Southmont wrestling has had its fair share of success in the state tournament.
Head coach Jamie Welliever placed third in 1981 at the state finals, while his son, Boone, claimed third-place in 2017. In 2001, the Mounties were team semi-state champions.
Locally, those wrestlers are legends. But on the state level – they’re often forgotten.
Southmont senior Riley Woodall wanted to change that.
Woodall had a pair of semi-state qualifications under his belt as a sophomore and junior, but joining the list of Southmont wrestlers to qualify for the state finals was his dream.
Fast forward to the semi-state ticket-round in February with Warren Central’s Keon Sullivan standing between Woodall and a place at Bankers Life Fieldhouse for the state finals.
“I wanted to prove everybody that we (Southmont) belong to be talked about up there with all those other big Indy teams,” Woodall said. “And when I was able to win that match, it really carried me throughout the rest of that.”
Woodall beat Sullivan 7-4 to punch his ticket, before beating Roncalli’s Sam Peeples 7-0 in the semifinals and finishing runner-up to Perry Meridian’s Aiden Warren. Ultimately Woodall finished seventh at the IHSAA State Finals at 182 pounds.
Woodall is the 2021 Journal Review Wrestler of the Year.
In junior-high Woodall picked up the sport and quickly fell in love with the idea of success coming from hard work.
“I think Riley really loves wrestling and the hard physical work it takes to succeed,” Southmont coach Jamie Welliever said. “With this, Riley ‘came to work’ every day at practice, and this led to constantly getting better and success.”
As a freshman Woodall beat out Jud VanCleave for a varsity spot, but lost it to the upperclassmen just before the state tournament started. He then qualified for the semi-state as a sophomore. And the dream and goal of making it to Bankers Life Fieldhouse started to become a possibility.
“As soon as I got into junior year my aggressiveness and my offense started to take off and when I was finally able to get into semi-state that year, not off of pinning someone or catching them and actually working my way to the regional final my junior year it finally kind of hit me that I could pull it off and it was something I could do,” Woodall said.
After losing in the semi-state ticket-round as a junior — that’s when Woodall could see the end goal within reach.
And then COVID-19 hit. In the summer of 2020 and early part of Woodall’s senior year, the season outlook was uncertain, but it didn’t keep him from working. Woodall led Southmont in tackles on the gridiron for a second-straight season, and after an early wrestling season quarantine — counted his blessings every day.
“We kind of counted every day as a blessing,” he said. “Luckily it came to fruition, luckily I didn’t get quarantined again. “I was with a bunch of guys that was fortunate enough to make it to state and place at state.”
The season didn’t come without its ups and downs though.
Woodall carried a perfect record into the Sagamore Conference finals against Tri-West’s Dominic Pugliese. A match between two ranked wrestlers would show Woodall if he was ready to be considered as one of the state’s top guys at 182.
The finale ended in a 5-3 Pugliese decision.
“He definitely did not wrestle his best match in the Conference finals,” Welliever said. “The loss seemed to free him up to learn exactly what his best style or approach was for him.”
The loss meant there was still work to be done before the state series began at the end of January.
“Not a good one to take and good one to think about over the weekend,” Woodall said of the loss. “I think I spent that next day and I maybe said five or six words that whole day, because I knew I was much better than he was at least skill wise and technique wise. I came in Monday to practice and slated it and that loss I think released me and allowed me to not be so focused on keeping an undefeated season and more just going out there and being aggressive and just wrestling and finally that was the last thing that flipped the switch for me.”
Woodall didn’t lose again until the semi-state final and earned revenge against Pugliese with a 10-5 dominating win in the opening round of the state finals that cemented his place in the Southmont record book.
“This year we took it day by day and we had the state tournament and that dream and that drive was in full gear and I felt like I was on a completely different level compared to any of the other years I’ve wrestled in that state tournament and I punched my ticket,” Woodall said.
The senior finished 26-4, losing in the state finals quarterfinal round and the consolation, before beating Lake Central’s Jake Sues 5-3 in the seventh-place match.
And that was the goal all along. To not only reach the state finals, but join the short list of Mounties that includes coach Welliever, Boone Welliever, Jason Kelsey, Nate and Nick Hodges, and Zach Worm to place at the state finals.
“It’s extremely humbling and I’m very honored to be in that elite group of guys with coach Welliever, his son, Boone, Nick Hodges, and a bunch of other amazing guys up there that had the privilege to make it and place at state from a small school like us in the middle of Indiana,” he said. “I think that’s a contribution and attribute of our coaching. And really our hard work mentality and never give up mindset and just always wanting to improve and get better.”
Over his four years, Woodall made the Southmont wrestling team better each time he stepped on the mat, but if this past seasons’ success from its young wrestlers that includes Riley’s little brother, Wyatt — the Mounties best days are still ahead of them and Woodall’s impact will be everlasting.
“I think with the particularly talented younger wrestlers we had on the team this year it will help show them how to get it done, and give them the confidence to do so as well,” Welliever said.
