On Saturday, February 12th, the CHS Boys Wrestling team competed in the Semi-State wrestling meet in East Chicago Central. Freshman Chase Staubus, sophomores Hayden DeMarco and Isaiah Wilson, junior Aiden Torres, and seniors Luke Stento and Gage DeMarco competed after the consistent success they had throughout the season. 

Previously, H. Demarco won at both Sectionals and Regionals, advancing to the Semi-State meet. H. DeMarco added to his season of success and won the Semi-State championship for the 120 pound weight class, advancing to the State meet for the second year in a row. 

Similar to H. DeMarco, Wilson had advanced to the Semi-state competition through his success in the previous meets. However, he did not find the same success on that night. Wilson lost his first match by a slim margin of 12-11. 

Torres, in the 145-pound weight class, added to his season of success when dominating in the semi-state competition after winning round after round. He won the semi-state championship and advanced to the State competition for the third consecutive year. 

Staubus, in the 152-pound division, lost his first round in the competition. As a freshman, he has the next three years to make a comeback and has already contributed a great deal of skill to the team.

After recovering from an injury during the previous football season, Stento was triumphant during the wrestling season. He won his first round in the semi-state meet while his second round went into overtime. After winning the second round 9-7, Stento concluded his last high school wrestling season on a high note. He will continue his athletic career at Franklin College playing football. 

Last but not least, G. DeMarco continued his success qualifying for State for the third year in a row and placing 3rd overall in the Semi-State meet. 

The three boys advanced to the State championships the following weekend at Gainbridge Fieldhouse, where they continued their season success.  Each wrestler placed in the top ten, securing a successful weekend for the program

3. DeMarco placed 7th after just barely losing two rounds. He ended his sophomore season with a record of 44-3. Torres placed 3rd individually concluding his season with an astonishing 43-2 record. G. DeMarco placed 4th with a record of 44-8, concluding his senior year. 

“We had a lot of fun wrestling down at state. I had an amazing career that I’d say ended on a good note,” G. DeMarco expressed.

Both H. DeMarco and Torres and their teammates will have more opportunities to excel in the 22-23 season to come, while G. DeMarco will transition to the next chapter, hopefully advancing in his sports at the collegiate level.