DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
MISHAWAKA – In a tournament filled with the very best individuals and teams in Indiana, the Bellmont Braves showed that they belong on the big stage, finishing in 15th place with four young men ending their tournaments on the podium.
Xavior Palacios’s reversal and cradle of Colin McMahon of Columbus East in the semifinals (shown above) were enough for a 9-6 victory and another appearance for the Braves in the Al Smith Finals. Palacios represented his team and school well in the face-offs, bringing the large traveling contingent of BHS fans to their feet at the end of his introduction. Kyle Harden of Cathedral, who beat Palacios in the state quarterfinals last season, was simply too quick on his feet for Palacios, who sustained his first loss of the year in the finals, 14-4.
Despite the loss, Palacios is still in a strong position as a contender for the state semifinals or even to wrestle under the lights in February. His victory over McMahon in the semifinals moved him into a tie with Jason Baker for 12th all-time in wins. He will expect to win three matches Saturday at Team State to tie Duke Myers for 11th and he will likely have a chance to climb into the Top 10 in school history in victories at the Service Complex on January 13th against Muncie Central.
In a meet dominated by the same three teams (Crown Point, Center Grove, Cathedral) for the past six years, there was still plenty of room for the little guys. 2A Bellmont had four placers, while their competitors for Saturday’s Team State title had similar numbers: Garrett (5), Hanover Central (6), New Prairie (4).
Henry Faurote shrugged off his quarterfinal loss Friday to Sonny Sessa of champion Crown Point and wrestled his way all the way to third place. He took out #6 Donald Bowie in the consolation semis, then dominated Angelo Vargo of Penn, who dropped Sessa to the 5th/6th match, of Penn for third.
With #1 Evan Stanley beating #5 Hunter Douglas in the finals, Faurote entrenched himself even deeper in the top ten and surely built confidence in himself that he will have the chance to win a state medal in February. He picked up wins in the tournament over #6 Bowie, #19 Luke Johnson of Chesterton and #28 Erik Hunt of Western.
Sam Wolpert’s two losses in the tournament came against eventual runner-up #8 Joe Paun of Hanover Central and #12 Caleb Kirkpatrick of Columbus East, who took fifth. Finishing 7th at 150 with a win over Kristian Tapia of Portage in a major decision, Sam Wolpert got the Al Smith medal he deserved after a gutsy first day performance. There were few medal winners in the tournament who came into the event without a top 30 ranking like Wolpert and his efforts are likely to bring him back into the fold and gain him statewide recognition.
At 285, Grady Baker battled hard, but dropped two decisions on the second day and had to settle for eighth place. It is, of course, not really a case of “settling” for such a place, as survival to the second day was an accomplishment in its own against such a talented field, one that featured the best two heavyweights in the state in the final. The seven wrestlers on the podium with Baker all entered the tournament ranked in the top 15. Baker needed a tough 3-1 victory over #9 Kyle Sommer of Elkhart on the first day just to survive to Day Two – perhaps the biggest win in the tournament for any Bellmont wrestler.
The Braves will enjoy a week of training without a weigh-in and prep for the winner of Owen Valley and Jay County in the second round of Saturday’s IHSWCA Team State at Brownsburg.
Bellmont Team Placement and Point Total at Al Smith since 2021
2025 – 15th (104.5 pts)
2024 – 21st (67.5 pts)
2023 – 7th (118 pts)
2022 – 14th (93.5 pts)
2021 – 6th (173 pts)
Results
Consolation Quarterfinals
138 – Henry Faurote t.f. Erik Hunt (Western), 21-4
150 – Caleb Kirkpatrick (Col. East) p. Sam Wolpert, 4:19
285 – Josh Diaz (Hobart) d. Grady Baker, 7-3
Semifinals
190 – Xavior Palacios d. Colin McMahon (Col. East), 9-6
Consolation Semifinals
138 – Henry Faurote d. Donald Bowie (Warren Central), 2-1
Finals
190 – Kyle Harden (Cathedral) m.d. Xavior Palacios, 14-4
3rd-Place Matches
138 – Henry Faurote d. Angelo Vargo (Penn), 8-1
7th-Place Matches
150 – Sam Wolpert m.d. Kristian Tapia (Portage), 8-0
285- Hank Redman (Columbus East) d. Grady Baker, 7-0
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