LHS’ Noel Verduzco caps off freshman season with 3rd place finish in Indy
It’s a pretty big deal to get to the state finals in wrestling. It’s even more impressive doing it as a freshman.
And placing as a freshman? Yeah, pretty sweet.
Lowell’s Noel Verduzco knows this feeling firsthand. Verduzco took 3rd in the 113 lb weight class at the IHSAA State Wrestling Championships at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Feb. 21-22.
Verduzco started the tournament off by winning a 6-0 decision over Cole Freese of Franklin County, and then dealt Rex Moore of Manchester a technical fall after racking up a 17-2 score in the second period. However, the Lowell freshman lost a 12-8 decision from Peyton Schoettle of Indianapolis Roncalli in the next round.
“I felt really good and had good thoughts going into the match,” Verduzco recalled. “Once I scored the first takedown, I felt even better and my confidence was there. Then he got a takedown. I just thought about scoring next when I got taken down. The start of the second, I chose the bottom. I got up and I was still looking to score then I had gotten another takedown by the end of the period. The third period, he chose down and I was looking to ride him out for the period but he got an escape and with about 30 seconds left, he took me down and I got put onto my back while giving up near fall which put him ahead of me.”
Coming back to wrestle for third place, Verduzco saw a familiar opponent in Crown Point’s Colin Strayer staring across from him. He defeated Strayer 1-0 to claim third place in the tournament, but it wasn’t easy. Strayer has made it difficult for him all season long.
“It has definitely gotten more and more difficult to beat him just because of how many times I have wrestled him,” Verduzco said. “The most difficult time of beating him was definitely at state when I lost in the semis to Schoettle. I had to change my whole mindset of getting the next best thing and it was very difficult. Strayer wrestles like how I do. What I mean by that is that he is always looking to score and tries to find a way to win.”
Lowell coach Kevin English said Verduzco and his teammate Evan Stanley “sleep, dream wrestling.” However, English noted mistakes can be costly, and both wrestlers found that out the hard way.
“The two just came up short,” English said. “Noel lost on a mistake with 27 seconds left against the returning state champion. Unfortunately at this level one small mistake and well...”
Stanley, who wrestled his freshman season for the Mount Carmel Caravan in Chicago last year, said he’s struck up a real friendship with Verduzco this year upon his return to Lowell.
“He’s a great kid and very hard worker,” Stanley said. “One of the hardest in our room and his results show. I’m proud of the way he was able to bounce back.”
Kameron Hazelett, who snagged the state heavyweight title as a freshman this year, thought his teammate wrestled quite well.
“He wrestled great,” Hazelett said. “He’s a great wrestler. He got caught with a fireman which was a great move. Like Evan, he’s a good wrestler and takes the sport seriously.”
Whatcha got going on next, Noel?
“I will be at Freshman Nationals in Virginia Beach and hopeful at the US Open in Las Vegas, and over the summer, go to Fargo,” Verduzco said.