W Bellmont Super Duals: #1 Mishawaka flattens fabulous field

Top-ranked Mishawaka established its no-doubt wrestling dominance over the rest of the state Jan. 9 by pulverizing three ranked opponents – including a 47-12 beatdown of No. 2 Perry Meridian – at the Bellmont Super Duals.

The Cavemen rolled past all five of their opponents, including an opening-round 40-13 romp over No. 7 Castle and a similar 49-12 Round 2 pasting of No. 19 host Bellmont. Coach Darrick Snyder’s troops then handled Perry Meridian before logging lopsided victories over Bluffton (62-9) and Whitko (58-9).

“Mishawaka dominated the competition and showed their strength throughout their lineup,” said Bellmont coach Brent Faurote, whose Braves finished 2-3. “This has definitely developed into one of the toughest super duals in the state, with many of the top teams in the state getting four quality matches.” 

All was not lost for Perry Meridian, which posted a trio of victories itself over ranked foes. The Falcons opened with a 73-0 shutout of Indianapolis Tech before downing Castle, 37-18. Following the loss to Mishawaka, coach Jim Tonte’s grapplers regained their composure to slip past Bellmont by a 34-29 count (each team won seven matches) before rolling over 11th-ranked Penn, 47-19.

The eight-team lineup was particularly brutal for Castle, which had to open against Mishawaka before facing Perry Meridian, Bellmont, and Penn. To the Knights’ credit, they survived that 1-2 opening foray with victories in their next two matches – a 28-27 squeaker over Bellmont, a 35-22 win over Penn – before getting a 54-16 breather over Tech in Round 5.

#1 Mishawaka 5-0

#2 Perry Meridian 4-1

#7 Castle 3-2

#11 Penn 3-2

 19 Bellmont 2-3

Whitko 2-3

Bluffton 1-4

Indianapolis Tech 0-5

The round-by-round results (thank you, Brent Faurote!):

#19 Bellmont 35, Whitko 23

#1 Mishawaka 40, #7 Castle 13

#11 Penn 65, Bluffton 3

#2 Perry Meridian 73, Indianapolis Tech 0

#1 Mishawaka 49, #19 Bellmont 12

#2 Perry Meridian 37, #7 Castle 18

Whitko 51, Bluffton 15

#11 Penn 66, Indianapolis Tech 9

#7 Castle 28, #19 Bellmont 27

#1 Mishawaka 47, #2 Perry Meridian 12

#11 Penn 51, Whitko 9

Bluffton 30, Indianapolis Tech 22

#2 Perry Meridian 34, #19 Bellmont 29

#7 Castle 35, #11 Penn 22

#1 Mishawaka 62, Bluffton 9

Whitko 63, Indianapolis Tech 13

#19 Bellmont 57, Bluffton 14

#2 Perry Meridian 47, #11 Penn 19

#1 Mishawaka 58, Whitko 9

#7 Castle 54, Indianapolis Tech 16