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Junior Jesse Mendez holds up three fingers after winning his third straight state championship. He led the boys team to a fourth place finish at state. PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION OF ROBERT SCHEER/INDY STAR
THREE YEARS, THREE TITLES Jesse Mendez wins third individual state title, team finishes fourth BY KEELEY BERNARD co-sports editor Junior Jesse Mendez has won his third consecutive state title after beating sophomore Delaney Ruhlman from Bloomington High School South in the final of the IHSAA tournament. Mendez’s state win caps off a historic season for the wrestling team. The team as a whole achieved a fourth place finish at state. This is just another accomplishment achieved this season along with second at semi state, a regional win that made it three regional wins in three years and a sectional win that made it 19 sectional wins in a row. Mendez is happy to have made his mark on the team’s history. “It means a lot knowing that I have
put my stamp on this team’s history. I have joined a group of some of the great alumni of Crown Point so that is really cool to see,” Mendez said. Coach Brandon Lorek is proud to have been a part of this winning run. “I am proud to be a part of the rich history CPHS Wrestling has,” Lorek said. “Winning our 19th consecutive IHSAA sectional title is special, because I’ve coached a lot of CPHS wrestlers and worked with a lot of great coaches in the process. Winning our fourth regional title in five years is also a huge accomplishment for the program.” Although the team had many impressive achievements during this season, some goals were not reached this season. “I felt like we had a good season,” Mendez said. “We didn’t meet our end
goal of team state champions but that only makes us hungrier to come back even stronger next year.” Lorek, despite some goals not being achieved, is proud of the team. “We didn’t reach our team goal at the IHSAA State Finals, but fourth in the state in single class wrestling is a really big deal. I believe it’s something for our school and team to be proud of,” Lorek said. Freshman wrestler Evan Cruz is also proud to be a part of the team’s history. “It is a special feeling being a part of Crown Point wrestling. Being a part of the team’s history is definitely something to be proud of,” Cruz said. Although the season was successful, there were moments when it looked like the team was not going be able to finish the
