three who will defend last year’s crown in the same weight class and another who seeks a third consecutive title headline this year’s field with the goal of adding more to their resume this weekend. Perry Meridian senior Alex Cottey (32-2) is the defending champ at 113 who will be looking to compete in his fourth state championship match on Saturday night. He was runner-up at 106 as both a freshman and sophomore.
Blake Boarman (28-1), an Evansville Mater Dei senior, is the defending winner at 138 pounds. Boarman was the state runner-up at 120 two seasons ago.
Senior Evan Bates (34-0) of Chesterton also returns as last year’s state champion in the 220 class.
Crown Point junior Jesse Mendez won the 126 pound crown as a freshman and the 132 class last year as a sophomore. He’ll chase a third state championship, this time in the 138 division where he’s 30-0 this season.
Cathedral junior Zeke Seltzer was last year’s 120 pound winner and has stepped up to 126 where he is 29-0 this year. He’ll also look to advance to his third straight championship final having finished as the runner-up at 113 two seasons ago.
Bates, Mendez and Seltzer, all undefeated this year, lead a group of 24 wrestlers who enter the weekend without a loss.
Defending State Champion
Indianapolis Cathedral is the three-time defending state champion after winning the school’s fourth wrestling crown last year. The third-ranked Fighting Irish are coached by Sean McGinley and boast three semi-state champions of their six participants this weekend.