Three Braves earn Al Smith medals

DANE FUELLING

WZBD.com

MISHAWAKA – Henry Faurote and Xavior Palacios exacted revenge on a pair of opponents on the second day of the Al Smith Classic and Grady Baker showed he belonged with the state’s very best heavyweights, with the trio bringing home three Mishawaka medals to Decatur.

The Z Team had a special guest during Saturday’s placement round, speaking with assistant IHSAA commissioner Robert Faulkens.

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It was, as always, a grueling two days for the team, with several boys dealing with illness on the morning of the first day. Three wrestlers survived the opening day and were among the final eight in their weight classes in the 32-team tournament. Two wrestlers not among the list of medalists were Sam Wolpert and Gavin Davis.

Wolpert began the year out of the lineup due to an offseason surgery and has been struggling with the same injury since the NE8 Duals. Davis won his first two matches on Day One and had two takedowns in 30 seconds in his quarterfinal match, but anyone present in the “Big Boy Gym” for his showdown with #8 William Vander Luitgaren could tell that the Gavin Davis that laid on the mat for the final two periods while being ridden was not the 100% healthy Gavin Davis who Braves fans have come to know.

Davis left Mishawaka to rest and recover and was not present on Day Two at the tournament.

For the three boys who qualified, it was a match in the consolation round to start the morning. Henry Faurote was taken down by Terry Easley of Warren Central in the opening minute, but took advantage of Easley’s choice of neutral in the second to take down the Warrior wrestler twice, holding on for a 7-4 victory with a nervy third period.

Scroll through the breaks of WZBD’s broadcast to hear all the morning matches in their entirety.

Xavior Palacios also advanced to the consolation semifinals with a win in the morning. He wrestled Elliott Jones of Center Grove, who were leading the team score at the time, and took him down in the first and again in the second to build a big lead. Jones did pick up a pair of takedowns in the final period, but Palacios was able to advance, 9-6.

Xavior Palacios ties up with Center Grove’s Elliott Jones early in the first bout of the day for the Bellmont junior, who went on to capture fifth place for the second consecutive season. (Photo by Dane Fuelling)

Grady Baker’s opponent in the morning round was a familiar one, with Baker having wrestled Trevi Hillman-Conley recently in the offseason. After a scoreless first period, Hillman-Conley found the opening takedown midway through the second and took the lead into the third. Grady Baker scored a reversal to cut the score to 4-3, but gave it right back seconds later.

*Grady Baker does his best to hold down Trevi Hillman-Conley Saturday morning. (Photo by Dane Fuelling)*

Baker got to his feet, but was taken down and had to settle for a spot in the 7/8 match.

Henry Faurote works on a single leg against Amrin Pratt of Bloomington South in the consolation semifinal. Faurote ended up fifth at 138, while Pratt fought all the way back for third for the Panthers. (Photo by Khloe Fuelling)

Wrestling those who had fallen out of the championship bracket with semifinal losses, both Faurote and Palacios were knocked into the fifth/sixth matches with close losses.

Coverage of the medal round can be found with this YouTube link from WZBD Radio.

Henry Faurote talks about his weekend and accomplishing his goal of placing at the Al Smith.

Palacios had to face Devin Kendrex (see photos below), who once wrestled against Keagan Martin at a previous Al Smith as a member of the Mt. Vernon team at 220.

Down a weight and wrestling for a different school, Kendrex is still one of the most talented wrestlers in the state. A three-time state qualifier and former state medalist, Kendrex knocked off #5 Vinnie Freeman and claimed third place, having only lost in the tournament to eventual champion, freshman Caesar Salas of Crown Point. Salas was unseeded in the event because of the ridiculous schedule Crown Point have wrestled so far this season.

Perhaps the most satisfying wins for the team over the two days came in the next round, as both Faurote and Palacios took advantage of the opportunity to wrestle a rematch against the opponent who knocked them out of the championship bracket the day before.

Grady Baker stood on the Al Smith podium as one of the best eight heavyweights in the 32-team tournament. Six of the seven wrestlers ahead of him on the podium were all ranked in the top 14 in the state. (Photo by Khloe Fuelling)

Grady Baker was deadlocked with Bryson Davis of NorthWood in the seventh-place match and it went scoreless into the ultimate tiebreakers. Davis got his escape and took Baker down in the first 30 seconds, leaving Baker too big of a hole to dig out of in the final half minute.

Both boys took advice from their coaches and used the wisdom to score multiple takedowns and big wins, ending the Bellmont day with two victories and two fifth-place medals.

*Xavior Palacios turns Colin McMahon in the key moment in the fifth-place match at 190 pounds Saturday at the Al Smith Classic. (Photo by Khloe Fuelling)*

*Henry Faurote stands on the podium with his fifth-place medal at Mishawaka. (Photo by Khloe Fuelling)*

The Braves finished in 21st place as a team with 67.5 points. Fellow 2A Team State participants Garrett (144) and New Prairie (141.5) were sixth and eighth, respectively.