Two Mater Dei wrestlers advanced to the IHSAA state championship. Both fell short.
EVANSVILLE — Greg Schaefer didn’t beat around the bush. None of his wrestlers reached their goals this year.
The Mater Dei coach has guided multiple grapplers to IHSAA state championship matches in five of the last six seasons. Juniors Ty Henderson and Isaiah Schaefer joined that club on Saturday at Ford Center as they looked to win their first state titles.
Unfortunately, both wrestlers came up short.
IHSAA wrestling: Ford Center ready to showcase SW Indiana's wrestling hotbed for IHSAA state finals
Isaiah, who was the No. 1-ranked wrestler in the 126-pound class, fell to Avon's No. 3-ranked senior Luke Rioux in an 8-5 decision while Henderson, ranked No. 3 at 120, lost to Center Grove’s two-time state champion senior Charlie LaRocca 3-2.
"I'm super grateful," said Isaiah, who ends his season at 39-3 overall. "It hurts, and I'm going to feel every second of it. And I accept that. I'm just going to move forward and get better."
"I had a pretty good run," added Henderson, who was 36-3 this year. "Being in the state finals in Evansville is a pretty sweet experience. It didn't come out how I wanted, but all in all, it was a good run."
Both of Mater Dei’s state runners-up went through a tear throughout the tournament. Henderson defeated Monrovia’s No. 7-ranked wrestler Isaac Ash in a major decision to punch his ticket to the championship. Isaiah was still unbeaten against in-state opponents going into the finals.
'It's a dream come true': Isaiah Schaefer is making his own mark as a Mater Dei wrestler
He defeated Merrillville's No. 10-ranked wrestler, Matthew Maldonado, in a major decision in the quarterfinals, his sixth victory of the year against a top-10 opponent.
"He's carried a lot of pressure for many years to be in this position," Schaefer said. "But at the same time, he recognizes that he's not defined by wins and losses. I'm disappointed with him not getting what we wanted, of course, but as a dad and as a coach, I couldn't be more proud."
Senior and No. 6-ranked Tyler Vanover (38-5) ended his high school wrestling career with a fourth place finish at 150. While Vanover will no longer be with the Wildcats, the grapplers that return are loaded and will be more experienced.
Freshman and fellow state qualifier Caleb Schaefer (33-7) ended the year ranked No. 8 at 113 and looks to dominate once again. Isaiah and Henderson are looking to be even more dangerous than what they were this year.
They represented Southwestern Indiana with pride under the Ford Center lights. But they want to take one more crack at the championship when the state finals return to Indianapolis.
"I'm not changing that much," Isaiah said. "I just got to keep my head down and keep grinding. I wanted some peace, but I got more turmoil. So I'm going to be ready to go next year."
Tell City, Heritage Hills combine for four state placers
Noah Terry fired up an already electric Tell City crowd following the conclusion of the 190-pound third-place match.
The junior and No. 6-ranked Terry (45-4) pinned Wabash’s Elias Cressell in 13 seconds in order to clinch third. It was the highest finish ever for the Marksmen in program history.
“It’s awesome. I got the whole community supporting me,” Terry said. “They were super excited for me, and I’m proud of myself, too. I’m proud to have that title now.”
The Marksmen broke the school record with three state placers this weekend as Chase Stephens (41-5) finished sixth at 138 and Landon Terry (40-7) finished eighth at 215.
“It’s so great seeing everybody finally come together,” Terry said. “I think it’s just representative of what we’ve done and what we can do as a program.”
Heritage Hills’ Hayden Smith (34-5) took home seventh place at 285 following a forfeit and was the Patriots’ first state placer since Phoenix Rodgers in 2020.
Results from IHSAA wrestling state finals
Top 10 teams: Brownsburg 124.5, Center Grove 121.5, Crown Point 121, Warren Central 71, Avon 52, Mater Dei 50, Floyd Central 42, Roncalli 39.5, Cathedral 39, Delta 32.5
Place matches involving Evansville-area competitors
120: Charlie LaRocca (Center Grove) dec. Ty Henderson (Mater Dei) 3-2, 2nd place
126: Luke Rioux (Avon) dec. Isaiah Schaefer (Mater Dei) 8-5, 2nd place
138: Gavyn Whitehead (New Castle) dec. Chase Stephens (Tell City) 9-8, 6th place
150: Kaptur Nowaczyk (Crown Point) dec. Tyler Vanover (Mater Dei) 4-0, 4th place
190: Noah Terry (Tell City) pinned Elias Cressell (Wabash) 0:13, 3rd place
215: Wyatt Woodall (Southmont) dec. Landon Terry (Tell City) SV-1 5-3, 8th place
285: Hayden Smith (Heritage Hills) for. over Perris Green (Warren Central), 7th place
Courier & Press sports reporter Treasure Washington can be reached via her email, treasure.washington@courierpress.com, and on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Twashington490.
This article originally appeared on Evansville Courier & Press: IHSAA wrestling: Two Mater Dei wrestlers fall in state championship
