The 2024-25 Madison Consolidated High School boys wrestling season recently concluded. The team nearly set a new record, with six wrestlers qualifying for semi-state, tying the program’s record for most qualifiers. The last time Madison sent six wrestlers to semi-state was during the 2020-21 season. However, the Cubs faced tough competition at semi-state, falling short of reaching the state tournament. Despite these challenges, the season was still a success and provided optimism for the future.
Season Recap and Semi-State Performances
The six semi-state qualifiers were Kieran Lock, senior, at 113 pounds; Ethan Pittman, sophomore, at 120; Eli Stewart, senior, at 126; Brendan Bentz, freshman, at 144; Garrett Deuser, freshman, at 175; and Ayden Waggoner, senior, at 190.
Lock, Pittman, Bentz, Deuser, and Waggoner all suffered tough losses to ranked opponents. Stewart won his opening match against Stephen Goodman from New Albany but fell in the ticket round to Avon’s eventual state champion, Nathan Rioux.
Although the season did not end as the Cubs had hoped, it set the stage for future success, with three of the six semi-state qualifiers being underclassmen.
Coach Wimpee’s Vision for the Future
Head coach Phillip Wimpee emphasized long-term goals for the program.
“Our goals for the future are simple—put good citizens out into the community who have the mental toughness to face the world and attack daily with a positive attitude,” Wimpee said. “We want to foster a culture where guys want to come back and give back to the program that helped build them.”
That mentality was reflected in Stewart’s determination to return to the mat despite an injury.
“I missed almost my whole season because of my ankle injury, so I only got three matches before sectionals,” Stewart said. “Something that helped me was keeping a positive mindset to achieve my goals. I had a lot of people devoting their time and effort to me, and my teammates helped push me when I needed it.”
Wimpee also hopes to raise expectations for the team.
“We want to develop a program where sending guys to the state finals becomes the norm,” Wimpee said. “It’s been 10 years since we had our last state finalist, and that’s not lost on any of us. We just have to keep growing and making things happen.”
That standard is already motivating Madison’s wrestlers, including Deuser, who has set a bold goal for himself.
“For the upcoming seasons, my goal is to win state,” Deuser said.
Challenges and Overcoming Adversity
At the start of the state tournament, the Cubs faced increasing competition. With new teams added to the sectional, brackets became more challenging, with some featuring as many as six state-ranked wrestlers.
To prepare his team, Wimpee focused on maintaining composure.
“The most basic answer was reading the room and managing our practices in a way that we would peak at the right time,” Wimpee said. “That, and just taking the pressure off the guys by reminding them that as long as we wrestled to our ability and controlled what we could control, everything would work out as it should.”
This approach paid off for Bentz, who entered sectionals as the No. 6 seed but placed fourth, advancing past multiple ranked opponents.
“Going into sectionals, I knew I was a heavy underdog,” Bentz said. “I had four people ranked in the state, and only the top four moved on to regionals. Even though I recognized my disadvantage, I knew some crazy upsets were about to happen. This came in my blood round match against [Columbus East’s] Caleb Cooper. He was ranked ninth in the state and was the favorite, but down one point with seven seconds left, I was able to secure the takedown.”
CIEO: The Cubs’ Guiding Philosophy
A key motivator for the Cubs is the program’s new acronym: CIEO—Consistency, Intensity, and Eternal Optimism. Wimpee and his wrestlers see these values as essential for long-term success.
“Those aren’t just talking points for us but actual guiding principles behind how we want to run our program,” Wimpee said. “As long as we keep those three things in mind, I believe we’ll continue to see progress.”
Looking Ahead
This season marked a milestone for the Cubs and laid a strong foundation for the future. With a young team featuring multiple underclassmen, Madison is poised to achieve even bigger goals in the years ahead.
