By John Rohlf, The Message assistant editor
One year after falling one match short of a state title, Evansville’s Mater Dei High School senior Isaiah Schaefer executed a late comeback to join his father and coach Greg Schaefer as an Indiana state wrestling champion.
In his junior season, Isaiah Schaefer dropped the championship match at the Indiana state wrestling competition. This year, Schaefer made it back to the championship match, this time in the 138-pound weight class.
“Before the match, I was talking with my coaches and my brother and I’m like, I’m going to win,” Isaiah Schaefer said. “I know I’m going to win. Something just feels right.”
Schaefer built an early 3-0 lead in the first period and led 3-1 at the conclusion of the first of the three periods in his match against Brownsburg’s Braylon Reynolds. Despite the early lead, Schaefer found himself trailing 5-3 going into the final period. As the time was ticking down late in the third period, Schaefer was awarded a stalling point and executed a takedown before time expired for a 7-5 triumph to win the state title to cap off his high school career.
Isaiah said he worked really hard for the first 90-105 seconds of the final period before he was awarded four points at the end of the final period to win the state title in dramatic fashion.
“By the grace of God, I still really don’t know what happened,” he said. “I was able to get a pull by, quick takedown as time expired. I honestly don’t really know what happened. I guess I just stopped thinking and started wrestling.”
Like Isaiah, Greg Schaefer was confident going into the match. He was also at peace with whatever happened. He said he and Isaiah talked for a long time about not being defined by wins and losses.
Greg conceded things were “looking pretty bleak toward the end” of the match. The two-time state champion credited Isaiah’s win as a combination of God’s grace and Isaiah continuing to wrestle to the end of the period.
“When I talk to people about the way he did win, it didn’t leave any room for pride,” Greg said. “It was just gratitude because some things have to go your way for you to win some of those highly contested bouts.”
Like his father, Isaiah will wrestle at an Indiana school in the Big 10 Conference. After he graduates from Mater Dei this spring, Schaefer will continue his athletic career at Purdue University. He will join teammate Ty Henderson, who placed third at the state meet, in West Lafayette.
Isaiah said the strong education and faith components offered at Purdue helped the Boilermakers come out on top in his college search.
“It was just hard to navigate what’s the best thing for me and what’s the best thing for my family,” Isaiah said. “And I think that’s where Purdue really came out on top because education’s really important for me and the faith aspect was huge. I’m super excited to get involved at St. Thomas Aquinas up there and the Boilermaker Catholic whole thing. And also it’s the closest.”
Greg, who wrestled at Indiana University, said it is a great accomplishment and opportunity for Isaiah to continue to use God’s gifts on the wrestling mat. With Isaiah being the oldest of seven children in their family, Greg thinks Isaiah’s siblings are proud that Isaiah will be close enough to home.
Isaiah expressed gratitude for his time as part of the Mater Dei wrestling program, saying he is blessed to have been in such an amazing place and have such an amazing opportunity. He said his success is nothing but a testament to the impact of his grandparents, great-grandparents and all the people around the Mater Dei wrestling program.
“I was able to spark some hope and unite a community,” Isaiah said. “And just having the opportunity and the ability to do that is just so amazing because not everybody gets that. And so I think the gratitude part is probably the biggest. And I’m going to find a way to give back.”
Greg stressed his father made a decision when Greg was in eighth grade to move their family into the Mater Dei community. Greg thinks about what his father did for his children and how Greg’s children are now reaping the benefits, he said.
“As a dad, watching him be in this community, what I think I was most proud of and what just felt the most rewarding was seeing all the other people that were tremendously filled with joy because this little kid that they watched grow and help raise accomplishes something that brings a lot of smiles. A lot of people were able to share in that. Even though it is just a wrestling match, just getting people together to have a reason to celebrate something is pretty amazing.”