Ten wrestlers finished unbeaten as 14 state champions were crowned on Saturday evening (Feb. 17) in the 63^rd Annual IHSAA Individual Wrestling State Finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

Leading the list of unbeatens was repeat champ J.T. Young of Bloomington South.

The 135-pound champion in 2000, Young returned to topple the field at 140 pounds with a pin of Lawrence Central’s Danny Creasap at 1:33 of the championship match. The senior capped his second consecutive undefeated season at 43-0 and finished with a two-year record of 84-0. He became the 62^nd IHSAA state champion (a state best) to hail from Bloomington South since the IHSAA began hosting the tournament in 1933.

Six-time defending team champion Evansville Mater Dei placed four wrestlers in the championship round and three wound up with titles.

Sophomore Craig Weinzapfel pinned Fort Wayne North Side’s Gralan Early at the 3:05 mark of the 112-pound final. His senior cousin, Allen Weinzapfel, earned a first place medal of his own in a hard-fought 13-10 decision over Fort Wayne Snider’s Jason Woodson at 160 pounds. Allen was also an all-state defensive back for the Wildcats’ state champion Class 2A football team last fall. Blake Maurer added the third crown of the night for Mater Dei completing a perfect freshman campaign at 42-0 with a 3-2 decision over Beech Grove junior Nick Hobbs at 130.

Lake Central collected two state championships in back-to-back matches at 145 and 152 pounds. Junior Michael Escobedo (145 pounds) finished unscathed at 43-0 following a 7-5 victory over Mike McCarthy of Mt. Vernon (Fortville). Escobedo finished second to Young at 135 pounds last year. Senior Michael Engberg-Bartley followed at 152 pounds with a 3-1 overtime decision over Justin Denison of Floyd Central.

Also finishing with perfect records were:

103 pounds – Senior Aaron Clark of Franklin (48-0).

119 pounds -- Alex Tsirtsis of Griffith completed his freshman year unbeaten at 57-0. He became the first wrestling state champion in his school’s history.

125 pounds – Senior Cameron Sakon of Indianapolis Cathedral. Sakon (50-0) joined his brother, Eric (140 pounds in 1997) as a state champion. His opponent, Jason Cook of Valparaiso finished as a runner-up for the second time in three years. In 1999, Cook finished second at 103 pounds.

171 pounds – Senior Ben Wissel of Richmond (43-0).

215 pounds – Sophomore Jake O’Brien of Franklin Central (43-0).

275 pounds – Senior Greg Wagner of Fort Wayne Snider (47-0). Wagner finished as the runner-up at 275 pounds last year.

In other championship bouts, Warren Central junior Danny Williams won a 7-2 decision at 135 pounds over Lawrence North’s Tom Schneider and; Perry Meridian junior Nathan Moore shutout Charles Geyer of Fort Wayne Elmhurst, 3-0, in the 189 pound match.

Saturday evening’s attendance was 10,194 to bring the two-day, three-session total to 27,913. This year’s state finals was condensed to three sessions from the four-session event of previous years.

J.T. Young, a senior at Bloomington South High School, was named the 2001 recipient of the Ward E. Brown Mental Attitude Award as selected by the Executive Committee of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

A two-time state champion, Young won the 135-pound weight class in 2000 and this year’s 140-pound class to finish with a two-year mark of 84-0. With a career record of 132-10, he is the winningest wrestler in Bloomington South’s rich wrestling history.

Academically, Young maintains a 3.8 grade point average and has been named Academic All-State by the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association.

Young plans to pursue a career as a medical doctor while attending Harvard University.

Farm Bureau Insurance, the corporate partner of the IHSAA, presented a $1,000 scholarship to Bloomington South High School in the name of Young.

103 -- Aaron Clark, Franklin, senior (48-0) def. Craig Macke, Evansville Mater Dei, sophomore (39-3), decision, 4-3.

112 -- Craig Weinzapfel, Evansville Mater Dei, sophomore (39-3) def. Gralan Early, Fort Wayne North Side, sophomore (42-2), won by fall, 3:05.

119 -- Alex Tsirtsis, Griffith, freshman (57-0) def. Hector Mendez, East Chicago Central, junior (39-8), decision, 7-0.

125 -- Cameron Sakon, Indianapolis Cathedral, senior (50-0) def. Jason Cook, Valparaiso, junior (38-3), major decision, 10-2.

130 -- Blake Maurer, Evansville Mater Dei, freshman (42-0) def. Nick Hobbs, Beech Grove, junior (47-4), decision, 3-2.

135 -- Danny Williams, Warren Central, junior (44-1) def. Tom Schneider, Lawrence North, senior (49-6), decision, 7-2.

140 -- J.T. Young, Bloomington South, senior (43-0) def. Danny Creasap, Lawrence Central, senior (42-8), won by fall, 1:33.

145 -- Michael Escobedo, Lake Central, junior (43-0) def. Mike McCarthy, Mt. Vernon (Fortville), senior (38-2), decision, 7-5.

152 -- Michael Engberg-Bartley, Lake Central, senior (46-0) def. Justin Denison, Floyd Central, senior (42-2), decision, 3-1 OT.

160 -- Allen Weinzapfel, Evansville Mater Dei, senior (35-3) def. Jason Woodson, Fort Wayne Snider, senior (40-2), decision 13-10.

171 -- Ben Wissel, Richmond, senior (43-0) def. Brady Richardson, Vincennes Lincoln, senior (45-2), decision 6-5.

189 -- Nathan Moore, Perry Meridian, junior (48-1) def. Charles Geyer, Fort Wayne Elmhurst, senior (39-1), decision 3-0.

215 -- Jake O’Brien, Franklin Central, sophomore (43-0) def. Tony Talley, Lawrence North, senior (45-5), decision 9-6.

275 -- Gregory Wagner, Fort Wayne Snider, senior (47-0) def. Adam Baker, Beech Grove, senior (50-2), decision 7-2.