GREENFIELD — Being a two-time state qualifier isn’t enough for Greenfield-Central senior Cooper Noehre.
Being a state runner-up at 152 pounds as a junior, won’t cut it either.
He’s still chasing a title, and tonight at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the state’s fourth-ranked 160-pounder will resume his pursuit.
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Noehre (33-2) will open the state finals against Brownsburg’s Peyton Asbury (36-6), who is ranked eighth in the state.
A potential meeting with seventh-ranked Noah Hollendonner (37-4) of Crown Point awaits Noehre in the quarterfinals on Saturday, if the future Purdue Boilermaker advances out of opening night.
In the semifinals, Prairie Heights’ Isiah Levitz (40-0), who is ranked second in the state would be one of many hurdles for Noehre, but he’s not backing down.
“Kids in Indiana don’t run from each other,” Greenfield-Central head coach Josh Holden said. “Cooper gets excited to maybe wrestle the kid who beat him in the state finals (Cathedral’s Elliott Rodgers in the finals). He’s ready to go. He’s full of energy. This is why you do it.”
A rematch with Noehre and Rodgers (38-3), who is ranked third in the state would mark the third time they’ve met this season.
Finishing second at 152 last year to Rodgers in his first state appearance, Noehre placed third at semistate last weekend, losing for only the second time this year and to the same opponent, Rodgers, by decision 3-0 in the semifinals.
Noehre lost to Rodgers during the regular season by decision 3-2 in the match’s final seconds. Last year, the duo locked up at 152 during the regular season with Rodgers winning in overtime before Noehre turned the tables and won 5-3 in sudden victory for his first-career semistate title in 2019.
The two collided again during the state finals at Bankers Life Fieldhouse last February and Rodgers won with a 9-7 sudden victory finale.
This past May in Avon, Noehre beat Rodgers with a 12-2 major decision to claim his second-career ISWA freestyle state championship.
“I got to go out with a bang,” Noehre said. “I’m still looking for a title and I want to earn it.”
With familiarity on his side, Holden believes Noehre has the focus to achieve his goal.
“We beat him in the semistate finals last year, so we know we can beat him,” Holden said. “We were leading matches. We lost two in overtime to him. We were leading a match with 30 seconds left, and we lose the match. We’re leading a lot of time in those matches. So we know we can wrestle with the guy. You can’t worry about losing. You just have to wrestle.”
DRAGONS READY FOR STATE
New Palestine will be represented by a pair of state qualifiers in first-timer Richard Clevenger at 195 pounds and Christian White at 120.
Both juniors, White has experience on his side as a state qualifier last year, but now, he’s tasked with advancing after falling in the opening round in 2019.
White finished third at semistate last weekend and he was runner-up at both sectional and regional. Tonight, White (34-4), who is ranked seventh in the state, opens against Bloomington South’s Delaney Ruhlman (36-3).
Clevenger (34-7), a sectional and regional champion, placed fourth at semistate. He will wrestle 17th-ranked Mississinewa’s Kyler Funk (41-2) in the opening round at state.
