Hobart senior Hayden Mancilla has put together an outstanding 2025–26 campaign at 165 pounds, compiling a 22–1 record and establishing himself as one of the top wrestlers in Indiana in his weight class.
Mancilla has collected a series of high-quality wins against ranked competition throughout the season. He opened with a pin of Mason Litke of Griffith and followed with a decision over Noah Bugajski of Portage. He later added a fall against Bradley Rivera of Lowell and a major decision over Greyson Strickland of Chesterton, before pinning Ryder Woodke of Rensselaer Central. In early January, Mancilla recorded a major decision over James Grimme of Indianapolis Cathedral, a pin of Cayden Roberts of Jimtown, and a narrow decision against Ben Clark of Crown Point. He continued his strong run with falls over Jackson McCurdy of Roncalli and a technical fall against Malaki Johnson of Decatur Central.
His lone setback this season came against top-ranked Matthew Staples of New Prairie, providing valuable experience against elite-level competition. Ranked as high as No. 9 in the state at 165 and currently sitting in the top 10, Mancilla has shown steady progression from last season, when he captured a sectional title at 175 and placed second at regionals. With a third-place finish at the Al Smith Invitational and a résumé filled with bonus-point victories, Mancilla enters the postseason as a serious contender in one of the state’s deepest weight classes.
Up Next Mancilla will compete in the IHSAA Regional on Feb. 7 at 8 a.m. at Hobart High School.
