By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – One of the popular opinion points for all the blabbering on sports talk – television, radio, podcasts – is the appointment of a “Mount Rushmore” for a team or program. Unlike the majestic busts of four great United States presidents that adorn the Black Hills, any greatest-ever foursome settled on during a debate is not carved in granite.
If state finalists are the prerequisite to pinpoint the quartet for Bedford North Lawrence wrestling, there’s not enough for any memorial. Only three athletes have advanced to the IHSAA state championships in the history of the overshadowed program.
Ethan Stancombe is poised to finish the Fantastic Four. With two wins in the opening rounds of the semistate, he could chisel his name into immortal lore.
Stancombe, who already made history with a regional championship at 157 pounds, will compete in the third stage of the state championship series on Saturday in Evansville. The top four in each weight class will advance to the state finals in Indianapolis on Feb. 21.
With a field of 16 in each class, that means two wins are required to qualify. Stancombe (24-3 as a senior) will face Indian Creek senior Logan Lindsey (25-14) in the first round. That winner will meet either Evansville Mater Dei sophomore Gavin Winegard (20-12) or Brownsburg senior Mason Day (26-7 and ranked No.6 in the state in the 157 division) in the mandatory quarterfinal.
BNL’s state honor roll includes Chris Jones (state runner-up at heavyweight in 1982), Byron Blackwell (fifth at 177 in 1984) and Shawn Fields (finalist as a heavyweight in 1989). Stancombe, who became the first regional champion since Fields, will make his second straight semistate appearance.
At this point, there’s no such thing as a walkover. The first two tournament steps toward the state finals are more shuffling than culling. The semistate separates the pretenders.
“At this level, every kid is tough,” BNL coach Mike Branam said. “One mistake can end it for you.”
Stancombe knows the assignment, welcomes it with a chip on his shoulder. BNL wrestling does not have the reputation or respect of other programs. Stancombe, who has become the poster man-child for the team, intends to change that.
“I have a goal,” he said, “to show people wrestling is here, and we want to excel in the sport. You look at yourself, and you look at yourself compared to other programs, and it’s like ‘I’m from BNL.’ We don’t even have a roof over our wrestling. You go out there and earn their respect. It’s having the mindset.”
Last year, competing at 165, Stancombe lost in the first round. He learned from that experience. Aggression is rewarded, tentativeness is swallowed up.
“Last year, one of the things that hurt him was the stage, the bright lights and huge crowd,” Branam said. “Wrestling on the floor of the Ford Center is quite different than a high school gym, and it overwhelmed him. This year he knows what he’s up against.”
“You can let the environment really affect you, and not be aggressive,” Stancombe said. “It’s having the aggression to go out there and fight every second, making that part of who I am and how I wrestle.”
Stancombe’s style reflects that mode. Most wrestlers are focused on pins. He wins most matches by scoring multiple times with takedowns and back points.
“I think putting a guy on his back is the best way to go about it,” he said. “If I look for a way to get the pin and make it a quick match, I believe in that 100 percent. That’s the best way. If I can’t do that, and end up putting him on his back a few times, I can score a lot of points. I focus on my game and try to make every aspect where I have no flaws. Then I can execute.”
“It’s about being aggressive,” Branam said. “We’ve worked on the mindset, that if we come out aggressive and get the guy backpedaling, he will be backpedaling the rest of the match. The matches he has lost are matches he let the other guy slow him down. Let’s make him wrestle our style, because that’s what we know best. The more he wrestles his style, the better he does.”
Stancombe won a Hoosier Hills Conference title, but his ultimate highlight thus far was the regional final. He avenged a sectional final loss to Bloomington South rival Hunter Fender with a decisive victory that also made some history as Stancombe became the fourth BNL wrestler with 100 career wins.
“The match that made it happen was the point of it,” Stancombe said. “I realized ‘Man, I just won the regional.’ That was really big.”
Stancombe will prepare his body, his mind (watching film on the future and possible opponents) and his soul for the goal.
“I just believe, if God wills it, I will do it,” he said. “I fight and leave it all out there, and I believe God will do the rest for me. I trust in that. I want to be in the state finals as much as everyone else, and it will be a great thing. I have the mindset that I will do it.”
Other wrestlers to watch in the weight class include defending semistate champ Asher Ratliff of Columbus North (32-4, and he finished 8th in the state last season), Center Grove’s Silas Stits (33-3 and ranked third), and Gibson Southern’s Deacon Dressler (36-1).
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