The state qualifiers: Layne Horn

Ready for his 4th state finals, Horn having fun

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Layne Horn

Rochester senior Layne Horn won the East Chicago semistate title Saturday, and by doing so, he qualified for the IHSAA boys wrestling state finals for the fourth time.

So what is the secret to Horn’s success? Does dodge ball have something to do with it?

Rochester coach Tristan Wilson said Horn has embraced his “work hard, play hard” credo.

“That’s kind of the mindset that we have,” Wilson said. “We play dodge ball every single day. And I know there are kids that look at us in practice and go, ‘How can they be so good when they just play dodge ball all the time?’ Like, we play hard, and we work hard. And I think pairing those two things together gives enjoyment to the kids, and they’re much more willing to work if they had their dodge ball session.

“And Layne is probably the first one to tell you how much fun. He loves playing dodge ball. He screams when he throws it at the top of his lungs. I think us having a lot of fun in the room is really starting to translate out to the mat. It frees you up a little bit. He knows how good he is too. He just put himself in a really good spot and throughout the whole season. He’s a happy kid and he’s starting to wrestle like it too.”

Horn and teammate Brant Beck are the two winningest wrestlers in school history, and regardless of what happens this weekend, Horn will leave with the most pins in school history.

He is 44-1 this season. He won his fourth Three Rivers Conference title, his fourth sectional title, his fourth regional title and his second semistate.

He said the second semistate title felt better than the first.

“It feels amazing to do what I wanted to do all week and get the job done,” Horn said after beating Hanover Central’s Isaiah Buikema 10-0 for the semistate title. 

Horn pinned New Prairie’s Colton Newgent and Lake Central’s Aidan Witry to secure his state ticket. Those two matches lasted 1:53 combined.

Then came a 4-1 semifinal win over Crown Point’s Gavin Lewis, who came in ranked No. 5 in the state.

He needed to get an escape from the bottom position against both Lewis and Buikema. Horn getting up from bottom might be considered unusual given that Horn is typically on top of his opponents for the entirety of his matches.

But for him, getting an escape is to be expected.

“If you tell yourself you’re going to get up from bottom, you’re going to get up from bottom,” Horn said. “It’s all a mind game.”

Horn’s next opponent is Owen Blessinger of Southridge at the IHSAA state finals. Horn will wrestle in the evening session beginning at 6 p.m. tonight at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

If Horn wins his first two matches, a possible rematch with Avon’s top-ranked Nathan Rioux could happen in the semifinals. Rioux, a Purdue recruit, won state at 126 last year, and he beat Horn in the first round at state in 2023 when both weighed 106.

“Same thing as it was this weekend,” Horn said when asked what his mindset will be for state. “Go out, score points, have fun, and see what you can get.”