Here's why Edgewood wrestling's Michael Neidigh is a tough out at 150 pounds
For Michael Neidigh, his potential path to state took him well outside of Indiana's boundaries.
He's hoping the winding trail was worth it when the postseason starts on Saturday at the Bloomington North Sectional. The 150-pound junior from Edgewood is 26-4 and looking to go well beyond what he accomplished last year as a regional qualifier.
The biggest thing this year is that he truly believes it can happen.
Neidigh won a Western Indiana Conference title, dominating with two pins sandwiching a 16-0 tech fall in the semis, and took fifth at the Mooresville Holiday Classic.
"I definitely have a lot more confidence than I did in previous years," Neidigh said after the final dual meet of the season against Bloomington South. "I worked over the summer a lot, going to Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, just to wrestle and get better. And winning that WIC title definitely gave me a confidence boost rolling into sectional time."
Investing in those road trips was a great way for him to improve.
"The work that it takes to get good at wrestling just isn't in the room," he said. "You have to do stuff outside of the room and coach preaches that."
It was also a great way to make new friends and get to know other wrestlers from around the country. He also picked up things from a technical standpoint and figured out his best approach on the mat.
"I learned to stay calm and open up more," Neidigh said. "I know I'm a good wrestler. I know I can take shots and I know I can go-go-go and wrestle with anybody I want to.
"Wrestling's just timing. Everyone thinks I've just got to be stronger than this guy. I'm pretty small for my weight, but I'm going out there, and I'm just wrestling smart and beating kids way bigger than I am."
Neidigh knows he has a tough path ahead of him beyond sectional. It probably includes the top three ranked wrestlers in the state in the Evansville Semistate from Center Grove, Floyd Central and Brownsburg and a couple more tough contenders from the Evansville area.
"Regional will be tough. Semistate will be really tough, but I've got to keep a level head and keep going," Neidigh said.
He'll also need to keep his head up.
"I'm proud of his confidence," Edgewood coach Danny Coyne said. "That's the big thing this year. He has confidence in what he does. His throws his shot. Wrestling on the line, he's not afraid. He has confidence."
More: Wrestling: What to watch at Bloomington North Sectional
So his goals are set high to make a name for himself this time around.
"I want to make it to state this year," Neidigh said. "I want to prove everyone wrong. People think I'm living in Cash's shadow because every time someone thinks of Edgewood, they think of Cash (Turner). Which he's really good and I've looked up to Cash since I was in third grade.
"But I want to have my own journey and do my own things and make my own path."
Contact Jim Gordillo at jgordillo@heraldt.com and follow on X @JimGordillo.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Why Edgewood's Michael Neidigh is IHSAA sectional wrestling favorite
