Mt. Vernon’s Carson Johnson locks up with Delta’s Dillion Tuttle during their 138-pound championship match during the HHC wrestling championships at Yorktown High School on Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. (Rob Baker | Daily Reporter)
FORTVILLE — Mt. Vernon senior wrestler Carson Johnson sets goals ritualistically every season.
As a freshman in 2018-19, the Marauders newcomer eyed the New Castle Semistate, first and foremost, and he qualified at 120 pounds, concluding the year with 30 wins, a sectional runner-up and third-place regional finish and lofty expectations.
Unfortunately, setbacks became the norm for Johnson over the next two seasons, but the Marauder standout and two-time semistate qualifier is ready to strike, again.
Ranked 10th in the state at 138 by Indianamat, Johnson is entering Saturday’s postseason with a flawless 28-0 record and the top-seed in his weight class for the Indianapolis Arsenal Tech Sectional Tournament, beginning at 8 a.m.
“I’m definitely putting my head down off the the mat and working just as hard as I am on the mat,” Johnson said. “I’m going out there with a goal. Obviously, I’m going out there to win. I’m going out there to win every position and that ultimately leads to winning every match. That’s what my goal is every time.”
After reaching the semistate quarterfinal round as a junior in 2020-21 — also known as the IHSAA state finals ticket round — Johnson hasn’t thought about much else but redemption.
At 132, Johnson opened the 2021 New Castle Semistate with a 6-4 decision over Milan’s Ashton Myers, but in the second round, he made a mistake, and it cost him as Carmel’s Brac Hooper pinned him in 1 minute, 10 seconds. The error has only motivated him more in his final season.
“I always have that memory playing in the back of my mind. Whenever I’m pushing through something or working on something, I have that memory playing over and over,” Johnson said. “It keeps me driven.”
Johnson’s bouts with adversity has sharpened his resolve.
As a sophomore, Johnson’s season was cut short due to an elbow injury, preventing him from attempting to reach semistate in consecutive seasons.
Johnson injured his ulnar collateral ligament in 2019-20, which required reconstructive surgery.
“It was 99 percent off the bone,” Johnson said.
His return in 2020-21 after recovering from the corrective procedure led to continued state tournament success. Johnson was sectional runner-up at Arsenal Tech and a Pendleton Heights Regional runner-up, losing to Lawrence North’s Anthony Hughes in the finals match both times. Hughes has since graduated.
Without a major tournament title to his name, Johnson has been using his senior year to make up for lost time.
Two weeks ago at Yorktown High School, he secured his first-career Hoosier Heritage Conference weight-class title by advancing to the 138 finals with a pin in 3:04 during the semifinals. Johnson won by decision, 7-5, in the title match over Delta’s Dillon Tuttle, who is ranked 11th in the state.
Prior to this season, Johnson’s runs at the HHC were halted by Pendleton Heights’ Jared Brown, who is now at Marian University, and New Castle’s Breven Trine, who is ranked eighth at 132 this year.
“In the past, having all of those roadblocks, they’ve definitely made me strong coming into this season. I don’t want to say I’m prepared for the worst, but I’m alway prepared to wrestle good competition no matter where I’m going,” Johnson said.
Where he intends to go is back to New Castle and potentially Indianapolis’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse in February for the IHSAA state finals for the first time.
With his college commitment to the University of Indianapolis in place, a decision he made days before the HHC wrestling championships on Jan. 15, Johnson is forward focused.
“I was a semistate qualifier as a freshman. That was huge for me. That was my goal that year and every year I’m coming out with a different goal, and I’m really pushing towards that goal again,” Johnson said. “Last year, I got the draw that I wanted at semistate, but I didn’t get the results I wanted. I got caught ticket round on top with legs. I’ve learned from that.”
His 22 pins this season echoes his determination along with his Marauder teammates: No. 21 Zach Haughton (22-6), a 132-pound senior and 2020-21 semistate qualifier; No. 22 Devin Kendrex (24-3), a 220-pound freshman and HHC champion; and non-state ranked contenders 285-pound junior Riley Anderson (22-6); 145-pound junior Aiden Kiner (25-7), a 2020-21 semistate qualifier; 195-pound junior Russel Weaver (23-6), a 2020-21 semistate qualifier; and junior Hunter Austel (10-12), a 2020-21 semistate qualifier.
Both Anderson and Kiner also won HHC titles this month.
“It’s a lot of weight off my shoulders now (after committing). However, I’m still going out on the mat each time with that goal. I want to be a state champion,” Johnson said. “That’s my goal. That’s all I have to worry about now. There is a lot of ease now because I’m not stressed or have any anxiety about where I’m going, what I’m going to do or what’s next? A lot of stress off my shoulders.”
Dragons’ Keevers Charging Forward
In years past, a third-place finish at any wrestling tournament for New Palestine’s Porter Keevers would be a disappointment.
That wasn’t the case late last month for Keevers during the Connersville Invitational as he made his season debut.
Missing the first half of the 2021-22 season due to injury, Keevers hasn’t lost a match since taking third in Connersville prior to the new year. The 182-pound senior enters the Shelbyville Sectional this Saturday with a 15-1 record and his future set by committing to wrestle at the University of Indianapolis this week.
“I worked really hard. I wrestled all summer (with Red Cobra Wrestling in Avon) and it just feels great. I feel like I earned it,” Keever said. “I got levels better from that, and I’m just more confident with my wrestling. I feel great.”
In the season’s early months, Keevers was filled with uncertainty.
Diagnosed with a fractured fibula, Keevers had to stay off his injured leg for three weeks and wore a walking boot before gaining clearance to return. Fortunately, he recovered quicker than expected.
“I wasn’t supposed to be back until sectional, but I was able to come back early. I’ve been doing pretty well,” Keevers said. “I pinned the No. 1 ranked kid in my semistate (this year).”
Keevers, who is ranked 22nd in the state, pinned Hamilton Southeastern’s Jacob Schneider in 2:25 during the Dragons’ 47-24 dual loss at the Paul Loggan Memorial Invitational at North Central High School on Jan. 8.
Two weeks ago at Yorktown High School, Keevers rolled through the HHC tournament to win his first-career weight-class title. He won all three of his matches by fall in 19 seconds, 4:37 and 3:41.
His individual HHC title, in addition to Jacob Tweedy’s (19-7) run at 195 and Bryce Doss’ (23-5) championship finish at 113, helped the Dragons (181.5) finish third as a team behind Mt. Vernon (193) and repeat champion Greenfield-Central (207).
All three are hoping to make an impact on Sectional Saturday.
“I’m proud of my team. I’m proud of how we work. We work hard every day. I’m not surprised when we get results,” Keevers said. “We wrestle teams like Center Grove and Columbus East. Some of the best teams in the state. I think, this team has a lot going for it. We have a lot of guys who want to work, want to win and want to get better. When we get to sectional, I think, you’re going to see those results.”
