Alex was not able to pass his inside elbow defense. “Instead of bailing out and waiting for the next opportunity. “Alex made one mistake in the beginning by trying to keep going after that takedown,” said Webb of the exchange. “He really did hang on my head, and he didn’t get called, but that’s wrestling,” said Cartwright.Īfter giving up a takedown early in the first period, Cartwright was unable to generate any offense against the Brownsburg junior, who wrapped his arm around Cartwright’s neck. Stalling could have been called on Cartwright’s opponent several times. Each wrestler had few chances to score as Keys and Cartwright were tied up collar-and-elbow. In the state championship match against Keys, points were hard to come by. It was nice to win the overtime match in the state finals. It felt good to get that win considering two years ago I lost in the blood round at semi-state in overtime. “It really was the best match of the whole tournament,” said Cartwright. In the third overtime, Cartwright was able to pull away with 15 seconds to go to secure the winning point and a spot in the state championship match. The first 1-minute overtime session didn’t change things. It was tied 1-all at the end of regulation, with each wrestler scoring an escape. A couple times, Cartwright almost gave up a takedown, but was able to use his quickness and show the angles he had learned to escape. He shot repeatedly, only to have Watts block his moves. When the match began, Cartwright clearly had a game plan. Cartwright wrestled his way to the #5 spot in the state. 1-ranked heavyweight in Indiana, according to the wrestling website, IndianaMat. Heading into the semifinal match, Watts and Cartwright were the only unbeaten wrestlers remaining in the heavyweight class. We were going crazy after he was able to escape and seal the match. “But Alex’s determination helped him get out. “We were all holding our breath when Alex rolled on to his back,” recalled Webb of the match against Watts. It took triple overtime – eight minutes of wrestling – before Cartwright was able to pick up a hard-earned 2-1 victory. A match that Cartwright will not soon forget. A second pin in Saturday’s quarterfinal got him to the semifinals opposite Indiana’s #1-ranked heavyweight wrestler Jamichael Watts of North Central. “He gets his name on his own brick up on the wall in the wrestling room forever, and only the third wrestler in history to place at the state finals.”Ĭartwright successfully won Friday’s first round match with a pin in 1-minute, 20-seconds. “I am glad to be a witness of it and hope more follow him,” continued Webb. He did it in the most respectable way possible. “I wish there were words to explain how proud and amazed at Alex’s accomplishments over his wrestling career,” said LaVille coach Sean Webb. During the season, he claimed Hoosier North Athletic Conference championship honors, along with sectional, regional, and semi-state titles for his hard work over the last year. In the end, Cartwright’s bid for a state title came up one-point short in a 3-2 loss to Brownsburg’s Dorian Keys, earning him a state runner-up finish.Ĭartwright finished 32-1 overall. He worked from being more of a head-on style wrestler to learning angles and better technique.Īll that hard work helped Cartwright advance from the East Chicago Semi-State ticket round to the IHSAA state finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. He spent the last year working to become a better wrestler. INDIANAPOLIS - Saturday’s Indiana High School Athletic Association heavyweight championship match was what LaVille senior Alex Cartwright was shooting for all season.
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