Nate Johnson, left, shown wrestling Whiteland senior Jakarrey Oliver at the Mooresville Regional, is 27-3 this season at 220 pounds after making the state finals a year ago at 285.
Daily Journal file photo
What might be the most recognized mullet in Indiana high school wrestling returns to Gainbridge Fieldhouse today.
But to Center Grove junior 220-pounder Nate Johnson, this weekend marks the culmination of a new season, weight class and list of expectations.
More than anything, Johnson looks to show he is one of the state’s best in his weight class. Maybe the best.
“I think I can win the whole thing,” said Johnson, who is coming off a third-place performance at the Evansville Semistate. “I’ve got a good draw, and I’m kind of hitting my peak right now. It’s kind of hard to explain, but you just know your body.”
As a sophomore, Johnson weighed roughly 260 pounds, which forced him to compete in the 285 division. He advanced to state, but lost in the first round to New Prairie senior Hunter Whitenack, the final touch on Johnson’s 29-7 season.
The initial thinking was Johnson would again hold down the 285 spot for the Trojans this winter. But after helping the Center Grove football claim its third consecutive Class 6A state championship as a defensive tackle, Johnson arrived at wrestling practice some 30 pounds lighter than he had been the previous season.
“It just kind of happened,” Johnson said, laughing. “It was lifting weights, summer conditioning and then had football season. But I think it’s worked out better for me.
“I thought coming into the season that I was going to be 285 again. I just felt it was just better to go down in weight in order to help the team. I feel a lot better at 220.”
The impressive arc of Johnson’s wrestling career coincides with that of the Trojan program, which is in the midst of a record stretch of success.
Last season’s squad placed fourth at the 2022 state finals, the best in school history; this time around, coach Maurice Swain takes 12 individual qualifiers to the fieldhouse, easily eclipsing the seven that made it last season. Prior to that, the Center Grove standard was five wrestlers making it to state to cap the 1994-95 season.
The current list includes junior Tyler Schott, who last season was a backup to Johnson in the 285-pound weight class. Schott has since filled that gap, providing the Trojans that much more point potential in the heavier divisions with his 31-11 record.
It could be that Johnson and Schott both make the awards podium, giving each an opportunity to display his own unique fashion statement.
In the case of Johnson, it’s the golden mane he models in honor of his mother, Julie, who lost her battle with cancer in October 2020. For Schott, it’s the cowboy hat he makes sure is resting on his head while receiving his ribbon and smiling for photographs.
“Nate spent a lot of time on the football field this season, and he’s in a fire fighting training program, too,” Swain said. “I think those two things and getting older changed his body. And it doesn’t hurt that at the same time Tyler Schott is really good, so it worked out well for us.”
SCOUTING THE STATE FINALS
A look at what to expect in each weight class at this weekend’s state finals:
113 pounds
Center Grove junior Charlie LaRocca (38-2) and Indian Creek senior Jackson Heaston (33-4), ranked fifth and sixth, respectively, reside on opposite ends of the bracketing, so the only way they could meet is under the spotlight in the championship match. LaRocca, who is 7-0 this postseason, takes on Westfield sophomore Porter Temples in the first round, while Heaston wrestles Zionsville junior Tommy Frazier, ranked 13th. LaRocca pinned Temples in 1:10 earlier in the season. Heaston could meet third-ranked and undefeated Jalen May of Kokomo in the second round, and top-ranked Preston Haines of Brownsburg in the semifinals. Heaston scored a 7-5 decision over Haines in a semifinal at the Evansville Semistate.
120
Trojans sophomore Eddie Goss (37-5), ranked seventh, faces Mt. Vernon freshman Elijah Broady (36-6) in the first round. With a victory, Goss, who placed eighth a year ago at 113, would likely wrestle Western’s Tanner Tishner, ranked fourth. The two met during the regular season, with Tishner winning 9-1.
126
Center Grove senior Hyatt Yeager (32-8) brings a No. 13 ranking into tonight. He’s paired opposite Keegan Schlabach, a Lakeland senior ranked fourth. Should Yeager prevail, he could run up against junior Guillermo Rivera of Lake Central, a foe he downed, 7-2, in the regular season.
132
Whiteland senior Joey Buttler puts his No. 2 ranking and 41-0 record on the line against Prairie Heights sophomore Brody Hagewood in the opening round as he works toward being part of a second consecutive championship match. The 126 state runner-up as a junior, Buttler has pinned four of his seven postseason opponents. If it materializes, Buttler wrestling top-ranked Kyrel Leavell of Warren Central for the highest spot on the podium could shape up to be one of the more entertaining championship matches.
138
Trojans junior Reese Courtney (33-8), ranked ninth, goes against 11th-ranked Merrillville senior Lucas Clement in the first round. The winner could get fourth-ranked Tony Wood, a junior from Jay County who takes on Cathedral senior Max McGlinley in the opening round. Courtney was 3-0 against McGlinley in the regular season.
145
Center Grove junior Wyatt Krejsa (17-0), who at No. 3 shared his team’s highest-ranked wrestler honor (with 170-pounder Noah Clouser) entering the postseason, wrestles Pendleton Heights junior Jackson Todd, ranked fourth, in the first round. Should Krejsa advance, he might be paired against the state’s No. 5 competitor, Plymouth junior Wesley Smith. Undefeated Chesterton senior and three-time state medalist Aidan Torres is at the opposite end of the bracket.
152
Sixth-ranked Center Grove sophomore Silas Stits (33-9) faces Jackson Todd, a senior from Fort Wayne Carroll in the first round with the winner likely to wrestle Mishawaka junior Beau Brabender, ranked seventh, with a semifinal berth on the line. Stits defeated Brabender, 5-2, in the regular season. No. 1 Bryce Lowery of Roncalli, a three-time state medalist, goes up again Penn junior Bryce Denton in the first round. Stits and Lowery could meet in a semifinal match.
160
Trojans senior Andre Merritt (36-5) looks to fare better than his No. 8 ranking, starting with a match against Zionsville junior Chase Wagner. Merritt has defeated Wagner twice this season, once by major decision and the other by pin. A Merritt victory likely pairs him against top-ranked Sam Goin of Crown Point, the state’s reigning 152-pound state champ. Goin pinned Merritt in 3:07 during the regular season.
170
Junior Noah Clouser (31-5) of Center Grove takes on Delta junior Braxton Russell, with the winner likely to square off against Crown Point’s Cody Goodwin, ranked second, on Saturday. Three of Clouser’s losses have been to No. 1-ranked and two-time state runner-up (at 138 and 152) Delaney Ruhlman of Bloomington South. Clouser would have to advance to the title match in order to potentially face Ruhlman again.
182
Sophomore Julian Weems (26-8) is another in the long line of Trojan wrestlers ranked prior to the postseason, as he’s at No. 13. He faces Monroe Central senior Hunter Page, ranked fourth, today, and could wrestle No. 5 Luke Penola of Zionsville in the second round. Three-time state finalist Orlando Cruz of Crown Point, last year’s runner-up at 182, is a potential semifinal foe for Weems should both win their first two matches.
195
Trojans junior Kaden McConnell (37-3), ranked seventh, goes up against undefeated Mishawaka senior Christian Chavez, ranked fifth, in the opening round. The two met during the regular season, with Chavez squeaking out a 5-3 decision. Another local unbeaten, No. 4 Roncalli senior Luke Hansen, resides in the top half of the bracket and could compete against No. 1 John Purdy of Castle in the second round. McConnell and Purdy met in semistate, with the latter prevailing by a 2-1 score.
220
Center Grove junior Nate Johnson (27-3), ranked eighth, wrestles today against Cole Chicoine of McCutcheon with the winner likely to face Fort Wayne Northrop junior Julante Hinton, ranked 12th, in Saturday’s second round. A potential semifinal opponent for Johnson is Columbus East senior Tommy Morrill, who defeated Johnson, 5-0, at semistate.
285
Trojans junior Tyler Schott (31-11), ranked 16th, battles Highland junior Aramis McNutt, ranked 10th, in today’s opening round. Schott holds a 6-2 postseason record with losses to top-ranked and soon-to-be University of Iowa offensive lineman Leighton Jones of Brownsburg, 3-2, and a 6-0 semistate setback at the hands of fifth-ranked Kelton Farmer of Evansville Memorial.
IF YOU GO
IHSAA state finals
When: Today, 2 p.m. (first round); Saturday, 9 a.m. (quarterfinals/semifinals), 4:30 p.m. (consolations), and 7:30 p.m. (championships)
Where: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
Admission: $15 per session; $25 all sessions
