Trojans senior wrestler Luke Johnson cracks top 20 state rankings and heads into weekend Al Smith Classic determined to justify that recognition

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Rankings don’t mean anything once wrestlers shake hands and set about trying to gain control over their opponents. At the same time, a little recognition, if channeled properly, can boost an athlete’s confidence.
Chesterton senior Luke Johnson appeared in the most recent Indianamat.com top 30 rankings for the first time.
“I was told by a teammate that I’m ranked 19th in the state (at 138 pounds) and I searched it and saw it myself and I immediately told my parents,” Johnson said. “I’m really proud of that.”
He already knew that he was wrestling better than at any point in his career, but finding out that others are noticing just might have given his confidence a needed boost.
Wrestling up to that ranking at this weekend’s prestigious Al Smith Classic, Friday and Saturday, could do even more for the youngest of four Chesterton wrestling brothers.
“He’s beaten seeded guys,” Trojans head coach Andrew Trevino said. “He just needs to be more consistent.”
Johnson blames inconsistency on “overthinking” and stated his plan for solving that requires him to “think less and try to use my stuff, instead of letting them do their stuff first. At (the Hobart Duals), I did a lot more stalking and following people. I know when people stalk me and keep their hands on me, I get a little under pressure and I can crack from that, so if I crack people, I’ll do better.”
Trevino liked hearing Johnson say that after a recent practice in the Chesterton wrestling room.
“I feel like if you set the pace, you’re in more control. Even in a defensive situation, you want to feel like you’re on the offensive, you’re making things work for your benefit,” Trevino said. “So you want to get your hands on them. You want to be setting the fakes, not going off his fakes. That gives you a better chance to get into the legs for shots. Get in people’s faces and get to it right away. I think we hold on too much, instead of getting right to it. I always say fake one side, take the other side.”
Johnson’s ranking is especially impressive considering he didn’t make it out of the sectional round last season.
The first indication this might be a different season came when Johnson pinned Lakeland sophomore Quentin Kjendalen midway through the second period at the season-opening Red Hawk Duals. As a freshman last season Kjendalen was a sectional and regional runner-up and fell one win shy of qualifying for state.
Winning major decisions over Portage’s Ayden Campbell and Hobart’s Jacoby Moore and pinning Munster’s Noah Prieto enhanced Johnson’s reputation.
Three of his six losses came against wrestlers ranked in the top in the state.
Four wrestlers from each semi-state site advance to the state finals at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 20-21. At the moment, Johnson is ranked sixth in the East Chicago semi-state, behind Evan Stanley (Lowell), Crown Point’s Sonny Sessa, Alfredo Origel of Rensselaer Central, Moore, and Simon Martinez of Highland, a 9-6 winner over Johnson last weekend at the New Prairie Duals.
Johnson has the good fortune of wrestling against junior Max Quiroz in practice. Ranked third in the East Chicago semi-state and ninth in the state at 132 pounds, Quiroz has a style that contrasts Johnson’s.
“I don’t move too fast. I don’t like to be all spazzy and stuff and move way too fast,” Johnson said. “I have more of a slower pace, trying to find what I want and once I find what I want I pick up my speed. Max is very fast. He likes to hand fight fast, fake fast, shoot, and go to another leg fast. So he is the biggest factor in why my leg defense is pretty good, down blocks and stuff, because he’s always trying to get that low single. I’ve gotten really good at defending shots from wrestling Max.”
Thanks to his three brothers, Johnson has a long history in the sport and brings more knowledge onto the mat than most.
“We’re waiting for Lukey to put this all together and have a good end-of-the-year series, the state series. It can start from here, start at Mishawaka,” Trevino said. “We have a good Mishawaka, change his mindset a little bit, and we get into the state series ready to rock.”
In addition to Quiroz and Johnson, Chesterton has state-ranked wrestlers at 165 (Greyson Strickland No. 17) and at 175 (Lucas Anderson, No. 24).
At No. 5, Quiroz is Chesterton’s highest seed this weekend, which Trevino pointed to as an indication of what a strong field the midseason Mishawaka tournament draws.
“Al Smith is a good dipstick on where you’re at,” he said. “If you can place at Al Smith you should have a good chance at getting through semi-state and getting a state berth. It’s a good opportunity.”