Andre Merritt, left, was a semistate qualifier last winter and hopes to make it to state as a senior.
Sam Findley | For the Daily Journal
Unlike some of the state’s premier teams, third-ranked Center Grove doesn’t feature an abundance of competition-tested seniors up and down its lineup.
The two it has are pretty good, though.
Andre Merritt, ranked No. 7 in Indiana among 160-pounders, has won all but one of his 22 matches this season, the lone setback being late last month at the Al Smith Invitational in Mishawaka to the reigning 152-pound state champion, No. 1 Sam Goin of Crown Point.
The Trojans’ other senior, Hyatt Yeager, is ranked No. 9 at 126 pounds with a 20-3 record through Wednesday’s dual triumph over West Lafayette Harrison.
“We knew coming in that both of these guys were going to be pretty good,” Center Grove coach Maurice Swain said. “We knew we had a state-level guy with Wyatt, and felt Andre made some gains last season.
“Watching those guys train helps everyone else. It puts a spark under the freshmen, sophomores and juniors about how Hyatt and Andre work. That they’re not holding anything back.”
It wasn’t that long ago Merritt and Yeager didn’t know one another.
Merritt, who had been in the Whiteland school system since sixth grade, transferred to Center Grove in the middle of the fall semester as a junior. He was eligible to wrestle the back half of the 2021-22 season, advancing all the way to the ticket round of the Evansville Semistate at 152 pounds and finishing with a 13-3 record.
“Last year, I felt like I was just getting into it again, and thought that I needed to better my technique,” said the 6-foot Merritt, who credits his ranginess and long reach for much of his success. “I’ve got the athletic part down. It was just my technique.
“I think I have a shot to win state this year. I’m a lot more confident this season.”
Yeager’s path to where is he now, while different, is its own lesson in persistence.
As a 10th-grader, he advanced to semistate at 126 pounds. However, his number of varsity matches last season was limited due to being in the same weight class as former teammate Michael Tharpe, who has since graduated.
Not at easy role to embrace, though Yeager feels he benefited from a maturity and leadership standpoint by being a mainstay on the Trojans’ junior varsity.
“At first, I obviously didn’t like the situation I was in, but made the most of it,” Yeager said. “When the JV would wrestle, I would try to give my teammates feedback on their matches and be a leader.
“As the season went on, I just tried to make the best of the situation.”
Merritt and Yeager will be challenged aplenty on Saturday, as Center Grove is one of eight teams competing in the state duals tournament at Brownsburg. The Trojans, seeded third, face No. 8 Evansville Mater Dei in the first round, with the winner to challenge either Cathedral or the host Bulldogs in a semifinal.
Yeager looks forward to the opportunity, not only for himself and Merritt, but a Center Grove squad anxious to wrestle against the rest of the elite.
“This season, I knew that if I came into the practice room and put in the work every day that I would get the results that I’m getting now,” Yeager said.
