No state wrestlers for Chesterton: Max Quiroz and Charlie Shaffer lose in overtime in ticket round

Staff report

None of Chesterton’s seven wrestlers competing at the East Chicago Central semi-state site Saturday picked up the required two wins to advance to the state meet.
Sophomores Max Quiroz at 126 pounds and Charlie Shaffer at 157 came the closest, only to be eliminated in overtime by Merrillville wrestlers they had faced earlier in the season.
Quiroz reached the second round by scoring a 17-2 technical fall in 1:12 vs. Aaron Dewell of Lafayette Harrison. Anderson then ran into Matthew Maldonado (36-3), ranked No. 4 in the state, and was tied with him through three periods before losing by fall 50 seconds into overtime.
Six minutes of wrestling also had been insufficient to separate the evenly matched talents the previous time they met. Maldonado defeated Quiroz 8-5 in overtime in their semifinal match in the DAC Tournament at Chesterton on Jan. 18. Maldonado took second that day and Quiroz third then, when the state’s No. 1 wrestler at that weight, Gavin Jendreas won the DAC title.
At the semi-state, Charlie Shaffer won a major decision, 13-4, over Carter Heriges of Lafayette Harrison in the first round and then lost 2-1 in overtime period to Merrillville’s Anthony Bustamante.
Shaffer had defeated Bustamante 4-0 on Dec. 18 during Chesterton’s victorious dual meet vs. the Pirates.
Wrestling at 175 pounds, Anderson also advanced to the ticket round at ECC by pinning Hobart’s Hayden Mancilla in 2:47, bringing him to the ticket round, where Penn’s Vinny Freeman (33-2), ranked No. 3 in the state, was waiting for him. Freeman pinned Anderson in 1:43.
Freshman Emeric Ritter (120), seniors Damien Santiago (132) and Andrew Shaffer (165), and junior Greyson Strickland (190) all lost their first-round matches.
The final records of the seven Trojans who reached the semi-state round: Quiroz (42-8), Anderson (36-10), Charlie Shaffer (33-13), Andrew Shaffer (25-13), Ritter (12-6), Santiago (10-28), Strickland (9-8).