July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Hess headed to Conseco (02/17/05)
JCHS wrestling
Hess headed to Conseco (02/17/05)
By By RAY COONEY-
PORTLAND — The Jay County High School wrestling room has been quiet this week. But, it hasn’t been empty. That’s just Kurtis Hess’s style.
The unassuming Patriot junior has been hard at work all week preparing for his trip to the state meet.
Hess, a 140-pounder, will battle Dan Zemlik of Portage in the first round of the state tournament Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Wrestling begins at 6 p.m.
Hess (26-6) is the first Jay County wrestler to earn a state berth since James Brewster and Joe VanSkyock did it in 1999. Brewster finished seventh.
“It’s awesome,” said Hess prior to Wednesday’s practice. “It’s always been my dream, to wrestle at Conseco.”
If he were to defeat the fourth-ranked Zemlick, who is 37-3 and won the Merrillville semi-state title, Hess would guarantee himself a state medal and move on to Saturday’s action to wrestle at least three more matches. His first match Saturday would be against either second-rated Zach Aspling (44-2) of Lawrence North or fifth-ranked Sean Brescher (42-2) of Jasper in the quarterfinals.
He would need four consecutive victories in a bracket which still includes the top six ranked wrestlers in Indiana to earn a state title.
The only state championships in Jay County history came from Geoff Glogas (98) and Dave Ferguson (105) in 1987.
Even with state gold as a possibilty, the focus is on the Zemlick match. And, not even so much on Zemlick himself, but on what Hess must do to be successful against anyone he faces.
“I know he’s got three losses, so he’s not unbeatable,” said JCHS coach James Myers of what he knows about Hess’s first-round opponent. “... We’re not going to worry about what (Zemlick) can do, we’re going to worry about what Kurt does well. If he can stick to a game plan and wrestle his match he should come out all right.”
Hess has needed to stick to it and persevere throughout the tournament series as he has not had the easiest road.
He lost in the championship round of the sectional tournament 7-0 to James Lewis of Norwell. Then in the regional semifinals he fell to Justin Combs by a 6-3 score. He finished second and third in those tournaments respectively.
However, both Lewis and Combs will be watching this weekend while Hess is one of 16 wrestlers vying for a state championship.
“He’s made the best of his situation,” said Myers, who was in much the same situation when he earned a trip to the state meet and finished seventh in 1997. “It’s a lot about how you prepare and how you focus and taking the opportunities and running with them. He did that.”
Myers said one of the most important things for Hess is to have good offense and score from his feet. He also said Hess needs to focus on scoring the first point, which he did against Chase Smith of North Miami and Quaylon Boone of Fort Wayne Snider to finish fourth at the New Haven semi-state.
“He can be a state medalist,” Myers added. “He can go as far as he wants to, looking at his draw. There’s not a kid in the state I think he can’t beat.”
Myers said he has been able to pass on some of what he went through when he went to the state tournament. Assistant coach Randy Mann, a state qualifier in 1984 and 1985, can do the same. But, Myers said, it isn’t really necessary.
Hess, who is also a tennis stand-out for Jay County, wrestles extensively in the off-season. He won the 140-pound Greco-Roman championship at the USA Wrestling Central Regional Championships in 2003. And last year he went to the national tournament for both Greco-Roman and Freestyle in Fargo, N. D. as a member Team Indiana.
He said all of that experience should help him when he sets foot on the mat in the 18,345-seat fieldhouse Friday.
“I’m not as nervous as I think I would be if I hadn’t wrestled in big places like that,” said Hess. “I’ve had to wrestle under pressure, where all the little things count.”
And, Hess has been to Conseco and previous state tournament sites before as well. He said he’s been attending the state tournament since about first or second grade.
He said that interest in wrestling began because of his father, Jeff, a former JCHS coach. But, “I probably would have liked it even if he didn’t show it to me though,” said Hess. “I just love it.”[[In-content Ad]]
The unassuming Patriot junior has been hard at work all week preparing for his trip to the state meet.
Hess, a 140-pounder, will battle Dan Zemlik of Portage in the first round of the state tournament Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Wrestling begins at 6 p.m.
Hess (26-6) is the first Jay County wrestler to earn a state berth since James Brewster and Joe VanSkyock did it in 1999. Brewster finished seventh.
“It’s awesome,” said Hess prior to Wednesday’s practice. “It’s always been my dream, to wrestle at Conseco.”
If he were to defeat the fourth-ranked Zemlick, who is 37-3 and won the Merrillville semi-state title, Hess would guarantee himself a state medal and move on to Saturday’s action to wrestle at least three more matches. His first match Saturday would be against either second-rated Zach Aspling (44-2) of Lawrence North or fifth-ranked Sean Brescher (42-2) of Jasper in the quarterfinals.
He would need four consecutive victories in a bracket which still includes the top six ranked wrestlers in Indiana to earn a state title.
The only state championships in Jay County history came from Geoff Glogas (98) and Dave Ferguson (105) in 1987.
Even with state gold as a possibilty, the focus is on the Zemlick match. And, not even so much on Zemlick himself, but on what Hess must do to be successful against anyone he faces.
“I know he’s got three losses, so he’s not unbeatable,” said JCHS coach James Myers of what he knows about Hess’s first-round opponent. “... We’re not going to worry about what (Zemlick) can do, we’re going to worry about what Kurt does well. If he can stick to a game plan and wrestle his match he should come out all right.”
Hess has needed to stick to it and persevere throughout the tournament series as he has not had the easiest road.
He lost in the championship round of the sectional tournament 7-0 to James Lewis of Norwell. Then in the regional semifinals he fell to Justin Combs by a 6-3 score. He finished second and third in those tournaments respectively.
However, both Lewis and Combs will be watching this weekend while Hess is one of 16 wrestlers vying for a state championship.
“He’s made the best of his situation,” said Myers, who was in much the same situation when he earned a trip to the state meet and finished seventh in 1997. “It’s a lot about how you prepare and how you focus and taking the opportunities and running with them. He did that.”
Myers said one of the most important things for Hess is to have good offense and score from his feet. He also said Hess needs to focus on scoring the first point, which he did against Chase Smith of North Miami and Quaylon Boone of Fort Wayne Snider to finish fourth at the New Haven semi-state.
“He can be a state medalist,” Myers added. “He can go as far as he wants to, looking at his draw. There’s not a kid in the state I think he can’t beat.”
Myers said he has been able to pass on some of what he went through when he went to the state tournament. Assistant coach Randy Mann, a state qualifier in 1984 and 1985, can do the same. But, Myers said, it isn’t really necessary.
Hess, who is also a tennis stand-out for Jay County, wrestles extensively in the off-season. He won the 140-pound Greco-Roman championship at the USA Wrestling Central Regional Championships in 2003. And last year he went to the national tournament for both Greco-Roman and Freestyle in Fargo, N. D. as a member Team Indiana.
He said all of that experience should help him when he sets foot on the mat in the 18,345-seat fieldhouse Friday.
“I’m not as nervous as I think I would be if I hadn’t wrestled in big places like that,” said Hess. “I’ve had to wrestle under pressure, where all the little things count.”
And, Hess has been to Conseco and previous state tournament sites before as well. He said he’s been attending the state tournament since about first or second grade.
He said that interest in wrestling began because of his father, Jeff, a former JCHS coach. But, “I probably would have liked it even if he didn’t show it to me though,” said Hess. “I just love it.”[[In-content Ad]]
Top Stories
9/11 NEVER FORGET Mobile Exhibit
Chartwells marketing
September 17, 2024 7:36 a.m.
Events
250 X 250 AD