JIM PETERS: Tsirtsis starts quest for No. 4

It's an exclusive club, with just seven members, only four of whom hail from the modern era.

In about three weeks, the group could welcome a newcomer and its second Tsirtsis.

Crown Point senior Jason Tsirtsis begins his quest for a fourth state wrestling title Saturday, one fully expected to end Feb. 18 in the fieldhouse formerly known as Conseco.

"I'm excited," Tsirtsis said. "Even though it's been a four-year career, it feels like it's flown by. I can't believe there's only a month left. I'm taking it all in."

Griffith's Angel Escobedo was the last Indiana prep wrestler to climb to the top of the state finals podium four times, doing so in 2005, a year after Tsirtsis' brother Alex achieved the feat for the Panthers. Jason trains with Alex, but the subject of No. 4 doesn't come up much.

"We don't really talk about it," Jason said. "We just talk about trying to keep it simple. He's better than me, so having the opportunity to wrestle with him has improved my skills. I think there was a lot more pressure on him because he was undefeated and going for a national record."

Jason hasn't lost since being upset by Merrillville's Anthony Napules in the team regional as a freshman. As close as C.P. coach Scott Vlink recalls, the last points Tsirtsis has allowed other than an escape came in the 2009 state semifinals, a 5-4 decision over Lawrence North senior Cashe' Quiroga, who handed him his only other career loss a few months earlier.

"That's how dominant he's been," Vlink said. "It's not the flash that wins matches. It's good, solid fundamentals. He has an unbelievably keen sense of mat awareness, the ability to stay on an opponent until he breaks. He's special in that regard."

Vlink wrapped up practice a little early Wednesday and Tsirtsis stayed after to get more work in. Big surprise, right?

"We literally had to chase him out of the room," Vlink said. "We told him, 'You've got two minutes.' He takes zero shortcuts. I've never seen him take a break. He's been preparing for this for an awful long time. I don't think you can be human and not feel some pressure, but his way of handling it is just continuing to work extremely hard, leaving no stone unturned."

Pressure? What pressure? You have to look awfully close to see Tsirtsis sweat, whether from nerves or exertion, during a match.

"I'm not going to let the atmosphere of getting a fourth state title affect me," he said. "It's not even about winning or losing. It's about trying to put out my best performance on the mat. I'm just doing what I've always been doing, trying to stay focused, thinking, week to week, how I can get better. I still have to make it there. It's not a guarantee."

Anybody out there want to take the rest of the state? I'll take Jason. You can have the odds, too.

"Obviously, I know I have a good shot to win again," Tsirtsis said. "Though it's the fourth one and it's really historic, I've gone down there and been successful three times, so I'm the most confident I've been this year."

Vlink's been coaching a long time. There isn't much he hasn't seen or had a team/wrestler do. Another Tsirtsis state championship would be an exception.

"He has experiences and accomplishments in this sport that other kids could just imagine," Vlink said. "Regardess of those, this is an awful big deal. The magnitude of this accomplishment is huge."

This column solely represents the writer's opinion. Reach him at jim.peters@nwi.com.