Chesterton sophomore Anthony Quiroz dropped a 13-4 decision to Ft. Wayne Carroll’s Conner LeFever on Friday night in the opening round of the IHSAA State Wrestling Finals at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

“You have to give credit to the other kid,” Chesterton Asst. Coach Jason Cook said. “He wrestled the way he should have. People know what Anthony wants to do and he was able to game plan and stop it.”

LeFever scored the match’s first points at the 1:05 mark of the first period with a takedown. After scoring two back points, LeFever built an early 4-0 lead.

Quiroz got on the board later in the first period with a reversal, but LeFever escaped in the final 10 seconds of the period for a 5-2 lead.

The CHS 160-pounder chose down to start the second period and immediately got a reversal to cut the lead to 5-4. Quiroz rode LeFever the entire period without getting a turn.

“We rode him the entire second period and didn’t turn him,” Cook said. “The right decision is to cut him and try for a takedown.”

Quiroz did just that allowing the third period to start in neutral position and LeFever leading 6-4.

The plan backfired as LeFever came up with his second takedown of the night at the 1:30 mark of the third period and turned Quiroz in the final 15 seconds of the match to advance.

“He had a nice takedown attack that we didn’t react quick enough to,” Cook said. “Almost like we reacted how he wanted us to and it gave him a chance to put us on our back for points.”

103 – Cody Phillips (Union County) dec. Paul Petrov (Hanover Central), 8-3. 112 – Kyle Ayersman (Lake Central) dec. Paul Beck (Mishawaka), 2-0 (ot). 119 – Brandon Nelson (Lawrence North) dec. Daniel Bradley (Knox), 6-2. 125 – Brandon Wright (Warren Central) dec. Ethan Raley (Indian Creek), 9-1. 130 – Jason Tsirtsis (Crown Point) dec. Devon Jackson (Yorktown), 4-0 (ot). 135 – Brock Norton (FW Carroll) dec. Mason Berryman (Anderson Highland), 3-1. 140 – Francisco Porras (Hobart) dec. Justin Beck (Leo), 5-1. 145 – Eric Roach (Crown Point) dec. Doug Welch (Castle), 5-3. 152 – Sam Bennett (Anderson Highland) dec. Zachary Corpe (Elkhart Memorial), 6-2. 160 – Sean McMurray (Portage) dec. Tyler Willis (Indianapolis Cathedral), 9-0. 171 – Drake Stein (Princeton) dec. Michael Duckworth (Union County), 4-1. 189 – Michael Johnson-Jones (Warren Central) dec. Braden Atwood (Delphi), 4-2 (ot). 215 – Nathan Cleveland (Lowell) dec. Christian Lentz (Mishawaka), 2-1 (3 ot). Hwt – Ross Janney (Yorktown) dec. James Travis (Merrillville), 3-2

Posted 2/22/2010