2004 High School Wrestling Forecast
33rd Annual Edition
Written by Brian F. Brakeman
January 27, 2004
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Introduction
The object of these annual reports encompasses two basic goals. First is to acquaint everyone with the basic character of each weight class and identify the participants who are likely to play a major role in its resolution. In addition, each district is examined as to whom its’ representatives might be. Second is to stimulate interest in the whole State tournament process throughout Ohio. Naturally, accuracy is also of primary concern, so care is taken to develop the most comprehensive list possible of outstanding wrestlers, though of necessity, the evaluation of their final place is, in part, subjective. This report was written during a ten-day period ending January 20, based on the information available at that time. It’s kind of a snapshot in time, with a picture that will surely change in many ways by tournament time. Certainly many of those listed at weight classes where they are currently certified will move up for competitive reasons or because they cannot make the 50 percent rule. In fact, some of those moves may well be precipitated by information contained within this document.
There are several ways you can help make this report more accurate. First by sending me bracket sheets for tournaments you enter either by fax or mail – I’m especially interested in sectional and district bracket sheets this year and any tournaments for next year. Also, phone calls, or better yet, e-mail messages dealing with results, weight class selection, or whatever, are gratefully received. I especially appreciate coaches who provide an honest overview of their squad and superior wrestlers they’ve seen in competition. Already I get messages and information from too many people to name individually, but I appreciate it all.
DIVISION I
This is yet another year in Division I where there are more than the normal number of weight classes that seem in disarray. Despite the fact that there are many more meets that draw teams from all corners of the state the sorting out process seems even more confusing than in the past. While this is hard on forecasters it makes for exciting and unexpected outcomes – – at least at the weight class level. In the team competition two squads stand out among the 200 or so Division I competitors and are the only ones with a realistic chance of winning the overall championship. One complicating factor this year is the uncertain composition of the districts at Darby and Fairfield. The two northern sectionals in the Southwest District will seed teams such that one group will head to Darby and the other to Fairfield.
103#
Projected Champion: KYLE HOLLIDAY (Waite)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Harris (St. Edward) | 17 | Wolf (Northmont) |
| 3 | Earley (Gahanna Lincoln) | 18 | Wills (Boardman) |
| 4 | Barnard (Geneva) | 19 | Hall (Lakota East) |
| 5 | Floyd (Solon) | 20 | Lem (Avon Lake) |
| 6 | Jordan (Hayes) | 21 | Lybarger (Mount Vernon) |
| 7 | Levine (Amherst) | 22 | DeVelvis (Sidney) |
| 8 | Rini (Massillon Perry) | 23 | Schilling (Mentor) |
| 9 | Weaver (Moeller) | 24 | Hirth (Elder) |
| 10 | Peskar (Garfield) | 25 | Fetchko (North Royalton) |
| 11 | Gasser (Wadsworth) | 26 | Strieter (Anthony Wayne) |
| 12 | Adams (Harrison) | 27 | Guthrie (Parma) |
| 13 | Doll (Fairmont) | 28 | Stoerkel (Madison) |
| 14 | Parker (Lorain Southview) | 29 | Erel (Clay) |
| 15 | Buckner (West Carrollton) | 30 | Calabro (Springboro) |
| 16 | Edwards (Lancaster) |
The first weight class out of the gate and already I’m stumped. In the past it often happened that candidates at the lowest weight class were in short supply. But, lately, we’ve been spoiled as each year there have been two or three possible winners with exceptional credentials. That is not true this year. All the 103-pounders competing in Division I have a combined two victories in state competition, so we have little “past-year” credentials to evaluate. At the same time no one has dominated during the course of this season with many of the biggest tournaments won by Division II and III competitors. With no real standouts look for somebody in the five to ten ranking to make a real run at it.
It’s likely that the Perrysburg District will be the crucible from which the eventual champ will emerge. It is by far the most difficult site making the four eventual qualifiers battle-hardened if nothing else. State qualifier Holliday owns one of those two state victories and has vacillated between 103# and 112#. It looks like it’s a tough cut so he may be vulnerable in the early rounds of a tournament. He won at Medina–ahead of Harris, but they did not meet–and was 2nd at Perrysburg at 112#. He won at Waite defeating Division III Evans 7-4 in the final. He might be the most explosive wrestler in the field. If it’s not him it could well be Ricky Floyd. He was the JV 103-pounder behind state runner-up Jordan Brown last year and won the WRC when Brown was hurt. He won at Solon, but has wrestled very little since then. For a first year varsity wrestler, (even with DeAngelo and Deonte Penn as brothers), that could be a large negative. The best of this group will eventually be the freshman Harris. The question is whether “eventually” means the end of February or next year. He has wrestled a brutal schedule including a 4th at the Ironman and the Beast and a 3rd at Medina. He has not lost to a Division I competitor. A state junior high champ he is experienced far beyond his years. The senior Levine has only lost once, but has not wrestled nearly the schedule of Harris or Holliday. Two other wrestlers are probably nearly equivalent to this top quartet. Peskar, in particular, is good, but has, like Floyd, been inactive recently. Parker got “stuck” in his first bout at Waite and then won everything else to finish 3rd–unfortunately missing a chance at Holliday. He won at Southview and was 2nd (to the tough Barnard) at Riverside. That leaves the productive Lem, the excellent freshman Guthrie, and Strieter with little hope for qualification–unless Floyd and Peskar are district no-shows.
The only district with two returning state qualifiers–Earley and Jordan–is at Darby. The one to watch is the rugged Earley who was a state quarter-finalist last year. His big win was at the Midwest Classic where he dominated the field and he did so again at Marion Harding. A Columbus area 103-pounder had not won a Division I state title since 1973 when Iovine won two years ago. This time Earley may make it a far shorter wait. The rest of the participants will struggle to place. Jordan is, probably, the safe choice as next best, but he too, hasn’t wrestled recently missing the Top Gun.
Barnard has not registered often on my radar screen, but he beat Parker handily at Riverside and won at Kenston over Roche. It will be interesting to see how he fares on a weekend where he’ll face all quality opponents. Rini, although very small, has suddenly blossomed at Massillon Perry. He was 4th at Brecksville and since then beat Gasser twice (in overtime both times) and Weaver. He seems on a relatively steep upward trajectory. Gasser is always steady while Wills will challenge for the fourth state berth out of the Massillon District. He’ll have plenty of company – – Stoerkel, Schilling, Fetchko and a cast of dozens in that quest. Incidentally, I like old-style nicknames like Butch and Spike so Boomer Fetchko gets a check mark from this author.
I’m not seeing any standouts at Fairfield. Most of the tournaments in that area seem to have Division II or III wrestlers winning at 103#. The two finalists at the SWOCA– Adams and Weaver in a 12-10 barnburner–look to be a shade above everyone else, but they’ll struggle against the best from the North. Wolf and Doll should lead a Dayton contingent, but to where–south to Fairfield or north to Darby. I also like Hall in this district with, maybe, a DeVelvis as a possible challenger.
More than most weight classes the resolution of this weight class will hinge on the random fluctuations inherent in the pairings process. If Holliday gets a very tough foe early, when he has just made weight, or Harris draws one of the big 103’s or any of a dozen other possibilities, the impact could be substantial. In quantum mechanics one formulates a wave function that can assume many different values and which then collapses (at least in this universe) into the actual outcome. So, too, at this weight class, there are many more possibilities than usual, but in this case, the most probable champion is likely to be Kyle Holliday.
112#
Projected Champion: LANCE PALMER (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Brown (Solon) | 15 | Tilocco (St. Ignatius) |
| 3 | Hartley (Massillon Perry) | 16 | Riestenberg (Elder) |
| 4 | Johnson (Massillon Jackson) | 17 | Hansen (Pickerington Central) |
| 5 | Clausing (Miamisburg) | 18 | Goldacker (Toledo St. John) |
| 6 | Price (Beavercreek) | 19 | Mikicic (Darby) |
| 7 | Mitchell (Cleveland Hts.) | 20 | Yasenko (North Ridgeville) |
| 8 | Dunlap (Riverside) | 21 | Curtain (St. Charles) |
| 9 | Schuller (Toledo Central Catholic) | 22 | Ali (Westlake) |
| 10 | Shilt (Greenville) | 23 | Brewer (Lebanon) |
| 11 | Thomas/Catalona (Mayfield) | 24 | Mayles (Lakota East) |
| 12 | Shaft (Strongsville) | 25 | Chappell (Davidson) |
| 13 | Lambert (Mason) | 26 | Distler (Mentor) |
| 14 | Brown (Lorain Southview) |
One of the staples of Hollywood movie making is the sequel. Most of them are far worse than the original (just think of Speed 2), but occasionally the sequel turns out to be as good or better than the original. I liked “Aliens” at least as well as “Alien” and “Terminator 2” was every bit as entertaining as “Terminator”. This weight class could easily be call “The Return of the 103’s” and I think it could well be even more exciting than last year’s box office hit.
Last years state finalists at 103# will both exit the Perrysburg District. State champion Palmer, now a sophomore, was the dominant figure at 103# last year. He was 41-1 and won just about everything except the Ironman where he lost in the finals to an out-of-state wrestler–a defeat he quickly avenged at the Beast. At the state meet he was never really challenged defeating Brown 9-4. This year it hasn’t been quite as easy. He was 2nd at the Ironman and the Beast getting shut out in both finals, and then lost to Donahoe from Davison (Michigan) when he returned from an injury. Moving up to 112# is never easy, but, remember Palmer’s three losses have all been to out-of-state competitors. Palmer is a little small at 112#, but he knows his chief competition well, and should capture his second state title.
Brown is an experienced senior who can control the tempo of the bout. At Columbus last year nobody (until he got to Palmer) could score on him. This year he won at Solon and the Midwest Classic and was 2nd at the Powerade. Now nursing a leg injury he’ll be refreshed and ready at tournament time. However, I still think Palmer is three to five points better. The plus for Brown is that he should be on the other side of the draw from Palmer and possibly from Hartley as well.
That Perrysburg District is very good. You have to figure a healthy Palmer and Brown are going to snag two places leaving only two up for grabs. There are a lot of possibilities here. State qualifier Mitchell has been getting low to middle places at 119#, but will do better at 112#. He was a state quarter-finalist last year, but he has no guarantees at this district. Toledo Waite champ Brown is very good and CIT champ Shuller and Perryburg champ Tilocco (over Holliday) are both very experienced. Any of this trio has the credentials to make Columbus, but there are likely to be no more than two spots open. Goldacker and Yasenko are also good and Ali, at 112#, could be a force as well. It will be a great district.
The other two possible finalists are at Massillon. Hartley, still just a sophomore, is a tough kid. He lost to Palmer in the state semi-finals, and ended up 4th. This year he was 4th at the Ironman, 7th at the Beast, 3rd at Medina and 1st at Mayfield. He only loses to the best–Palmer nipped him (it keeps getting closer), 4-2, and Donahoe beat him at Medina, 16-11. One of these times he’s going to beat Palmer in what might become a four-year drama. Also at Massillon is Brecksville champ, Ben Johnson. He’s tough to figure. After a great season last year he goes to the district and loses to two guys I think he should have beaten. This year he won at Brecksville and has had the look of a state placer. A brilliant student he, maybe, over-analyzes on occasion. The rest of this district is also strong. State qualifier Shaft can grind out the wins and state alternate Dunlap may even be better. I’m not sure whom Mayfield will put out at this class, but both Catalona and Thomas are good.
Neither of the southern districts will be as daunting. There are four returning state qualifiers in the Southwest District, but I’m guessing Clausing will be at Darby. If so, he should be favored to win that district. He was the district title-holder at 103# last year and finished 6th losing to Brown, 6-1, in the quarterfinals. His results this year have been generally good with a 3rd at the GMVWA and 2nd at North Canton where he lost to Kriwinsky by the surprising score of 12-l. Since then he won at Fairfield and looks back on track for a second state placement. If, indeed, he is at Darby I have not seen much there to challenge him.
Assuming Clausing goes to Darby that leaves three returning state qualifiers–Price, Lambert, and Riestenberg–at Fairfield. Between them they went 0-6 in Columbus and struggled against some of the better boys. Of this trio I like Price the best as he has had the best performance this year. Lambert, down from 119#, could be a factor at this class once he settles in at the weight. However, the best 112-pounder (other than the aforementioned Clausing) might be Shilt who beat Price handily early in the year.
119#
Projected Champion: Andrew Perez (ELYRIA)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Smith (Olmsted Falls) | 17 | Willcocks (Fairfield) |
| 3 | Wanner (Olentangy) | 18 | Gottke (Franklin Hts.) |
| 4 | Lerer (Mentor) | 19 | Kemp (Mansfield Madison) |
| 5 | Bugara (Garfield Hts) | 20 | Tebbe (Troy) |
| 6 | Szekeresh (Lebanon) | 21 | Ashbrook (Fairmont) |
| 7 | Hunt (Collinwood) | 22 | Carraher (St. Xavier) |
| 8 | Manoogian (Green) | 23 | Kaake (LaSalle) |
| 9 | McDiarmid/Sulzer (St. Edward) | 24 | Ray (Chillicothe) |
| 10 | Kostoff (Butler) | 25 | Ciccarello (Brush) |
| 11 | Jang (Westerville North) | 26 | Bryson (Wadsworth) |
| 12 | Kleinman (Solon) | 27 | Christenson (Cuyahoga Falls) |
| 13 | Catalona /Thomas (Mayfield) | 28 | Abitua (Start) |
| 14 | DePoy (Greenville) | 29 | Hopkins (Marysville) |
| 15 | Ko. Pierson (Lakota East) | 30 | Touris (Lakota West) |
| 16 | Zyduck (Perrysburg) |
This is one of the strongest and deepest weight classes in Division I (or, in fact, in all divisions). It starts right at the sectional level with some great match-ups, but the district brackets will really be brutal. This is true even though it now appears that senior, state runner-up Clayton Stark will not compete at this class. Even absent his presence the state bracket sheet will be loaded with wrestlers whose credentials might in a normal year cast them as a possible state finalist.
As was true at the two previous weights the locus of power is at Perrysburg. My choice is three-time state qualifier and the defending state runner-up at this weight class Andrew Perez. He won his first 38 bouts last year and then dropped the state final, 5-3, to the clever, two-time champ Brandon Luce. He is, again, undefeated this year with tourney titles at Avon Lake and Brecksville. His two demolitions of state champ Pat McLemore have probably unduly inflated his reputation since stylistically, McLemore is perfect for him. Still, he is blindingly fast and strong and moved up only one weight (and changed one school) since he was 5th as a freshman at Vermillion. Also at this district is defending state 112# champ Ryan Smith–who was 2nd as a sophomore and 3rd as a freshman. Smith is a consummate defensive wrestler with better than average attacking skills. His four-year record is 129-8 with the upset loss to Eric Wanner in the Medina finals a real surprise–he had beaten him in Columbus on his way to the state title last year. I keep thinking that the more chances Smith has to look at Perez the more the odds start to shift toward him. The first takedown in their bouts will be critical and I think Perez will get them.
It now looks like state runner-up Stark will wrestle (if at all) some place other than 119#. His substitute will either be state qualifier McDiarmid–not bad depth–or the excellent Sulzer, both of whom would be a factor at this district. Also back is state placer Bugara who was 5th at 103# last year. He won at Edison, was 3rd at Mentor (losing to Scaletta) and 2nd at the Dies getting majored by Ryan Smith. You can’t forget Kleinman, who won the Powerade and was 3rd at Solon since he has been very close to state qualification the last two years. This is a tough quintet for the Toledo area boys, but Zyduck won at Perrysburg and Abitua won at Toledo Waite, so you know they can compete. Also in the mix is Marion Harding and Gorman champ Brett Kemp who in different circumstances would almost surely be favored to qualify. This is some district–one of the toughest I can remember.
The district at Massillon is also strong, but certainly not to the same extent as Perrysburg. In my mind there are four principal players with good qualification chances and another foursome who need to be in peak form if they are to get to Columbus. Former state placer Hunt wrestles for Collinwood and has done a great job despite a schedule that often fails to test him. He won at Wadsworth defeating Manoogian and Christenson back-to-back. He’ll be a huge 119#. Manoogian is a returning state qualifier who continues to get better. He won one bout at Columbus and was lst at Canal Fulton and 3rd at Wadworth and the Dies. Lerer was 3rd last year at l03# in a most fortunate manner. He was 5th in his sectional, but when the sectional champ, Hunt, could not compete Lerer made his way into the bracket and (rather dubiously) on the top seeded line. Good fortune is nothing without good performance and Lerer won three bouts to become a district finalist and state qualifier. Tack on four additional state wins and he was a third-place medal winner. He has been at 125# most of the year but 119# looks just about right. He beat Kleinman, 2-1, and held Perez to his closest score of the year. He is tough to score against. Catalona (or Thomas) should have the best shot at the last state spot.
The two top Central District 119’s will face-off with whatever Southwestern wrestlers get shuttled up to Darby. Wanner was 6th last year at 112# losing only to two state champs Smith and Federico. This year his championship at Medina included wins over three-time placer Jackson and state champion Smith. With that victory he vaulted into the upper echelon at this class. Two years ago I overlooked Jang at 119# and got “chewed out” by a supporter for missing someone who ended up 5th in the state. It certainly is not my intent to miss any strong performer (but it happens) so last year–determined not to get “chewed out” again I thoroughly, each week, checked out the scores from Columbus. No Jang. I got panicky thinking I was going to err again when I discovered that he was on some kind of overseas mission. This year he’s returned but the lay-off has clearly set him back. Still, by tourney time, I anticipate the high level of performance that I had earlier missed. Factor in Gottke, Ray, Hopkins, and Lepley plus some Dayton boys and it should be a very competitive district.
There are two significant 119’s in the Cincinnati-Dayton area. Kostoff was a district champ at 112# and won two state bouts. He was the champ at GMVWA and was 3rd at the Top Gun losing only to an out-of-state wrestler. The other strong candidate to place is the junior Sean Szekeresh, a 6th place district finisher last year. He was 2nd at the SWOCA losing to the Indiana state champ 13-9 in the finals. He also won at Sycamore and seems to be on a roll. Also there are state qualifier Willcocks, Carraher, and Kaake. Two people to watch for are DePoy who won again at Mason and was 3rd at GMVWA. Also back is state qualifier Kody Pierson who has not competed this year up to now. How he’ll perform is a question mark. District semi-finalist Tebbe has a broken hand, but will be a factor if healthy. Depending on who goes to Darby Willcocks could be on the bubble here.
125#
Projected Champion: Albert Madsen (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Anthony (Glen Oak) | 15 | McCulloch (Anthony Wayne) |
| 3 | Mossor (Groveport) | 16 | Rutledge (Carroll) |
| 4 | Armstrong (Collinwood) | 17 | Carver (Olmsted Falls) |
| 5 | Hucle (Marysville) | 18 | McNutt (Grove City) |
| 6 | Mitcheff (Elyria) | 19 | Braun (Colerain) |
| 7 | Santiago (Lorain Southview) | 20 | Victor (Mentor) |
| 8 | Goode (Moeller) | 21 | Oelbracht (Madison) |
| 9 | Ke. Pierson (Lakota East) | 22 | Elliott (Mayfield) |
| 10 | Dreschel (Sandusky) | 23 | Flake (Lakota West) |
| 11 | Sasfy (Reynoldsburg) | 24 | Miller (Upper Arlington) |
| 12 | Evangelista (Strongville) | 25 | Carpenter (Rogers) |
| 13 | Woolf (LaSalle) | 26 | Clark (Solon) |
| 14 | Rogers (Uniontown Lake) | 27 | Guy (Miamisburg) |
This is a weight class that has been dominated for decades by wrestlers from the Northeast District. The last five champions have competed in that area, eight of the last nine (only Travis Key broke that monopoly), and 24 of the past 28 champions. At the moment no one dominates, but there are a number of wrestlers that one could make a case for in terms of the top ranking. In addition, this field could be augmented by some of the 119’s choosing to avoid the crush at that weight class and compete here.
Two years ago this month I thought Madsen would win two or three state titles. He was at 112# then and he was crushing everybody. He ripped through the Mentor District and won two state bouts before eventual two-time champ Luce beat him by a takedown in the semi-finals. He fell to 6th and then, in his junior year, was plagued by the same sort of injury that hampered Mike Kulczycki for almost a year. He came back at the end of last year and repeated as district champ, but twice lost to Roberts and finished 4th. He wrestled only 15 bouts last year–six of them at States. This year he was 5th at the Ironman, 4th at the Beast, and 1st at Medina. His only loss to an in-state wrestler was to state champion Cameron Doggett who he later defeated. At the Ohio Duals he beat Mossor and crushed state placer Goode. This is his last chance, and it’s a good one, but he’ll have to be in top form to win it all.
Madsen will wrestle in the very tough Perrysburg District again brimming with talent at this weight class. State qualifier Mitcheff has moved to Elyria in a less than amicable parting, and convincingly won at Avon Lake. Since then he has been inactive due to injury, but he is a real talent. State qualifier Santiago is now at 125# for Lorain Southview (what a wrestle-off that would have been with Mitcheff) and he is very good. Last year two-time state runner-up Horne defeated him 3-1 in the first round at Columbus. Santiago has won at Riverside and then got caught early at Southview and pinned in the finals by Ysaguirre. I also like Dreschel here–the best wrestler on the Sandusky squad. Other possible qualifiers are Carver and Carpenter.
State place-winner Ty Anthony looks to be the dominant figure at Massillon and has strong finalist possibilities. He has already won at North Canton, Canal Fulton, and Brecksville and this experienced wrestler knows how to win. Armstrong, Hunt’s workout partner at Collinwood, was a state semi-finalist last year before losing to Perez and finishing 5th. He beat Anthony 7-6, in that run, but I’m not convinced he can do it this year. He was 2nd to Rogers at Wadsworth losing a 1-0 yawner. State qualifier Rogers is also here along with Evangelista, who has shown strong improvement.
There are three very good wrestlers at this weight class at Darby. I rate two-time state qualifier Mossor at the top with big wins at Tiffin and Ryle and a 3rd at the Top Gun — losing to Cubberly. Madsen also beat him at the Ohio Duals. Hucle was 4th last year at 119# beating Goode, Riggs, and McDiarmid in the process. He has not seemed quite as sharp at this weight class, but, perhaps, as he did last year he’ll come on strong at the end. I’ve always had Sasfy out on the periphery, but I took notice when both Santiago and Dreschel fell to him at Toledo Waite. Looks like he is ready to make a run at placement.
The district at Fairfield does not appear to have anyone you could label a sure placer. Goode had a 6th three years ago, but that was at 103#. You never know with him. Madsen beat him 14-1, but next time it could be completely different. He has already won the CIT and SWOCA so don’t under-rate him. Pierson is a state qualifier who should earn a return trip, while Rutledge, Braun, Woolf and Ashbrook are all possibilities.
130#
Projected Champion: Sean Nemec/ Clayton Stark (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Center (Mason) | 15 | Barrette (Madison) |
| 3 | J. Spencer (Mayfield) | 16 | Marsh (Colerain) |
| 4 | Rieman (Hayes) | 17 | Lewis (Lakewood) |
| 5 | Bodnar (Fitch) | 18 | Herzfeld (Anthony Wayne) |
| 6 | Ramirez (Waite) | 19 | Volkerding (Carroll) |
| 7 | Nicholson (Solon) | 20 | Baraga (Nordonia) |
| 8 | Mathews (Garfield Hts) | 21 | Dickey (Green) |
| 9 | Straughn (Massillon Perry) | 22 | Eskew (Butler) |
| 10 | Oberdove (North Royalton) | 23 | Hijoka (Sylvania Southview) |
| 11 | Williams (Columbus East) | 24 | Green (Boardman) |
| 12 | Noble (Wadsworth) | 25 | Felton (Elyria) |
| 13 | Dowell (Pickerington North) | 26 | Reams (Toledo Central Catholic) |
| 14 | Cook (St. Xavier) | 27 | Billet (Coffman) |
I think there is a good chance that this is the weakest weight class in Division I. There does not appear to be substantial depth and, rather unusually for a middleweight, no one here placed last year. It is interesting how weight classes seem to cycle up and down as do schools, districts, and divisional classifications. For example shown below is a chart that examines the winning percentages of the 12 districts that fed into last year’s state competition.
2003 District Performance
(Ranked in order of championship rounds percentage)
| District | Championship* | Consolation* | Total* |
| 1. Elyria Catholic (III) | .684 | .541 | .628 |
| 2. Galion (II) | .585 | .550 | .570 |
| 3. Marion (III) | .561 | .512 | .540 |
| 4. Mentor (I) | .559 | .616 | .582 |
| 5. Perry (I) | .524 | .486 | .509 |
| 6. Firestone (II) | .480 | .476 | .478 |
| 7. Wilmington (I) | .479 | .370 | .429 |
| 8. Coschocton (II) | .475 | .494 | .484 |
| 9. Goshen (II) | .442 | .481 | .460 |
| 10. Darby (I) | .427 | .531 | .479 |
| 11. Waite (III) | .341 | .488 | .415 |
| 12. Xenia (III) | .321 | .468 | .400 |
Clearly it was a good idea to split the Elyria Catholic District, which was extremely tough last year. Note that Darby was the worst performing Division I district, but an influx of talent from Dayton should boost that winning percentage.
This report was written over a seven-day period beginning on January 17th and ending on January 23rd. I began with Division III, which has the least current material in its analyses and then moved to Division II and finally Division I. They are not written in order by weight class, because some of them are more perplexing, more confusing than others. The worst type of weight class is where no one has the look or feel of a state champ. That is why this weight class, 130#, is the very last to be written. Frankly, I’m no closer to a conclusion than I was a month ago. I had hoped for some breakout performance, some unexpected piece of data, or even divine inspiration so as to come to a conclusion. Didn’t happen.
The obvious choice is Dustin Center who has been the most successful wrestler in the Southwest Area this year. Undefeated so far he won at the SWOCA and Mason and has had things pretty much his own way. Yet, I’m dubious. He was 0-2 at the state meet and Santiago beat him 13-0 in the first consolation round. It would be quite a turnaround to come back and win it all at 130#. He is undefeated but he has not wrestled, as it turns out a tough schedule. So I’ve look around. Rieman placed two years ago and he lost to Madsen last year 1-0. However, at the Top Gun he lost twice failing to score in either bout.
Spencer came to mind after winning at Brecksville, but Straughn beat him in the Mayfield 8 and he has never done real well in Columbus. Nemec has wrestled a tough schedule and done well (5th at the Ironman, 2nd at Medina, undefeated at the Ohio Duals), but he is only a freshman and I’m thinking we might even find state runner-up Stark in that slot come tourney time. If so, maybe, he should be the favorite.
What to do? I thought about the situation and said who would I pick if I didn’t know what grade they were all in. Clearly, the choice would be Nemec. He’s wrestled the toughest schedule and shown the greatest improvement of any of the contestants here. He lost to the Michigan superstar Reader 9-1 at Medina, but then beat him three weeks later 9-4 in the dual. I think three-time state placer Tyler Reichman is one of the best wrestlers Claymont ever produced and Nemec beat him 15-4 when Reichman moved up one weight class. And if Nemec doesn’t wrestle it will be state runner-up Stark who put on a great late season show last year.
The deepest district is at Massillon. Spencer is certainly, a top placement possibility, with that Brecksville win and a 2nd (at 135#) at the Midwest Classic. A state alternate last year he knows how to win. I thought Oberdove would qualify last year, but a first-round upset sped him off-track, and he failed to get out. He was 2nd at Perrysburg (losing to Worley) and should be a factor. State qualifier Bodnar and state alternate Noble are not only state caliber wrestlers, but could place at this class. I especially, like the first-named, only a sophomore, who I think should be moving up to the next level. Results like the 3rd at Brecksville or the 6th at the Top Gun should leave him very dissatisfied. Obviously, the freshman Straughn has proven upset potential while Barrette and Dickey can win as well.
Center has not had much competition in his area. I’ve got Cook, Cummins, Marsh, and Volkerding ranked, but more as qualifiers than as possible placers. The fact that this group has not challenged Center has been part of my struggle in properly evaluating him. Cook, for example, was 2nd at the SWOCA and CIT, but lost his first two bouts at Brecksville.
State qualifiers Rieman and Williams head a Darby District that does not look particularly daunting. Rieman, as I mentioned, seems very good at times, but needs consistency. Williams qualified in Division II last year and went 2-2 at States. Strength of schedule is a negative factor for him (sounds like the B.C.S. group), but he could be a player here. Dowell is in that excellent Pickerington program and that should pay off in state qualification.
There are some intriguing combatants at Perrysburg. The freshman, Nemec, was a junior high state champion last year and has clearly gotten even better this year. However, he’ll have to hold off state runner-up Stark in the wrestling room and that may be far tougher than any bout he’s likely to have till the last couple rounds of States. Mathews, a state alternate, won at Edison and was 3rd at Brecksville at 135# (losing only to state placer Roberts). He swept through the Ohio Duals and won at the Dies. Still he has four losses including a 4-2 decision to Nicholson who will also be at Perrysburg. He won at Solon, but got hammered by Spencer at the WRC. Add in state qualifier Herzfeld, Lewis, Felton, and Reams and this is a solid district. However, the key figure here will be Ramirez. He was a state qualifier at 135# last year and went 1-2. This year he dominated at Waite, but fell to 6th at Medina after reaching the semi-finals. He can beat anyone in this field, but I’m not sure he can sustain that level over an entire weekend.
135#
Projected Champion: JASON Johnstone (MASSILLON PERRY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Horne (Pickerington Central) | 15 | Herzfeld (Anthony Wayne) |
| 3 | N. Spencer (Mayfield) | 16 | Mizener (Mason) |
| 4 | Roberts (Brunswick) | 17 | Hayden (Moeller) |
| 5 | Sizemore (Lakota East) | 18 | Austin (Strongsville) |
| 6 | Phelan (St. Edwards) | 19 | Stevens (Thomas Worthington) |
| 7 | Canoles (Glen Oak) | 20 | Roddy (Sidney) |
| 8 | Linz (St. Xavier) | 21 | Norris (North Royalton) |
| 9 | Duffy (Lakota West) | 22 | Weisenstein (Ashland) |
| 10 | Campbell (Uniontown Lake) | 23 | B. Crenshaw (Sycamore) |
| 11 | Salem (Westlake) | 24 | Melin (Pickerington North) |
| 12 | Stevenson (Reynoldsburg) | 25 | Good (Miamisburg) |
| 13 | Davis (Westland) | 26 | Castillo (Perrysburg) |
| 14 | Lewis (Lakewood) |
Ohio has two of the best 135-pounders in the country both of whom have the initials J.J. Who would win a match-up of these superstars was a heavily debated topic, it was, it seemed, a question that would have closure since they were both entered in the Ironman. Then, and this is no disparagement of Pat Phelan, unbelievably Johnstone (the conqueror of Dustin Schlatter) was upset in the quarterfinals. Jaggers went on to trounce Phelan and Johnstone crushed everyone else to finish 3rd. The next week Johnstone dominated at the Beast including a third period fall over Phelan. Of course, just last week Jaggers struck quickly in the second period and went on to post a 6-3 win over Johnstone. Johnstone was 2nd to Mark Moos as a sophomore and then won at 125# last year defeating Horne in the finals. He will be a strong favorite this year, but it is a formidable field that he will have to overcome–and, as we have seen, upsets are an integral part of this sport.
The Massillon District is strong. Johnstone, of course, is at the top of the list, but four other wrestlers have good credentials. Spencer was 2nd two years ago in Division III, and then was 4th last year–losing a semi-final bout to eventual champ Enright, 5-4. This year he has wrestled an aggressive schedule triumphing at Brecksville with wins over Canoles and Roberts. At the Mayfield Big 8 he bumped up to 140# finishing 2nd to the incomparable Schlatter. Roberts is amazing. He was 6th two years ago and 3rd last year (beating Madsen and losing to Horne 3-2). He is a master of the down-tempo bout and it takes a magician to register a takedown. This year he was 2nd at Brecksville, but he is the kind of wrestler who can beat anyone–especially if he gets the first takedown. State qualifier Canoles and Campbell complete the top quintet.
Horne should dominate at Darby. He now has twice been a state runner-up losing to Luce at 112# and Johnstone last year. He started this season at 145#, but has gradually settled in at this weight class. He was 3rd at Medina losing to Johnstone 10-5 in the semi-finals in what could not have been one of the finer moments in seeding. At the Ohio Duals he was apparently injured, but the assumption is that he will return shortly. He and Johnstone should be in separate halves of the state meet, perhaps, setting up a rematch of last year’s final at 125#. Most of the rest of this district is well below Horne. I’m wondering whether Davis, Stephens, or Stevenson have (low) placement possibilities.
This is one time when the Perrysburg District may not play a significant role in the final outcome of this weight class. Of course, I could have made a similar statement about Phelan at the Ironman and look how wrong I would have been. Clearly Phelan’s years at St. Edward have not been wasted. He’ll forever be remembered for upsetting Johnstone in the quarterfinals at the Ironman, but he may wish to create a few more memories at Columbus. Remember, after defeating Johnstone he reached the finals before losing to Jaggers. He was 5th at the Beast, but did not wrestle at Medina. He looks to be the best of a weak field at this district. Salem came from a 4th place sectional finish to upset Herzfeld the in the first round and nearly qualified last year. Lewis is good but the Northwest quartet of Herzfeld, Bork, Castillo, and Weisenstein must be accounted for. Add in the recently dropping Fowler (Sylvania Northview) and one might expect at least of the two qualifying berths to end up in the northwest.
Two-time state qualifier Sizemore heads the Southwestern contingent after a 5th place finish last year. A semi-finalist he lost to Cunningham 3-2 in a bout that almost cost us the dream match-up of Lang versus Cunningham. He beat Linz (second best here) 3-1 to win the SWOCA, but was 5th at Medina – – losing 15-0 to Blunk (easy to do if you’ve never met him) and Stevenson. Duffy, just down from 140#, should be a factor here and, perhaps, Hayden and Mizener as well.
140#
Projected Champion: Dustin Schlatter (MASSILLON PERRY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Spence (Elder) | 15 | Haxton (Strongsville) |
| 3 | Kallai (Wadsworth) | 16 | Salyers (Fairfield) |
| 4 | Wright (Hoover) | 17 | Patnode (Anthony Wayne) |
| 5 | Hoyt (St. Ignatius) | 18 | Dowdy (Princeton) |
| 6 | Dutton (Pickerington North) | 19 | Becka (North Royalton) |
| 7 | V. Crenshaw (Sycamore) | 20 | Kessler (Toledo St. John) |
| 8 | Jonhenry (Berea) | 21 | Hawk (New Philadelphia) |
| 9 | Lyons (Troy) | 22 | Reece (Glen Este) |
| 10 | Ciraky (Westerville South) | 23 | Anderson (Lorain Southview) |
| 11 | Cummins (Waite) | 24 | Harris (Greenville) |
| 12 | Hatzegai (St. Edward) | 25 | Castillo (Perrysburg) |
| 13 | Aber (Wilmington) | 26 | Weidner (Groveport) |
| 14 | Berger (Glen Oak) | 27 | Cummins (Waite) |
The Schlatter odyssey continued this year with junior two-time state champion Dustin now competing for Massillon Perry. What more can you say about this brother combination? Last year I presented arguments that suggested that C.P. might be the most accomplished high school performer in Ohio wrestling history. Dustin may be even better. Coming off an injury that kept him out of the Ironman he, like Johnstone, torched the field at the Beast majoring Troy Tirapelle in the final round. It appears that the Schlatters are destined to lose only in their sophomore year on their way to four state titles. His uncanny ability to anticipate and counter his opponent’s offensive actions is unbelievable, and he has a sixth sense when it comes to ferreting out possible weaknesses. He is a college wrestler–and a good one–right now. Barring injury or divine intervention Schlatter should romp home with his 3rd state title.
Schlatter’s ominous shadow has pretty much cleared out this weight class. Some have opted for 135# –no treat with Johnstone and Horne there–while others have elected to stay at 145#. Of course, for underclassmen or those just looking to place this provides an excellent opportunity to do so. There is no clear-cut choice(s) for the runner-up position and even for placement. Positions are up for grabs.
One of the positives about being at Massillon with Schlatter is that the 2nd and 3rd place winners are sure to be opposite him in the draw. Both Kallai and Wright were state alternates last year and Berger can be very good. All three of them placed at North Canton with Wright finishing 2nd to Division II Rendinell. He was 3rd at Medina losing to Hatzegai and beating Hoyt. Berger placed at Brecksville while Kallai won at Wadsworth. Becka, 2nd at Perrysburg at 145#, looks like he’ll compete here. If so he would certainly have state qualification chances, while Haxton and Hawk might equally be considered.
There are also some potential placers at Perrysburg. Hatzegai is one of those St. Edward wrestlers who’s waited his turn and now has a chance to cash in on it. He was runner-up to Schlatter at Medina beating Wright in the process. However Kallai pinned him in the Ohio Duals. He has to beat state placer Tomasone just to make the team. Hoyt was 4th at Medina losing twice to Wright by a total of three points, but won at Perrysburg snapping Shiff’s unbeaten season. He then beat Spence (in overtime) to finish 3rd at the CIT. Add in Lewis and state qualifier Jonhenry – – if he is healthy – – and that a pretty solid quartet. I also like Anderson with Kessler, Castillo, and Cummins long-shot possibilities, Patnode, down from 145#, might have slightly better chances than this group.
State qualifiers Dutton and Ciraky lead a nondescript Central District contingent. Dutton is really a 135-pounder, but when Horne moved down he went up. He was 1-2 at the states last year. Ciraky, now a sophomore, has remained at 140# and should be more of a factor this year. Moore (Mount Vernon) certainly has state chances, but the last two spots might go to boys coming up from Dayton.
State qualifiers Spence and Lyons are the only two in the Southwest who have qualified for Columbus at this class. Spence pulled a first round upset taking out district champ Mike Walters in a 12-10 overtime thriller, and ended up going 2-2 in the tournament. This year he beat Crenshaw, 2-0, to win the SWOCA, but was 4th at the CIT and Brecksville. Crenshaw is very good pinning Aber, for example, to win at St. Xavier. I also like Salyers (runner-up at Kenston), Aber, Dowdy (unless he is at 135#) and Nickolai.
145#
Projected Champion: TOMMY CUNNINGHAM (Groveport)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Lutz (Marysville) | 14 | Ranallo (Twinsburg) |
| 3 | Effner (Garfield Hts) | 15 | Schwind (Maumee) |
| 4 | Ward (St. Edward) | 16 | Gray (Celina) |
| 5 | Marzec (Toledo St. Francis) | 17 | Hall (Oakhills) |
| 6 | Brulport (Sidney) | 18 | Estadt (Mentor) |
| 7 | Brewer (Colerain) | 19 | DeLande (Davidson) |
| 8 | Ramsey (Hoover) | 20 | Blieden (Sycamore) |
| 9 | White (Strongsville) | 21 | Noble (Pickerington Central) |
| 10 | Newbury (Darby) | 22 | Beall (Springboro) |
| 11 | Butler (Uniontown Lake) | 23 | Tortorici (Euclid) |
| 12 | Neumann (Moeller) | 24 | Castle (Northmount) |
| 13 | Kappus (St. Ignatius) | 25 | Jianetti (Mayfield) |
While I anticipated that this weight class would attract a strong field I was confident that Tommy Cunningham would come out on top. His situation reminded me very much of what faced T. J. Enright last year. What we have is someone who has clearly paid his dues (Cunningham has been 5th, 3rd, and 2nd the last three years), and it kind of seems like it’s his turn to win. To push the parallel a little further both had lost in the state finals to Ryan Lang in their junior year, and both have been superior performers throughout their career. However, Cunningham has not had the senior year that everyone anticipated. Marzec took him to the limit at Tiffin before succumbing 7-6, and then Ward pinned him at the State Duals followed by a 4-2 loss to Effner. At the Top Gun he cruised into the semi-finals but had to default to Brulport and did not wrestle after that. What is going on? How bad is he injured? Suddenly it looks like Cunningham will be in a real dogfight with at least four or five top competitors.
Three of the top contenders and the two wrestlers who defeated him will compete at Perrysburg. All three of them captured a low place last year and each is an experienced senior. Ward was 5th last year beating Marzec in overtime. He had 15 losses during his junior season, but wrestled very well at tourney time. This year injury and illness plagued his early season efforts, but he pinned Cunningham, Neumann, and Rager at the Ohio Duals, and went the distance with the top 145-pounder in the nation Brett Metcalfe. Marzec lost 7-6 in the Tiffin finals and beat the excellent Davis to win the CIT; his one stumble was a loss to Slauterbeck at Oak Harbor. Effner has had a great season. He won at Edison and beat a tough field at Brecksville including wins over Baum, Davis, and White. He, too, beat Cunningham at the Ohio Duals, but lost at the Dies to the unheralded Quallich. Like Ward he was a district champ and ended up 6th after losing to Agozzino in the semi-finals. The champion at this district will be away from the other two (in all likelihood) at Columbus and from two of the other three district champs. That would be a prize worth winning.
Cunningham won’t have it easy at his own district. Lutz was a state semi-finalist last year at 135# and ended up 3rd losing only to four-time champ Ryan Lang. None of his four wins were terribly close. He has wrestled a much weaker schedule than many of the other contenders, but as a senior it may also have kept him fresher. State qualifier Newberry also returns so this will be quite a battle and a small preview of what will happen the following weekend.
One of the unknowns (at least to me) is the final status of Tyler Brewer. He was 5th last year at 140#–losing to Effner on criteria in an 8-8 quarterfinal struggle and then defeating him by a point for 5th. Not allowed to compete by the Colerain administration there have been court hearings to determine his status. Should he wrestle he will be a factor at this weight class. Brulport, also a state qualifier, could be at either Darby or Fairfield. He won at the GMVWA over two-time state placer Jake Knoop, and also won at Beavercreek. At the Top Gun he met Cunningham in the semi-finals and won when Cunningham was forced to default, then beat Ramsey by a point to take the title. After him the district is somewhat weaker. The SWOCA champ Neumann was 3rd at the CIT, but struggled against Ward and Effner. Folks like Hall, Beall, and Castle might face the same outcome.
I see a quartet of potential qualifiers at Massillon. State qualifiers Ramsey, Ranallo and Butler are all experienced, rugged competitors with low placement possibilities. Ranallo won at Solon and Hudson and has moved up from Division II. Ramsey was 2nd at North Canton and 4th at Medina losing to Metcalfe in the semis. He was also 2nd at the Top Gun losing to Brulport 5-4. Butler qualified at 130# two years ago, but missed out last year. Lutz beat him 8-0 in the Wadsworth final. The fourth candidate is White who was 2nd at Brecksville including a win over my Division III choice Jamison Moss. A district semi-finalist last year he lost three straight bouts and failed to qualify. That shouldn’t happen again. There are two unknowns here. One is Tortorici–the only three-time junior high state champ in history–who has had trouble sustaining his wrestling career at Euclid. Very talented he could explode onto the scene at anytime. Estadt was an unknown until he upset Effner in a dual meet and has since built on that with other victories. Obviously he has upset potential.
152#
Projected Champion: Mike Miller (Uniontown Lake)
Top Contenders
| 2 | T. Miller (Wadsworth) | 14 | Popham (Mt. Vernon) |
| 3 | Monk (Lakota West) | 15 | Myers (Butler) |
| 4 | Clemens (Beavercreek) | 16 | Earle (Ashland) |
| 5 | Maier (Marysville) | 17 | Holztrager (Normandy) |
| 6 | Smith (Loveland) | 18 | Pankiewicz (Canfield) |
| 7 | O’Bryan (Mentor) | 19 | Howell (Ellet) |
| 8 | Nichols (Pickerington Central) | 20 | Strater (Davidson) |
| 9 | Goebel (Springboro) | 21 | Kettinger (Toledo St. John) |
| 10 | Spooner (St. Edward) | 22 | Paplacyzk (Thomas Worthington) |
| 11 | Mauro (Centerville) | 23 | Franklin (New Philadelphia) |
| 12 | Russo (Nordonia) | 24 | Denman (St. Xavier) |
| 13 | Zednik (Cleveland Hts.) | 25 | Berdysz (Garfield Hts) |
It seems highly probable that a Miller will win the state title. The more appropriate question is which one. It looks to me like it will be strictly a two-man contest between Mike Miller and Tim Miller who will know each other well by year’s end.
Mike Miller rather suddenly exploded onto the 145# scene about the middle of last year with a flurry of impressive victories. Only a sophomore he was battling the very best– and winning. At the sectional and the district he defeated senior three-time placer (and my choice) Travis Kovach with some clutch wrestling. He waltzed through the state bracket winning the title over Adam Melton, from Wadsworth, 9-5. This year it’s been more of the same. He’s won at North Canton and Wadsworth and is now rated as one of the top juniors in the country. He has to be the favorite at this class.
His big rival will again be from nearby Wadsworth. Tim Miller, also a junior, was 3rd at 152# last year after finishing 6th as a freshman. His only state loss was a 5-4 semi-final defeat by Mike Ward. This year he has lost twice to Mike Miller–in the finals at North Canton and Wadsworth–by about five points each time. That is not an insurmountable obstacle especially since he will see him (very likely) at both the district and state level. Beating someone of comparable quality four times in the same year is not an easy task, but Mike Miller should do it. The issue might be looking ahead to such a confrontation and getting upset by a third party.
The two Millers should dominate the Massillon District. A wild card here is O’Bryan who set a record with six first period falls while winning at Brecksville. He also won at Solon; other possibilities are listed in the table with the tenacious Russo a possibility for qualification. The big unknown is Howell, who won at Canal Fulton, ahead of Butzer, but who wrestles a very low-key schedule.
The Perrysburg District is not nearly as difficult as at most of the lower weight classes. What we have is parity, but at the low placement level. State qualifier Zednik has already lost a half dozen times at this class and will struggle to qualify. Holztrager, a coming star, Berdysz, and Spooner are possibilities, but no one here is assured of a state ticket. With Kettinger certified at 152# there is some depth at the Toledo sectionals with Earle still probably the top guy in that area. I’m guessing that a couple of wrestlers that are very low profile make it to the state tourney.
There will be some surprises at the Darby District. Corey Maier, who I thought would do very well at 160#, has dropped to this class. A state alternate last year he won at the higher weight at Wadsworth and should be the top man at this district. He certainly has an opportunity for a high place. Nichols is probably next best and the boys from Pickerington (North/South/East or Central whatever) always do well at the end of the year. Nichols was 4th at Medina and lost only to Tim Miller at the Ohio Duals. State qualifier Popham has not seemed to get much better. He got hammered at the Gorman and I think his qualification chances may be in jeopardy. Strater and Paplacyzk are clearly other possibilities and there is a bevy of good 152’s in the Southwest.
The deepest field is in the Southwest. Heading that group is the dangerous Monk who just missed placement last year at this class. He was 3rd at the SWOCA losing to Clemens and 3rd at Brecksville. I think he has been fighting the battle of the scale, but the extra pounds may alleviate that issue. There is a quartet of impressive wrestlers nipping at his heels. State qualifier Clemens has moved to Beavercreek and responded with wins at the GMVWA (including a win over Mauro) and Beavercreek with a 2nd at the SWOCA–defeating Monk but losing to an Indiana champion. State qualifier Goebel moves up from Division II and should not miss a beat. He beat the tough Smith to win at Sycamore. He was 2-2 at the state meet last year. Smith has been just a shade below this trio, but has the ability to qualify. He needs a breakout tournament to build his confidence. State qualifier Mauro and Myers are also very good and the only way they can all qualify is if a couple have a chance to compete at Darby.
160#
Projected Champion: Steve Luke (MASSILLON PERRY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | C. Koz (St. Edward) | 14 | Pacetti (North Royalton) |
| 3 | Mathias (Kilbourne) | 15 | Gibbs (Oak Hills) |
| 4 | Berling (Glen Este) | 16 | Haas (Massillon Jackson) |
| 5 | Love (Gahanna Lincoln) | 17 | Evans (Thomas Worthington) |
| 6 | Wiley (Beavercreek) | 18 | Glavan (Mentor) |
| 7 | Plowman (Maumee) | 19 | Warner (New Philadelphia) |
| 8 | Reitmeier (Holland Springfield) | 20 | IBradberry (Fairfield) |
| 9 | Lobes (Milford) | 21 | Steele (Chillicothe) |
| 10 | Richardson (Cuyahoga Falls) | 22 | Weidenthal (Fitch) |
| 11 | Griffin (Colerain) | 23 | Wilson (Sylvania Southview) |
| 12 | Crowley (Lakota East) | 24 | Immarino (Brush) |
| 13 | Soltis (Solon) | 25 | Hess (Ashland) |
I have always taken particular interest in wrestlers who start out as relatively little guys with great success, and are able to sustain that success as they rapidly grow into big guys. Wrestlers like Tommy Rowlands, Eddie Potokar and Tom Cousinequ come immediately to mind and I’m sure my faithful readers will think of others. A wrestler that fits into that category is Steve Luke who was a state runner-up to Mark Moos at 112# as a freshman and two years later won his second state title at 160#. Not many wrestlers are four time finalists–certainly all of the four-time state champs and, maybe, half again that number who’ve lost at least once while making the finals four times. Luke rated by just about everybody, as the best 160 pounder in the country should reach that target in February. This year he won the Ironman, the Beast, and the MIT, including a win over Division II state champ Chris Tripp. Luke will be an excellent college wrestler. He is skilled in every aspect of the sport and is as comfortable on the mat as on his feet. Last year his closest state bout was a 9-1 major decision in the finals, but he has consistently shown that he can win the close bouts when he needs to. There are some wrestlers at this weight class who in a normal year would have legitimate title aspirations, but who can only hope for a miracle this year.
The battle at this class is for 2nd place and there are a number of possibilities–though none of them are at Massillon. State qualifier Haas has moved back down to 160# as has Richardson and that should help both of their qualification chances. However, I think Pacetti might turn out to be second best here. He was a state alternate last year losing a one-point bout to qualify. This year he was 2nd at Perrysburg losing a close bout to Plowman. People like Immarino, Warner, Glavan, and Wiedenthal are all possibilities, but after the top trio it doesn’t make a lot of difference.
There is more depth at Perrysburg. Chuck Koz was a district champ last year and went 2-2 at Columbus losing to eventual champ Foster and Kuhner. His highest profile match was in the dual meet with Graham where he wrestled last and had to hold off Schlatter for Ed’s to win the meet. That he did–losing, of course, but only a regular decision–and twice taking Schlatter down. This year he was 4th at the Beast (after not placing at the Ironman) and 3rd at the MIT losing to Luke in the semis, 7-4. He has been hot recently and has finalist potential. I think Plowman has supplanted state qualifier Reitmeier as second best at this district beating him 3-2 at both Waite and Perrysburg. Soltis and Walling (North Ridgeville) are other possibilities here, but this is not an overly crowded district.
State placer Mathias is back at this weight class where he finished 4th last year. After first-round loss he won four consolation bouts against a quartet of good wrestlers. Love defeated him at the Midwest Classic, but I still think Mathias will prove to be superior at the district level. Love, also a state qualifier, is second best here. He went 1-2 at 152# last year and, certainly, has low placement chances. The remainder of this district is in disarray with the district clearly to be the sorting out process.
There are some strong performers at Fairfield. The best of the group is Berling who had great back-to-back weeks over the holidays. He won the SWOCA from the #3 seed beating Conley in the process and then was 2nd at Brecksville including a fall over McMullen losing only to Division III choice Whelan. He qualified at 152# last year, but got beat by Tim Miller in the first round and couldn’t come back. Griffin is also a returning state qualifier but he was only 5th at the SWOCA and 3rd at the GMVWA, losing early to Wiley. He did, however, win at Fairfield. Wiley has moved up several notches and will battle with Conley as a possible finalist at this district. Conley looked good at the Ohio Duals except for 34-second fall by Luke. Lobes, Unzicker, and Bradberry are also in the hunt here. The first named took a 6-5 decision from Conley early in the year and also won at Mason.
171#
Projected Champion: ADAM MELTON (WADSWORTH)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Legg (Freemont Ross) | 16 | Moore (Middletown) |
| 3 | Ward (Mayfield) | 17 | Place (Central Crossing) |
| 4 | Murray (Fitch) | 18 | Whitner (Perrysburg) |
| 5 | Jonhenry (Berea) | 19 | Elam (West Carrollton) |
| 6 | Sen (Elyria) | 20 | Broering (LaSalle) |
| 7 | DiDona (St. Edward) | 21 | Benner (Anthony Wayne) |
| 8 | Rose (Uniontown Lake) | 22 | Freudeman (New Philadelphia) |
| 9 | Klaserner (Elder) | 23 | Honnerlaw (Wilmington) |
| 10 | Anthony (Strongsville) | 24 | Simmons (Scioto) |
| 11 | Rice (West Jefferson) | 25 | Burton (Harrison) |
| 12 | Brubaker (Start) | 26 | Hawkins (Medina) |
| 13 | Peterson (Coffman) | 27 | Metcalf (Bowsher) |
| 14 | Butler (Mt. Healthy) | 28 | Moody (Colerain) |
| 15 | Trujillo (Groveport) | 29 | Guzman (Rhodes) |
There are a lot of question marks at 171#. A number of them have to do with size, as some of the top contenders are probably a better fit at 160#, but have rejected that possibility because of the dominance of Steve Luke. Nonetheless, there are some outstanding contenders at this weight class who have had sparkling careers to this point. In my mind there are four top contenders three of whom, at a minimum, finished in the top four at Columbus, and three of whom exit the Massillon Perry District. Interestingly, they were all at different weight classes last year (135#, 145#, 152#, and 189#)–none of them where they’ll be competing at this year.
Let’s look at Massillon first. Melton was the state runner-up at 145# last year, losing to Mike Miller in the finals on his second trip to Columbus. This year he won at North Canton (pinning Hackett) and Wadsworth (over Jonhenry). He was undefeated at the Ohio Duals and beat Ward, 3-2, to win at Mayfield. An excellent technician with a load of experience, he may be the best of this trio. Ward was also a state runner-up (I told you this was a dynamite group) at 152#, losing in overtime to Foster. He has looked a little sluggish to me, but he was 2nd at Brecksville (barely beating Sen and then losing to Caponi) and 2nd at Mayfield. He did win the Midwest Classic. He got stronger as the year progressed in 2003, and may well do so again this year. The big question mark is Murray. He was 4th two years ago at 125#, and 6th last year at 135#–losing by two to Cunningham and three to Lutz. I thought he would be primed for a state title run in 2004, but I never expected to see him at 171#. He’s missed time because of injury, and then lost to both Jonhenry and Hackett by two points to finish 4th at the Top Gun. He’ll have to do better to qualify with state qualifiers Rose and Anthony at this district. That’s five state caliber wrestlers and only four state openings.
Legg is the other top contender, but again, as with Murray I’m not sure what to expect. He was 5th at this class two years ago and then was my pick at 189# last year. Probably a little small for that weight, he won at his district, but lost in the quarterfinals to eventual champ Lukens, 3-1, and then to Adkins, in overtime, and failed to place. He has been at 189# all year and I was very surprised when he certified here. A hard worker, he should look a whole lot bigger than the lighter weights who have moved up. This is another strong district. State qualifier Jonhenry, state alternate DiDona, and the rapidly improving Sen are all here. Jonhenry was 3rd at the Top Gun, losing a 6-5 squeaker to state champion Tripp. He was a sectional champ last year, but was unable to compete at the district level. Sen came very close to qualification last year, losing his go-to-state bout by a point. This year he won at Avon Lake and, after losing that 3-2 bout to Ward, finished 3rd at Brecksville. The Toledo trio of Brubaker, Whitner, and Benner could also make inroads at this class. Still, I think they are four or five points behind the top quartet at this district.
Those are two very demanding districts, but it is the opposite situation at Darby–at least in terms of the Columbus area contenders. The quartet of Peterson, Place, Trujillo, and Rice look to be the best, and they will not match up well with any of the other districts. I’m guessing the Dayton area 189’s are hoping to use the Darby conduit as their best hope to reach the States.
There are a lot of unknowns at Fairfield. That is somewhat the case because I have not collected as much information as I would have liked from several schools that appear to have contenders at this class. Almost no one here has much district experience, as there was an almost complete turnover in participants from last year. In terms of consistency Klaserner may be the top choice. He was 2nd at the SWOCA, 6th at Brecksville, and 3rd at the CIT. Still he failed to win a single district bout at this weight last year, and Sen crushed him 11-3 at Brecksville. Former state qualifier Butler was 3rd at the SWOCA (losing to Klaserner) and has great upside potential. I worry about his consistency. The Dayton area boys–Moore, Broering, and Tecmire–are all about equivalent while Shaw, who won at Sycamore and Honnerlaw have not faced the tough weekend one can expect at district time. The unknown is Elam, who is listed at 22-0 with almost all his victories by fall. If he is for real he could vault to the top of this district.
Let me walk you through the final analysis of my top foursome of Melton, Legg, Ward, and Murray. First to go is Murray. He’s had injury problems, up five weight classes, and was unimpressive at the Top Gun. Second to be dismissed is Ward (sounds like one of those reality shows) because of his loss to Melton and sluggishness at Brecksville. This leaves just two, but Legg is next out. He’s down a weight class from last year (tough cut) and lost for me last year. Thus Melton has to be the top choice.
189#
Projected Champion: JUSTIN DOBIES (GARFIELD HTS.)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Carpenter (Maumee) | 16 | Stacy (Fairmont) |
| 3 | Lukens (Moeller) | 17 | Morrison (Shaker Hts.) |
| 4 | Fyda (St. Charles) | 18 | Adams (Scioto) |
| 5 | Moore (Cleveland JFK) | 19 | Esarco (Canfield) |
| 6 | Reinhart (Coffman) | 20 | Anevski (Elder) |
| 7 | Chine (Fitch) | 21 | Bekier (Holland Springfield) |
| 8 | Roman (Glen Oak) | 22 | Murray (Pickerington North) |
| 9 | McConnell (Euclid) | 23 | Hellwarth (Celina) |
| 10 | R. Koz (St. Edward) | 24 | Rion (Brecksville) |
| 11 | Armbruster (North Royalton) | 25 | Salas (LaSalle) |
| 12 | Green (Toledo St. John) | 26 | Kuhlman (Sycamore) |
| 13 | Zalaiskains (Massillon) | 27 | Kaszar (Hudson) |
| 14 | Yelic (Kilbourne) | 28 | Myers (St. Xavier) |
| 15 | Palmieri (Mayfield) | 29 | Mahone (Cleveland Hts.) |
| 30 | Bradigain (Strongsville) |
Last year I drew parallels between the career paths of Ryan Lukens and his older brother Nick. I noted that Nick had exploded at the end of his junior year to surprise everyone with a state title and idly wondered whether Ryan would continue their parallel trajectories and also win as a junior. Much to my surprise that’s exactly what happened as Lukens swept to the title beating my choice Legg by a takedown, and then avenging a district loss to Clingner in the finals. Now comes the tough part. As a senior Nick faced a far more competitive field and did not place with Pliev winning and Camargo finishing 2nd. Ryan faces the same issues. While 189# is not overly strong it is certainly better than it was last year when it was the weakest class in Division I. Dobies has already beaten Lukens 12-5, but that, maybe, was just a fluke. However, two more losses at the CIT (to Fyda and Gavlak) makes it look a little more serious. However, this may not signal the abdication of a state champ. The Lukens are a surprising bunch –consider that the father, “Big Bill”, is in the St. X Hall of Fame, but his kids go to Moeller– and the scores will be much closer next time.
Dobies has had a great year with just a tiny blemish in the last week. He won at Edison and Brecksville and then beat Lukens at the Ohio Duals. His only loss was in the finals at the Dies to Saniuk (Division II) by a narrow 1-0 margin. A district champ and state semi-finalist last year, he finished 4th after a narrow loss to Clingner. He leads the Perrysburg District along with state qualifier Carpenter, who has really improved. Yes, Dobies beat him at Brecksville, but Carpenter has been exceptional all year. This duo stand above a boatload of other contenders, such as Greene, Russ Koz, and Morrison.
It’s an extremely crowded field at Masillon. I count ten rankable names among this unwieldy group and the winnowing process will be severe. It’s difficult to know where to start. There are five returning state qualifiers, but there are no guarantees here. Chine was a state semi-finalist at 171#, winning 13-5 and 16-3 in the first two rounds. Then he was pinned by Malinowski and Simmons before righting the ship and getting 5th. He has not yet been as good at 189#. He was 4th at Brecksville, losing to Dobies and Dye, and then was 5th at the Top Gun including a loss to Moore. Roman went two-and-out at 160# last year and is up two classes. He won at North Canton–whipping Zalaiskalns in the final–but then got crushed by Carpenter at Brecksville and did not place. He won over a weaker field at Canal Fulton, but that did not do much to clarify his status. McConnell qualified at 215# last year on a 30 second rideout and gave Busson a tough first round bout, but did not place. He’s down at 189# making room for Dominick at 215#. He does not wrestle a strong schedule, but he can be very good. He qualified after finishing 4th in his sectional. Moore is one to watch. He wrestles for a Senate school in Cleveland and he is very good. Last year he drew Lukens in the first round, and did not wrestle his best, but then won two consolation bouts before falling in his placement bout. He was 3rd at the Top Gun, losing only to a top Pennsylvania wrestler. Esarco qualified in Division II last year, but will need to be at peak levels to do so again. He was 5th at the Dies. Ambruster missed state qualification by one point last year and may well be better than some of the returning qualifiers. Palmieri and Rion are also possibilities, but Zalaiskalns may be the top choice in this non-qualifying group. With so many possibilities the Patroness of Pairings will play a large role in the outcome.
I thought Reinhart was probably the best at the rather uninspired Darby District, but recent losses to Koz and to Carpenter have left me wondering. Then Fyda comes along at the CIT and beats Lukens 9-2 and Hickey 15-11. Wow! Still he was a state alternate at 171# last year so this is not entirely weird. My question is, “What next?” Yelic is also good at Darby, the state alternate at 189# last year, and Murray might be in the group as well.
While Lukens might be mired in a little mini-slump there is no one in his district to take advantage of it. Guys like Stacy or Myers are on the periphery of a low place, but this group–other than Lukens–is not keeping the rest of the state’s 189’s up at night.
215#
Projected Champion: LUKE BUSSON (WADSWORTH)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Huddle (Scioto) | 15 | Quehl (Moeller) |
| 3 | Burger (Mentor) | 16 | Jabbie (Westerville South) |
| 4 | Adkins (St. Edward) | 17 | Osborne (Anderson) |
| 5 | Trusnik (Nordonia) | 18 | LeStrange (Toledo Central Catholic) |
| 6 | Noga (Eastlake North) | 19 | Porter (Mason) |
| 7 | Stegeman (Elder) | 20 | Shaffner (Mansfield Madison) |
| 8 | Dominick (Euclid) | 21 | Owsley (Stebbins) |
| 9 | Zink (Xenia) | 22 | Sexton (New Philadelphia) |
| 10 | McDuffie (Coffman) | 23 | McKenzie (Holland Springsfield) |
| 11 | Faught (Elyria) | 24 | Watson (Sandusky) |
| 12 | Klein (Westerville North) | 25 | Muldoon (St. Xavier) |
| 13 | Garafalo (Normandy) | 26 | Horst (Sylvania Northview) |
| 14 | Lovy (Lebanon) |
There is a very unbalanced distribution of power at this weight, which has the potential to make for a very asymmetrical state bracket sheet. There are seven state qualifiers (if Kent decides not to move up to the heavyweight class) competing at Massillon Perry, including four of the top six contenders. It’s a group that has taken turns defeating one another–often by the narrowest of margins–and one can only guess at the order of finish and qualifiers out of that district. Once we factor in Huddle and Adkins it is likely to be a real free-for-all in Columbus with the 30-second tiebreakers in use all too often. Part of the problem is that neither the Transitive Property, nor the Law of Consistency will hold here. By transitivity one would hope that if “A” defeats “B” and “B” beats “C” then “A” will defeat “C” (Gillmor’s Law). It doesn’t work that way at 215#. Also inoperative is consistency so that if “A” beats “B” he can replicate that result in the future. For example, Burger and Noga, from adjacent communities have wrestled a number of times with no one ever winning two in a row.
Noga is the highest returning placer, but that doesn’t mean much considering how close in ability these boys are. Last year he got blazingly hot at the end of the year, finishing 2nd to Koz at the district, and then taking advantage of a great draw winning his first three state bouts 15-6, 3:51, and 17-5. Koz pinned him in the state finals, but state runner-up had to sound good to him. Busson, also a district champ, drew Koz a round earlier than Noga and ended up 3rd, beating Burger and Trusnik back-to-back on Saturday morning. Trusnik lost to Burger in the first round, but then won four consolation bouts to get 4th. Burger beat McConnell early in the consolation rounds and ended up 5th. So we have the boys who finished runner-up through fifth place at this one district plus state qualifier Dominick and, maybe, state qualifier Kent, who looks like he might go at 275#. Who can blame him?
This year it’s been just as jumbled and I’m not going to go through it all. For example, Burger pinned Noga to win at Solon, but lost to him in the dual meet. At Brecksville, Burger beat Trusnik in overtime in the semis, then Noga defeated Trusnik, 7-6, for 3rd. Three of these boys exit the same sectional so the district draw could get ugly for someone like Trusnik.
Adkins is another possible champ. He was 5th last year at 189#, losing to the eventual finalist Clingner 10-9 in two overtimes. What worries me is his long absence from the St. Edward line-up. He is a big man with lots of movement and technique. He could well be rusty after missing more than a month. His district is far easier with Garafalo and Faught probably next best from the Cleveland sectionals and McKenzie and Horst from the Toledo ones. LeStrange is ranked first by some in that area, but failed to place at the CIT. Schaffner could be the surprise package–winning at Marion Harding and getting 4th at the Top Gun. Watson and Kowalka are other possibilities from that area.
The sixth candidate is the powerful Huddle, and he confuses me. He was 4th in the Darby District last year at this class, but was the only one of the four qualifiers to place. In fact he handily defeated his first two opponents (scoring 29 points), one of whom was Burger, and then lost three straight bouts by a combined score of 46-9. Was he hurt, discouraged, sick? I don’t know, but he beat Burger 16-8 and then lost to him 17-2 in the span of little more than 24 hours. This year he has been super–at least until the Top Gun, winning by huge scores. However, Dibell upset him 11-9 and he finished 3rd. Which Huddle will show up in Columbus? There are some other solid wrestlers at this district, like McDuffie, Klein, and Jabbie, but they are a step below Huddle.
The Southwest District has nice depth, but no upper-tier stars likely to reach the finals. Stegeman was a state qualifier at 275# last year, but missed the state meet due to injury (his sub took 4th). This year he is at 215# and has had solid success. He beat the Mater Dei (Indiana) star to win at the SWOCA, 5th at Brecksville (losing to Division II, Thomas, and Trusnik). He handed Bachna his first loss while winning the CIT. Quehl has been his top rival in the Cincinnati area finishing 3rd at the SWOCA. I was impressed with his 5-0 win over Konyesni (Adkins’ backup), the Medina runner-up, although he did fail to place at the CIT. Two other candidates are Lovy –a consistent placer–and Muldoon who was 3rd at the CIT. A little further north, state qualifier Zink is pre-eminent, at least in Division I. Huelsman is also good with Owsley kind of a wild card possibility.
HVY.
Projected Champion: KIRK NAIL (DAVIDSON)
Top Contenders
| 2 | T. Johnson (Lakota East) | 15 | Cybulski (Mentor) |
| 3 | Wyper (Perrysburg) | 16 | Brubeck (Findlay) |
| 4 | Wiley (Hoover) | 17 | Schalmo (Strongsville) |
| 5 | Smith (Springfield North) | 18 | Litchfield (Pickerington North) |
| 6 | Marshall (Mason) | 19 | Benton (Princeton) |
| 7 | F. Johnson (Glenville) | 20 | McKendry (Fairfield) |
| 8 | Tull (Moeller) | 21 | Burke (Grove City) |
| 9 | Kent (Green) | 22 | Dumas (Brush) |
| 10 | Porter (Firestone) | 23 | N. Johnson (Holland Springfield) |
| 11 | Safran (Brecksville) | 24 | McKenzie (Parma) |
| 12 | Fitzpatrick (Elyria) | 25 | Keferi (Thomas Worthington) |
| 13 | McInturff (Wadsworth) | 26 | Coyne (St. Edward) |
| 14 | Hopkins (Westerville North) | 27 | Platzar (Willoughby South) |
| 28 | J. Johnson (Shaker Hts.) |
While there is better than average depth in the heavyweight classification I view this as a titanic struggle of two excellent heavyweights. In one corner is the very talented and athletic Tony Johnson, who has finished 3rd and 5th the past two years. A great free-styler he was favored by many last year and went through the year undefeated, including a dramatic district win over Pat Barrentine. However, in Columbus the best 4-minute heavyweight in the state, Derrick Bendau, caught him early and often, and then held on for a 14-7 win–gaining revenge for his upset loss a year earlier. Nail, on the other hand, has been a work in progress. A very light heavyweight, he did not qualify as a tenth-grader, but last year, greatly improved, he captured the Darby District. At Columbus he lost to Barrentine, defeated the dispirited Johnson in overtime, and took a strong 3rd. This year both were entered at Medina, but did not meet. The very talented Adam Hoppel (Division II) defeated Johnson, 5-2, and then Nail dominated him 6-1.
There will be no seeding at this weight class so if both boys are district champs there will be a one in three chance that their meeting will come in the semi-finals. That would be a shame since they’ll deserve center stage for their second confrontation. I think Nail will win–very likely in overtime, and probably in that pathetic 30-second tiebreaker. Nail gives up twenty pounds and Johnson is more mobile, but Nail has a focus and determination difficult to defeat. He is just so mentally tough that he refuses to lose. I also think his ability to ride will be important and so I’m giving him the very tiniest of edges.
There is nobody at Darby that will be able to match Nail. Hopkins, Litchfield, and Burke are journeyman performers, capable of an upset, but unlikely to sustain a series of victories over top tier competitors.
Johnson will face a deeper, more talented group, but these are all wrestlers he has dominated for the past three years. The 6’7” Marshall is probably second best, but Johnson pinned him in the finals of the SWOCA. State qualifier Smith returns if he is not transported to Darby, but he does not have either the size or speed to neutralize Johnson. Both these boys have solid placement potential. I don’t want to overlook Tull who was 3rd at the SWOCA, 1st at the CIT, and undefeated at the Ohio Duals. Benton, McKendry and Wood are capable performers who would need only one mini-upset (unless it was Johnson they beat) to qualify. This will be a tough district to draw into for first round action,
Last year I completely undervalued Wyper who proceeded to become a district finalist and win two state bouts last year. In fact, he probably has the best tools and the most legitimate hope of defeating the top duo. His biggest problem has been heavyweights with the last name of Smith. He lost his state placement bout to Joey Smith (now graduated) last year, and his two defeats this year were to Dan Smith and Chris Smith. He should have little trouble at the district level since he is well above the best of the competitors here, and no one named Smith will be in the bracket. His best hope would be to win here and hope that both Johnson and Nail are on the side of the draw. One upset then, which he is certainly capable of, would then give him the title. Brubeck, Johnson, McKenzie, and especially state qualifier Fitzpatrick are top hopes for qualification.
Certainly the most crowded district is at Massillon, but the one least likely to have a finalist at the state level. It’s a district that is ten-deep at heavyweight with four of them previous state qualifiers. State qualifier Wiley might be the leader here. He won at both North Canton and the Top Gun and was 5th at Medina, losing 11-5 to Nail. State qualifier Fred Johnson (yes, a third such named) is a devastating pinner and does a great job despite a weak schedule and few workout partners. He won a state bout last year after drawing eventual champ Barrentine in the first round. State qualifier Kent won two bouts at states last year while at 215#. He started the year at that weight class (and is certified there), but has been at 275# since then. He may want to avoid that crowd at 215# in his district and use his strength and mobility to beat heavyweights. Cybulski qualified two years ago, but just hasn’t seemed to get much better. He is, again, in danger of staying home for the second consecutive year. Porter and Dumas are huge heavyweights who can, to use Geoff Sindelar’s technical term, “squish” anybody. They are very dangerous. That leaves a quartet of heavyweights who could probably qualify at Darby or Perrysburg, but most fight the numbers battle here. State qualifier MdInturff has been excellent in high-pressure situations, and will probably get out. Safran beat Fitzpatrick to win at Brecksville and Schalmo is at the same level. Platzer has great bloodlines, but he’ll need to be at 110% to qualify here.
TEAMS
1. St. Edward – They do not have the four or five sure finalists they had last year as they look for the seventh consecutive team title (and 20th overall). With Massillon Perry almost sure to put 100 points on the board, Ed’s has to find a way to top that. They have no assured finalists this year, but Palmer and Madsen are their best hopes. They are going to have to grind out place winners at seven or eight weight classes with folks like Koz, Ward, Phelan, and Adkins showing leadership. The winning points might come from the freshmen Nemec and Harris.
2. Massillon Perry – They do have three sure champs in Johnstone, Schlatter, and Luke. Hartley could also be a finalist, but who else can help? If Straughn and Rini can score at the state level Ed’s won’t be looking in the rear view mirror seeing Perry– they’ll be right alongside them. The last time a public school won the team title was 1977, so it’s been a long wait.
3. Wadsworth – Another excellent public school program with possible champs at three weight classes and potential placers at three more. However, there is no upside here, third is the best they can do.
4. Garfield Hts. – Putting them this high might be a stretch, especially after their performance at the Dies. Still, Dobies should be at least a finalist while Effner might make it to that level as well. If the lightweights can score then this placement is a strong possibility.
5. Mayfield – They were runners-up last year and another year in the Top Five would be awesome. They have to count very heavily on the Spencer twins and Ward. They’d like to get additional points from Palmieri, Thomas, Catalona or Jianetti. That will be difficult.
6. Lakota East – Johnson should be a finalist at 275#, while Sizemore and Conley could be scorers. If they can get help from the Piersons and Hall they might move up a place.
7. Groveport – There are only two state scorers here–Cunningham and Mossor–but between they should exceed 40 points. With a lot of scoring by the top trio of teams and diffuse level of talent elsewhere, this should be enough to make the Top Ten.
8. Elyria – Perez and Mitcheff (the assumption being he is healthy and able to go) should be good scorers, while Sen may surprise at 171#. If Faught or Fitzpatrick can help out, they might even better this placement.
9. Marysville – Lutz and Hucle should be solid scorers, though I’m a little worried about the latter, and Maier will be a surprise placer at 152#.
10. Mentor – They have lots of opportunities, but whether the firepower is there is still to be answered. Burger and Lerer are returning placers, while Cybulski has state experience. O’Bryan and, maybe, Glavan could help, and the sophomore Estadt could be a big surprise.
DIVISION II
As always this is a division loaded with highly anticipated match-ups and powerhouse teams. Some of the most highly rated wrestlers in this country compete in this classification and the quality of wrestling is so high that none of them are guaranteed a state title. More often than not, the mats featuring Division II wrestlers will draw the majority of interest this year in Columbus.
103#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: AARON HART (GRAHAM)
Top Contenders
- Rooney (Walsh)
- Davis (Ravenna)
- Connelly (Lake Catholic)
- J. Penny (Milton Union)
- Ulinski (Eastwood)
- McCahan (Coventry)
- Thurn (Clyde)
- Pelton (Bellevue)
- Morton (Canal Winchester)
- Roche (University)
- Myers (Indian Creek)
- Lehotay (Meadowbrook)
- Irving (Rossford)
- Dean (Akron St. Vincent)
- Daugherty (Cambridge)
- McKay (Miami Trace)
- Quickle (Hillsboro)
- Santry (Whitehall)
- Wagers (Willard)
- Miller (Brookville)
- McLaughlin (Canal Fulton Northwest)
- Cisco (St. Marys Memorial)
- Jellison (Ross)
- Caudill (Beaver Local)
- Sofoulis (Bryan)
You ever watch those action movies featuring Jackie Chan or Stephen Segall or Vin Diesel, where the hero suddenly comes face-to-face with four or five fearsome assailants. Fortunately they always come at him one at a time, allowing him time to exhibit his fantastic hand-to-hand combat skills. Well, that would appear to be the situation facing Aaron Hart. As I see it the Ironman and Beast champion has to face-off with a whole squadron of meanies from the Firestone District. In a stroke of good luck they, too, will come at him one at a time, allowing him to improve on last year’s 4th place finish. But it won’t be easy since it’s a fearsome bunch coming down from the North, and Hart will have to sustain the outstanding work he has done so far this year. Last year, as a district champ, Hart was upset in the first round by Cubberly, then won four consolation bouts before losing again o Cubberly for 3rd. A small 103-pounder (if that phrase isn’t redundant) last year, he will be far better equipped to cope with the “big” boys this year.
Let’s take a look at the Firestone boys. Davis, the state runner-up last year, is a short, powerfully built young man with lots of experience. He got hot at the end of last year and won his district and three state bout before bowing to McLemore (who he threw early). He had seven losses going into district action, but then was almost untouchable. This year he is clearly struggling with the weight though the weight allowance will help him some. He was 2nd at Brecksville, losing to Lint in the finals, but never being out of the bout. Rooney is an outstanding pinner. Last year he was nipped by Connelly at Columbus and whomped by Hart. This year he was 5th at the Ironman and 2nd at the Powerade, while wrestling a tremendously difficult schedule. Hart continues to be his nemesis, decisively beaten him three more times. State placer Connelly was 6th last year after finishing 4th in his district–including a narrow win over Rooney. He was 2nd at Medina, defeating the freshman Harris and losing to Holliday by a point in the finals. Finally, there is McCahan, now a senior, who placed 3rd as a freshman at Akron St. Vincent a this weight class and has never reached that level again. He has re-energized his career, winning at Wadsworth and climbing back into the picture once more at 103#.
On the other hand, there doesn’t appear to be much at Watkins Memorial. I’ve looked long and hard for some powerful possibilities, but have come up empty. It looks like Lehotay, Morton, Caudill, and Santry might be the best hopes for qualification, but it seems very wide open to me. The other districts will want to draw in Watkins for their first round matchups.
As we saw at Watkins there are also no returning state qualifiers at Galion. In fact, none of the boys on my list have any significant district experience, so we are starting a fresh page at this class. However, this group looks far better than what I saw at Watkins. Thurn, Ulinski, and Pelton all have earned their spurs this year with strong tournament results. For example, Thurn has won at Norwalk, Franklin and Clyde, while Ulinski was 4th at Wadsworth and went 2-1 at state duals, losing only to Rooney. There might be some state surprises from the four qualifiers here.
Hart’s only possible challenger at Goshen is Jeff Penny, a state qualifier at this weight class last year. He went 1-2 at Columbus including a first round loss by fall to Rooney. This year he dominated at Edgewood, but was only 5th at GMVWA, losing to Division III competitors Preece and Thome–the latter was majored by Hart earlier in the year.
112#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: BEN LLANAS (EASTWOOD)
- Kriwinsky (University)
- Cormier (Columbus DeSales)
- D. Penny (Milton Union)
- Artmann (Hillsboro)
- Moser (Dover)
- Reedy (Ravenna)
- Keyes (Walsh)
- Pape (Carrollton)
- Ebert (Triway)
- Land (Valley View)
- Shanholtz (Coventry)
- Blevins (Franklin)
- Schaefer (Perkins
- Duffield (East Liverpool)
- Kapper/Stroh (Canal Fulton NW)
- Weston (Rocky River)
- Clarkson (Graham)
- Burger (Fairview)
- Garee (Utica)
- Macko (Padua)
- Harrison (Chaminade)
- Ritzenthaler (Norwalk)
- Hogue (Southeast)
- Simpson (Kenston)
- Mahley (Cambridge)
- Goodrich (Chagrin Falls)
One of the highly touted movies of the 60’s was “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, featuring dozens of big name comedians. The action was ignited by a car wreck where a dying victim confesses to onlookers that a huge pile of money is hidden in San Diego. This sets off a madcap scramble with everyone racing to find and claim this enormous treasure. It seems to me that this weight class somewhat mirrors this plot line, as we have perhaps as many as ten competitors with some probability of claiming the state title. Generally 112# is populated by all the top 103-pounders from the previous year. It didn’t happen in 2004. Only one 103 pound placer (and he was 5) moved up to 112#, and it looks like only one placer from 112# last year will reappear this year. This will be a weekend for the wrestler with the hot hand.
It will also be a weekend where the pairings will be critical. An adjunct to Murphy’s Law applies here called the Law of Perverse Pairings. Basically it states that the pairings will fall in such a way as to least accommodate the predictions of forecasters. That could happen here with the wide range of styles creating upsets–see, for example, the Top Gun.
I don’t believe anyone here has a probability over 15% of winning this weight class. However a quartet of favorites may have a slight edge over the next group of about the same number and, coincidently, they represent all four districts. Ben Llanas would seem to be the best out of Galion. A state qualifier last year he has been 3rd at the Top Gun and 2nd (to two-time state champ Wyant) ad Wadsworth. He swept through the Ohio Duals, narrowly defeating Cormier and crushing Keyes (who had majored him at States) and won a couple of smaller tournaments. His only Division II loss was to Moser. A freewheeling scorer, he has occasional defensive lapses, which could be dangerous in the tense state atmosphere.
State qualifier Cormier was the district champ at 103# and knows how to win the low scoring battles. He was 3r at Brecksville (losing a tough overtime bout to the champion) and won at DeSales. He is a little small for 112#, but if he gets ahead he is excellent. He was crushed by Kriwinsky, but just missed beating Llanas.
State qualifier Kriwinsky is the biggest mystery. He has beaten almost all of the very best at this class, but he has had some inexplicable stumbles. He won two state bouts last year, losing only to runner-up Davis and third place finisher Cubberly. This year he dominated at Kenston and was 2nd at the Top Gun. He can win with the right mindset and the right draw.
Two-time state qualifier David Penny is the fourth of the top candidates and, maybe, the least known. He was 3′ at this weight class two years ago, winning five times against good competition. Last year he caught two-time champ, Compton, in the quarterfinals and never recovered as he failed to place. He was 2nd at the GMWA, but does not wrestle the demanding schedule of the other three. That may leave him fresher for the state meet and in a good position to win it all.
While Lanas looks best at Galion, state qualifier Schaefer cannot be far behind. Kriwinsky beat him by only four last year. He lost in the first round at Brecksville, but came back to get 5th losing to Cormier in overtime. There is a big drop-off after the top duo.
Cormier will not have it easy at Watkins. State qualifiers Duffield and Pape are back and both have won in Columbus. The big shocker is the unheralded Moser who won at the Top Gun with consecutive victories over Llanas, Pape, and Kriwinksy. Frankly, I don’t know what to make of it. Was this the weekend of a lifetime or someone suddenly realizing how good they can be
While Moser has been a huge surprise on the positive side, Keyes is in that same category at the other end of the spectrum. He was 4″ last year (losing twice to Jackson in overtime) and crushing Llanas 12-1. This year it’s totally different, as he has been victimized far too often. The wrestler to watch here is the freshman Reedy. He was 2nd at Brecksville and Wooster (to Gray), but has really a high upside. I’m betting he pulls at least one major upset on the tournament trail.
The one wrestler I may have shortchanged here is Artmann who was 5th at 103# last year. A state semi-finalist, he took Davis into overtime before losing. He was 4th at GMWA losing to Penny 6-1. A tenacious competitor, he seems particularly strong at tourney time. Also back is state qualifier Land, who was 4* at Medina and first at Bellbrook–as Artmann moved up to 119# and won.
119#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: RICKY DUEBEL (KENSTON)
- Jackson (Claymont)
- Pizzurro (Columbus DeSales)
- McLemore (Padua)
- K. Lipp (Beachwood)
- Michaels (Clyde)
- Bowers (Miami Trace)
- Hostetter (Salem)
- Quigley (Franklin)
- Kriebel (Akron St. Vincent)
- Current (Graham)
- Wakefield (Aurora)
- Fetters (Milton Union)
- Pusateri (Perkins)
- L. Hoppel (Beaver Local)
- M. Connelly (lake Catholic)
- Coats (Willard)
- Manfull (Carrollton)
- Davis (River Valley)
- Hodge (Preble Shawnee)
- Hahn (Coventry)
- Taylor (Eastwood)
- Best (Bath)
- Nagel (Avon)
- Gray (Utica)
- Bien (Roger Bacon)
I can’t remember when three state champions all competed at the same weight class and, amazingly, there are some curious parallels between two of them–senior Ricky Deubel and sophomore Pat McLemore. Both began their high school years with undefeated freshman seasons that culminated in state titles at 103#. Both moved up two weight classes to 119# as sophomores and found far more difficult competition, losing for the first times in their careers. Deubel, in act, did not place as a sophomore, but last year wrestled brilliantly, losing in overtime in the state finals to Cameron Doggett. This year Deubel is undefeated, winning the Ironman, Kenston and WR championships. In the first of these he beat the third member of this trio, state champ Kevin Lipp in the semi-finals and national prep champ Travis Blasco in the finals. McLemore has come face-to-face with reality this year, losing several times. He does not have the size advantage he had at 103# and has been taken down by the very best–and only the very best. Losses to the Division I competitors Perez and Smith are all that blemish his record to this point. He will find Deubel too quick on his feet, but Deubel will have to be wary of McLemore’s great mat skills. Lipp originally considered wrestling at 112#, but moved up to 119# at mid-season. Last year in Division III he wrestled brilliantly, upsetting Huffman in the semis and then avenging his district defeat by pinning Scaletta in the finals. He has wrestled a very tough schedule–winning at Solon and placing at the Ironman. Like McLemore, his sophomore year will be even more demanding than his freshman experience.
There have been nearly 200 two-time state champions in Ohio wrestling history, but to this point only one won titles as a freshman and a senior. Reed Case (1986 and 1989) from Cadiz may shortly have a companion with regard to that unusual record. Should Deubel win, he will become the second member of the Freshman/Senior Club.
Obviously, with two state champions the Firestone District will be very strong. I also anticipated seeing state place winner Jacob Murton at this class, but he and his brother have moved to Kentucky. Also unexpectedly absent is state qualifier Horne who like Cubberly at Galion has opted for the 125# class.
State champion McLemore will have one very fierce rival at Galion. Michaels had over 40 wins last year, and was a district semi-finalist. However, Rooney caught him early in the semis for a quick fall and he could not come back in the consolation rounds. This year he walloped Quigley to win at Franklin, then had victories at Lorain Southview, Norwalk, and the SBC’s. With Cubberly now at 125# the last two state berths are wide open
The Goshen qualifiers may struggle from the first round onward when matched up against the qualifiers from the other districts. It’s the last try for three-time state qualifier Bowers to place at States. I have him at 144-3 in all competitions except for those at State and 5-6 in the State meets. He’ll need to be at the top of his game at this weight class when he reaches Columbus this year. State qualifiers Quiqley and Davis return but may not have the firepower to match up with the northern boys. Current has wrestled the vicious Graham schedule and has had some big wins. He might be a finalist at this district.
There are two outstanding wrestlers at Watkins Memorial as well. Two-time placer Terry Jackson leads the way after finishing 4 and 3rd the past two years. This year he won at the Top Gun and was 2nd at Barnesville. He wrestles a lot of tight low-scoring bouts. Three-time state qualifier Pizzurro like Bowers has never quite placed at Columbus. He has won exactly one bout every year and has lost a number of heartbreakingly close decisions. The remaining two state berths are wide open.
125#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: CAMERON DOGGETT (GRAHAM)
- Reichman (Claymont)
- Cubberly (Eastwood)
- Bartley (Southeast)
- Scurry (London)
- Horne (Aurora)
- Christensen (Greenon)
- Micale (Kenmore)
- Albaugh (Minerva)
- Saxton (Buckeye Local)
- Jastal (Crestwood)
- Jenkins (Carrollton)
- Hutton (Revere)
- Friery (Padua)
- Nuhfer (Willard)
- Horne (Hillsboro)
- Lovell (Columbus DeSales)
- Smart (Van Wert)
- Pearce (Poland)
- Aona (Clyde)
- Sponseller (West Holmes)
- Shell (Brookville)
- Clarkson (Springfield NW)
- Sabatino (Norwalk)
- Pleiman (Tipp City)
- Bowers (Lake Catholic)
- Barrett (Vincent Warren)
Doggett was one of the four fabulous freshmen (along with Schlatter, Erwin, and Marshall) that Graham fielded just two years ago. Like the others, he has met every expectation culminating in a state title last year at 119#. This year he won at the Ironman (for the second time) in overtime, but was 5 at the Beast in a tough field. He has not looked quite as sharp this year, although he is still a solid favorite at this weight class. I wonder whether Schlatter’s move to Massillon Perry has deprived him of a workout partner that constantly challenged him to improve. Doggett lost only once last year in a mild upset in the district finals at the hands of the excellent Browning. He may be vulnerable to another such upset this year.
Doggett will dominate at Goshen. The only wrestler who can go at all with him is state qualifier Christensen. Last year, as a freshman, he won two state bouts and just failed to place. Hart beat him by one point both at the district finals and in their placement bout at 103#. This year up three weights classes he has won at Xenia and Bellbrook. The next tier of wrestlers–well below Christensen–features state qualifiers Shell and Pleiman, along with people like Clarkson, Cook, and Woods (Goshen)
The most crowded district is at Watkins. Three-time state placer Tyler Reichman continues to have great success always finishing at or near the top in every tournament entered. He already has 10 state wins, but has never made the finals (and not the semis since his freshman year). Last year Doggett nipped him 8-6 in the quarterfinals and Reichman went on to finish 4th. Most recently he was 1st at the Top Gun. State qualifiers Scurry, Saxton and Jenkins are all back, but none of them are safe. I was shocked when Scurry didn’t get out of this district last year (he qualified as a sophomore). A good offensive wrestler, he should grab a state ticket this year, but it won’t be easy. Saxton is also very good. Last year, as a freshman, he dropped his two state bouts by a point each time. He has state placement potential. Then there are the two freshmen–junior high state champ Lovell and junior high runner-up Colt Sponseller. Probably not quite ready for prime time, they nevertheless have upset potential.
Ysaguirre has been on a tremendous hot streak recently and at the same time has been evaluating his chances at either 125# or 130#. Now that the decision has been to go at 130#, Cubberly suddenly vaults to the top of the field at Galion. Last year he was 3rd at 103# -his only loss an overtime thriller. This year he has moved between 119# and 125# with equal success. Most recently he was 2nd at the Top Gun losing to Reichman in overtime and defeating Mossor. He was 3rd at Wadsworth and was undefeated in the Ohio Duals including a win over Pizzurro. He should dominate this district even with the excellent Friery and state qualifier Smart in the field.
There is no real standout at Firestone. There are returning state qualifiers at this class (six now that Horne has moved up). None of who seems substantially better than any of the others. On past performance Bartley might have a slight edge based on his 6 place finish last year at 112#. I hadn’t seen his name until today where he won 9-5 over state qualifier Micale to make the Dies. Also in the mix (beside Micale) are state qualifiers Jastal, Albaugh, Horne, and Hutton. I think that Micale and Horne might be a shade ahead of the other three. I will admit Hutton looked good at Solon, finishing 2nd to state placer Leer. Watch for Pearce–a one-man team from Poland Seminary–and Bowers as a possible bracket scramblers.
130#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: J.R. YSAGUIRRE (CLYDE)
- Sponseller (West Holmes)
- Lashaway (Eastwood)
- Kyle (Graham)
- J. Lipp (Beachwood)
- Emery (Harrison Central)
- Murphy (Wapakoneta)
- Worley (Big Walnut)
- England (Aurora)
- Spitalieri (Hoban)
- Smith (Bellevue)
- Sells (Milton Union)
- Shearer (Ross)
- Doughty (Willard)
- Rando (Oak Harbor)
- Hughes (Buckeye Valley)
- Hilbert (Revere)
- Burton/Schneider (Columbus DeSales)
- Tharp (Fairfield Union)
- Young (Highland)
- Tighe (Purcell)
- Lamancusa (West Branch)
- Potter (Goshen)
- Yaros (Coventry)
- Triplett (Claymont)
- Grant (Benjamin Logan)
- J. Rendinell (Kenston)
This will be a competition as wide open as any in Division II. Run this weight class on six consecutive weekends and you might well find yourself with six different champions. There is no dominant figure, and in reality, no group of three or four from which the eventual champ is likely to be drawn from. Factors such as district placement, the flu bug, smiles or frowns from the pairings god, or, dare we say, the random fluctuations of the officiating will play a major role in the final resolution of this weight class. Past performance will be a tricky barometer since two of the top contenders have moved up from Division III, one has moved down from Division I, and many of the others come from widely separated areas of the state. Going against Damon Runion’s famous advice – “The race isn’t always won by the swiftest, nor the fight by the strongest, but that’s the way to bet” – look for a long-shot winner.
My choice is the senior state qualifier J.R. Ysaguirre. As I mentioned in the previous essay he is wrestling extremely well with wins over quality opponents like Cory Opfer, Quentin Smith, and Frank Santiago. And these were not closely fought, even battles, but victories by fall or by a decisive score. This is a tough, very diversified field, but I’m thinking that, maybe, the weekend will be Ysaguirre’s turn to win.
Right behind him is Clint Sponseller, the senior from West Holmes. A three time state qualifier he has placed only once-last year–finishing 6. He has lost to some tough folks during that time (Schlatter, Zupancic, Doggett, Perez) and the bracket beings have not been a great help. He was 3rd at Medina and st at the Top Gun, beating an impressive field in the latter event. It’s his last chance and I think he’ll show up ready to win.
Challengers for Ysaguirre and Sponseller will emerge from every nook and cranny of the state. At Goshen, transfer Jake Kyle heads a rather average district. Kyle has been a big surprise (at least to me). He was 3′ at the Ironman, beating among others former state champ Jordan Lipp, and was 3-0 at the Ohio Duals. That super-tough schedule that Graham wrestles has seemingly made him even better. The freshman Tharp, a state junior high champ, has just moved down to this class, while state qualifiers Shearer and Sells also lurk here.
The other finalist at the Top Gun, state qualifier Drew Lashaway, looks strongest at Galion. Right behind are state qualifiers Murphy and Smith, both of whom wrestle good, representative schedules. Murphy also placed at the Top Gun and was 4″ at Brecksville, twice losing to Division i Nick Bodnar. Doughty is another excellent Willard lightweight, and their first six classes are solid. Apparently, the loss of two-time champ Mike Compton has not fazed them.
Lipp seems clearly best at Firestone. As a freshman he swept through the 112# class in Division III going undefeated and taking the state title. Last year at 119# he was a semi-finalist before losing to eventual champ Keyes (who he had beaten in the sectional finals) and finished 44. This year he has been wrestling between 125 and 135 pounds with his usual success. An early season injury caused him to default at Solon, but he won handily at Kenston. He certainly could take his second state title here. State qualifiers Spitalieri, Hilbert, and England all return, but a low place would be about the most they could hope for. Interestingly, Hilbert is up from 103#. Lamancusa might be a good long shot to dislodge one of these top four and qualify.
There is plenty of firepower arrayed against Sponseller at Watkins Memorial. One of the toughest is the unheralded Emery who was 4” in Division III last year. He is very good. Last year he split two bouts with Jordan Lipp and, in my mind, had finalist potential. State qualifier Worley is good, but watch for Hughes. He didn’t do much last year, but he walloped state placer Franz in the Bellbrook final and cannot be overlooked.
135#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: STEVE BLUNK (STREETSBORO)
Top Contenders:
- Schlater (Graham)
- Protz (West Geauga)
- Sanchez (Bath)
- Huffman (Watkins Memorial)
- Bricker (Wapakoneta)
- Taylor (Akron St. Vincent)
- Christman (Indian Lake)
- Vasiloff (Avon)
- Dunn (Beaver Local)
- Zieber (Clyde)
- Saxton (Buckeye Local)
- Sanger (Holy Name)
- Hawk (New Lexington)
- Kimble (Dover)
- Strittmatter (Akron Springfield)
- Dreger (Alliance)
- Pycraft (Keystone)
- Givens (Hamilton)
- Simko (Revere)
- Wells (Greenon)
- Cavello (Willard)
- Kerr (West Holmes)
- Tighe (Purcell)
- Patrick (New Richmond)
- Winters (Shelby)
- Phillips (Harrison Central)
Over the course of the past 66 state tournaments there have been only three wrestlers who have finished 2nd three times without winning a state title. The first of these was Gene Gibbons (1945, 1946 and 1947), who was not irretrievably damaged by this misfortune, going on to win an NCAA National Championship and becoming one of the greatest coaches in Ohio history. A man, incidentally, who still leads the teams from John Marshall, as he has done for over fifty years.
Now 57 years after Gene Gibbons’ senior season at the old Cleveland West High School, comes Steve Blunk who has already been a state runner-up three times, but still has his senior season to win that every so elusive state title. He has lost but three times since his freshman year, but two of those were state final bouts. Overall, I have him at 144-11, and it would certainly seem to be his time to win. No one thought he’d be a finalist his freshman year, but he was brilliant during the tourney process (outscoring his first three state opponents 46-9) before losing in 75 seconds to three-time champ Drew Opfer. Then after outscoring his opponents 44-1 in the first three rounds Chris Seta upset him in his sophomore year and Aaron Martin did the same last year. A point scoring machine, he is again the favorite, and this time he won’t finish 2nd.
This is, at least on the surface, the weakest weight class in Division II. The one huge threat to Blunk is the defensive wizard Tyler Schlater. When I first saw him I thought what an amazing difference between one “t” and two ”t’s,” but he has really gotten better. I saw him give Ryan Lang a good struggle last year and, lo and behold, he captures a 5″ place trophy at Columbus. This year, unseeded, he was 5 at the Beast at 140#, and 1st at Graham. He was undefeated at the Ohio Duals and his only recent loss, as I write this was to Jaggers in a dual meet. Last year Blunk beat him 9-1 in the semi-finals, but this time it could be a lot closer.
Schlater’s main competition at Goshen should come from state qualifier Hawk, Christman, and Tighe. Two freshmen, state junior high champ Brownlee (Western Brown) and Wells could also play a role here. There will be a lot of relatively unknown names emerging from Galion. There will be two sets of possibilities. The northeast boys will be headed by Sanger, Scott, Vasiloff, and Pycraft, while the northwest contingent features Sanchez, Zieber, Huffman, Bricker, and the freshman Cavello. Last year Sanger was the state alternate at 135#, losing to the eventual state runner-up in the first round, and to eventual state champ Gross in the go-to-state round. This year he has had a slow start, but remains a force at this weight. Still I think the northwest guys will take at least three of the four state berths. If Young goes at this weight class that will possibly change.
I’m struggling to find potential qualifiers out of Firestone. State qualifier Protz certainly should join Blunk and have a good chance for a medium to high state place. Dreger and Taylor are also possibilities, but clearly I’m missing some solid kids here. That’s the same situation we face at Watkins. Huffman is good, while Givens was a finalist at the Top Gun, beating Kimble in the semi-finals. Dunn (or Hoppel) are strong 135’s from the eastern sectionals while Wheeler might be a long-shot. Albaugh and Richey might also factor into this District’s outcome. But no one here is “top of the mind” with Blunk or Schlater.
At any rate, if you are a middleweight looking for a congenial place to compete, this might be the weight class for you.
140#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: RYAN MORGAN (COLUMBUS DESALES)
Top Contenders:
- Rohler (Akron St. Vincent)
- Taylor (Clyde)
- Shuller (Buckeye Local)
- Spohn (New Lexington)
- N.Rendinell (Kenston)
- Shiff (Fostoria)
- Hudak (Lexington)
- Wigington (Walsh)
- Bowman (Benedictine)
- Milavec (Avon)
- G. Hoppel (Beaver Local)
- Long (Orange)
- Stahl (Benjamin Logan)
- Cupp (Hamilton Twp.)
- Powell (Preble Shawnee
- Cost (University)
- Shearon (Oak Harbor)
- Ohman (Aurora)
- Ransbottom (Graham)
- Deeter (Valley View)
- Juhasz (NDCL)
- Trawinski (Carrollton)
- Lambert (Teays Valley)
- Incorvaia (Highland)
- Prochnow (Crestwood)
- French (Minerva)
Columbus DeSales has won 33 individual state championships, trailing only St. Edward, Maple Hts., and Walsh Jesuit in that category. It’s a school that produced the first four-time champ in Mark Zimmer and, arguably, the greatest heavyweight in state history, Luke Fickell. It’s a program that never seems to falter and this year is no exception. Their strength is at this weight class and the next where back-to-back state titles is not out of the question. They have their very best chance here with the talented senior, Ryan Morgan. He was 4″ last year (losing only to Blunk and Constantino), and has moved it up a notch with wins at DeSales, Brecksville, and Ironman. It is really a three-man struggle, with Morgan, Rohler, and Taylor all at about the same point. I chose Morgan (even after his recent loss to Rohler) because of his consistency and his ability to control the tempo of a bout. I thought he looked great all year, but in the Brecksville final he seemed to lose his aggressive mindset. Wrestling Tanner Shearer he pulled a “Jason Barnett” and got very defensive against an opponent I thought he could score on. He will not get away with such a defensive posture at the state meet, nor do I think he’ll try to do so. His 2nd place at the CIT suggests that Morgan may be tired after wrestling DeSales’ tough schedule and that a little down time should refresh him.
Rohler is one of the competitors that I think will end up in a three cornered battle for the file. He was 49 at the Beast and 3rd at Brecksville (losing to two-time state champ Shearer). As a freshman last year he won two state matches and his two losses were by a total of three points. Rendinell supporters will legitimately point out that their man beat Rohler, 5-4, at the Ironman. Not only that he placed 4* (ahead of Rohler), and then he won at Kenston and the WRC. | still think Rohler has the steeper upside. Of course, Rohler fans will have the same argument with regard to Morgan being ranked ahead of him when he defeated Morgan 6-2. Both boys exit Firestone and could be joined by state alternate Long, state qualifier Wigington Juhasz, Cost or Prochnow. Only Rendinell and Rohler have strong placement hopes.
Taylor is my other choice as one of the top trio here. A state semi-finalist last year he ended up dropping three bouts and finishing 6. He has wrestled much of the time at 145# but, in any case, has won at Clyde and Franklin and was 2nd at Lorain Southview to the enigmatic Tortorici. The defending district champ at this class, he should repeat quite easily. The other three state berths, though, should be a real battle. I think state qualifier Shiff is second best with a 23-1 record and wins everywhere except the Perrysburg final. Hudak might come next with Bowman and the fast improving Milavec another half step back. Watch out for the last named boy, only a sophomore he is making real progress.
Morgan should have his own way at Watkins in a district not loaded with stars. Perhaps, a Hoppel or Schuller still have a shot at a low place, but it could well work out that Morgan is the only placer from this district.
It looks like state qualifier Spohn will compete at this weight class at Goshen and he is likely to be the favorite. Last year he drew two time runner-up Turchetta in the first round and lost 4-2, and then dropped in consolation bout in the 30-second tie-breaker. Stahl and Powell are both good back-up choices with the last berth wide open.
145#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: DAVE RELLA (WALSH)
Top Contenders:
- Freirichs (Graham)
- Davis (Columbus DeSales)
- Slauterbeck (Oak Harbor)
- Pelton (Bellevue)
- Quallich (Buckeye)
- Zeiser (University)
- Rambaud (Akron St. Vincent)
- Triscaro (Kenston)
- Kanta (Ross)
- Babel (Buckeye Local)
- Williams (Claymont)
- Saladonis (Avon)
- Apperson (Morgan)
- Whitlow (Benjamin Logan)
- Pendleton (Indian Creek)
- Bender (New Lexington)
- Naylor (Western Brown)
- McEntire (Highland)
- Viviani (Lake Catholic)
- Haines (Teays Valley)
- Spencer (McClain)
- D. Bowman (Big Walnut)
- Showalter (Van Wert)
- Portik (Harvey)
- Young (Watkins Memorial)
This is a terrific weight class with a quartet of excellent wrestlers in the top tier, and with another group of about twice that size directly beneath them. One would anticipate very entertaining wrestling from the very first round.
The sophomore Rella stands out at Firestone. A state quarter-finalist last year, he lost to Davis in overtime and failed to place. This year he nipped Davis to win at the Ironman, was 4 at the Beast, and won the Powerade, all before the beginning of January. Since then he has split two one-point bouts with the very tough Freirichs, and won the Mayfield Big 8. It’s frightening to think how good he could be in two more years. He should dominate his district with state qualifier Triscaro a possible second choice.
Davis cannot be overlooked. He was 5 last year, and is a very physical wrestler. He was 2nd at the Ironman and 3rd at Brecksville (losing a one point decision to Effner and beating my Division IlI choice Moss). At the CIT he beat Marzec to win that title, and build momentum for the tournament process. There is some good secondary talent at Watkins–Babel, Apperson, Young, Pendleton–but Davis should cruise to his second district title.
Freirichs was a state runner-up in West Virginia two years ago before moving into the Graham district. Last year at 130# he finished 4th at Columbus after reaching the semi-finals. He was 3rd at the Ironman, losing only a 10-9 quarter final bout and beating some great out-of-state people. He was 5 at the Beast, and, later, split two bouts with Rella. His ability to ride may set him apart from the others and give him that one advantage that can close down a won bout. He should dominate his district.
There is some question whether Slauterbeck belongs in this top grouping. He failed to win a bout at States last year and has collected five losses at the time of this writing. At the same time, he upset Marzec to win at Oak Harbor, and was a strong 3rd Perrysburg. The big disappointment was at Medina where a string of three losses that dumped him to 6th place there. He also faces the most difficult district situation with Pelton, perhaps, at about the same level.
152#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: MIKE PUCILLO (WALSH)
Top Contenders:
- Butzer (Canal Fulton Northwest)
- Milano (Rocky River)
- Smith (Eastwood)
- T. Davis (Kenston)
- Bums (Hillsboro)
- Mizer (Carrollton)
- Power (Columbus DeSales)
- Bowman (Buckeye Local)
- Joseph (Norton)
- Ray (Ross)
- Bergman (Oak Harbor)
- Esch (Indian Lake)
- Pack (Hamilton Twp.)
- Garcia (Clyde)
- Goostree (Norwalk)
- Shriner (Sheridan)
- Robinson (Belibrook)
- Crosler (Steubenville)
- Police (Perry)
- Cornette (Graham)
- N. Bowman (Big Walnut)
- Slovich (Univeraity)
- B. Davis (Ravenna)
- Wolverton (Van Wert)
- Waxler (Defiance)
Two years ago I arrived early for a Walsh vs. St. Edward telecast anxious to obtain any late information about either squad. The only person I could find was an assistant coach for Walsh who told me they were shorthanded because of injuries. One of their best, he went on, was a fabulous freshman who had never wrestled a varsity match, but who would soon be healthy. That caught my interest. That is until he said that they boy was his son. I hear that so many times from fathers that I discount it almost without thinking about it. But this time the father was right, because Mike Pucillo is the real deal. A state placer later in that freshman year, he was 2nd last year at 145#, losing to Chris Tripp in the finals–a bout where Tripp looked two weight classes bigger than Pucillo. This year he won the Ironman and Powerade and was 2nd at the Beast. He’ll be the favorite in what should be a terrific triangular battle that also features state runner-up Butzer and state 3rd Milano.
Butzer had a great junior season last year capturing the Galion District with relative ease and then winning three state bouts before the inevitable loss as C.P. Schlatter took his fourth state title. A star football player he missed the early season for unknown reasons and returned just in time for the North Canton. Rusty, and probably not in prime wrestling shape, he finished 5th losing to state placer Tim Miller and Mizer from Carrollton. However, at Medina he blew through the bracket sheet, winning by technical fall in the finals. He and Pucillo exit the same district so they’ll be apart at Columbus.
Milano won his first 35 bouts last year before getting hammered by Butzer and winding up a solid 3rd. He vowed then that it wouldn’t happen again, and he’ll have the chance to prove it this year. He’ll have to beat both of the other two, and he is capable of doing just that. His biggest problem is probably a schedule that does not consistently test him.
The Firestone District is loaded. Obviously, Pucillo and Butzer lead the way, but state qualifiers Davis and Joseph will also compete here. Davis was a district runner-up to Milano last season, losing an 8-6 battle. He went 1-2 at Columbus, losing two close bouts. He did not place at the lronman, but won at Kenston and the WRC. Pucillo beat him by technical fall early in the season, but that may have been partly an aberration. Joseph tried to go back to 145#, but settled here. The pairings should be good at this district, with two sectionals providing all four of the top contenders.
The Galion District is also very good. Milano will need to be very sharp to win the district title. Smith was 2nd at Gallon last year, losing by four to Butzer in the final round. After a first round win at Columbus, he lost in the 30-second tiebreaker and ended up going 2-2. This year he was 3rd at Wadsworth, losing a terrific 11-9 overtime bout to Division I third place winner Tim Miller. At the Ohio Duals he beat Dave Davis, who was wrestling up a weight class; lost to Pucillo 10-5; and failed to meet Tiero Davis who was at 160#. He has strong placement chances. Right behind the top duo is Wes Bergman, Garcia, and Goostree. The first boy in particular, should do well as he has looked very good in recent weeks. Two long-shots are the freshman LaRosa and Wolverton.
There are some question marks at Watkins. Mizer and Noble have been at 152# and 160# respectively for Carrolton all year. They each certified one weight class lower, but I’m leaving them at their original positions. At any rate, state qualifier Bowman, Mizer, and Power look like the top trio, each with moderate low placement hopes. I think Mizer might be the best of the group, and he has had a great year after missing state qualifications by a point.
There may be even more confusion at Goshen, as an interesting field will be competing. State qualifier Burns is a great talent, but he is very inconsistent. He has been at 160# part of the year, and has also had injury issues. State qualifier Esch looked very good at Clyde, but does not wrestle a very demanding schedule. The best of the group may be the third state qualifier, Kyle Ray. He missed early season matches, but beat the very good Mauro to win at Fairfield. Also here is former state qualifier Robinson and the powerful Shriner. The latter boy has upset potential.
160#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: DAVE ERWIN (GRAHAM)
Top Contenders:
- Lowther (Walsh)
- Summers (Hamilton Twp.)
- Vaughn (West Holmes)
- McMullen (Ravenna)
- Ciccone (Lake Catholic)
- Walton (Chaminade)
- Bellottie (Keystone)
- T. LaRosa (Avon)
- Peck (Columbus DeSales)
- Tolson (Padua)
- Peters (Claymont)
- Noble (Carrollton)
- Hirschy (Van Wert)
- Martin (Clyde)
- Wagner (Girard)
- Foster (Ross)
- Adelman (Alliance)
- Hoehn (Wapakoneta)
- Hughes (Indian Creek)
- Noble (Western Brown)
- Love (Tipp City)
- Zawoyski (Conneaut)
- Parks (Big Walnut)
- Howerton (Valley View)
- Keller (University)
Last year was surprised when Curtis Tripp opted to make the very tough cut to 145#. After all, I thought, he would be a finalist at 152# (losing only to Schlatter), while people like Hurley, Erwin, Pucillo and Roush made 145# a much more problematical situation. Clearly Tripp should be writing this report. He settled in at the lower weight class and wrestled brilliantly to take home the state title. Hurley got upset, Pucillo beat Irwin in the other half of the draw, and Tripp got Pucillo in the last round when his size advantage could be maximized. This year Tripp started the year at 160# finishing 2nd to two-time Division I champ Steve Luke at the Ironman. He seemed an easy choice at this weight class. However, in the fullness of time he has decided to wrestle at the much more difficult 171#. How can I argue against it based on our respective track records? What this does do is open up this weight class to a wide variety of competitors.
From my perspective Erwin now becomes the favorite. A junior this year, he is already a two-time state qualifier who was 3′ at 145# last year losing only to Pucillo in the semi-finals, 7-5. This year he was 3rd at the Beast defeating Chuck Koz in the consolation finals. He is clearly not upset-proof as demonstrated when Lowther stuck him at the Ohio Duals, but he avenged that the next week with a convincing 8-1 triumph. I don’t think he could have beaten Tripp, but he’ll be favored against everyone else now.
Lowther will be an enormous danger exting the Firestone District. He can beat anyone just not all the time. He was 4′ last year losing a criteria overtime decision to the defending champ Maxworthy then losing again to him in overtime in the consolation final. This year he did not place at the Ironman, but gave Tripp a tough quarter-final battle. He was 3′ at the Powerade and split those two bouts with Erwin. He’ll face tough competition at Firestone. Ciccone missed qualification by a takedown last year at 145#, but he has been off the radar screen most of this year. However, he won the CIT defeating both Walton and Peck, vaulting him into the upper echelons at this class.
State qualifier McMullen was 3 at Brecksville and 2nd at Wooster, and cannot be counted out. He won two boute at states, including a win over Walton.
Only state qualifier Walton can challenge Erwin at Goshen. After that early loss to McMullen he, too, won two consolation round bouts before Lowther decisioned him in the placement round. Everyone else here looks pretty ordinary, which may generate an upward flow from the crowded 152# field.
I am also not overly impressed with the field at Galion. Bellottie did place in Division III last year, but he has not been quite as good as I thought so far this year, Still, he seems to me to have substantial upside potential. State qualifier LaRosa has, on the other hand, shown some real Improvement. He won big at Avon and Columbia Station while finishing 2″ at Marion Harding. Hirschy and Hoehn head the western contingent to this district, but I also like Lipstraw (Oak Harbor), Tolson had an off day when I saw him at Brecksville, but he has had some big wins like the title at Avon Lake.
All year I thought Summers and Vaughn would be the top two out of Watkins and nothing has happened to change my mind. Both state qualifiers (Vaughn got a 6th), they met in the Top Gun finale with Summers winning by a point. They both have definite placement potential. Noble, if he la at this class, and Peck are probably a second duo a step below the top two boys. Also due for consideration are Costa, Hughes, and Peters. Incidentally, Clint Peters is now a senior, and his graduation will bring an end to one of the most incredible dynasties in Ohio wrestling. There has been a Peters brother on the Claymont varsity every year since 1970. Two of them won state titles (Matt and Elliott), and all have been excellent wrestlers. Perhaps just as incredible that Clint Peters is even here since he weighed little more than one pound at birth.
171#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: ROCCO CAPONI (AKRON ST. VINCENT)
Top Contenders:
- Hackett (Hamilton Twp.)
- Tripp (University)
- Smith (Willard)
- Marhofer (Walsh)
- Randles (John Glenn)
- Moores (Jefferson)
- Miller (Philo)
- Sanniti (Kenston)
- Van Buskirk (Benjamin Logan)
- Clark (Licking Valley)
- Thompson (Graham)
- Griffin (Canal Fulton Northwest)
- Schulte (Eastmoor)
- Sanders (Milton Union)
- Keneipp (Wapakoneta)
- Lipstraw (Oak Harbor)
- Hess (Urbana)
- McLean (Purcell)
- Ross (Steubenville)
- Dettwiller (McClain)
- Sparrow (Eastmoor)
- Maxworthy (Buckeye)
- White (Sheridan)
- Kofron (Big Walnut)
- Miller (Highland)
The addition of state champion Chris Tripp to this weight class has sparked increased interest in its final outcome. My belief is that while some of the particulars may change, its eventual resolution will remain the same. Rocco Caponi has become one of the top 171-pounders in the Nation and he will move up one step on the awards podium and capture his first state title. Last year he showed incredible improvement, losing four times early in the season, but gaining momentum at sectional time. He pinned in the district final and then outscored his first three state opponents 29-0. He lost to Bertolino in the finals as Bertolino rode him out in that awful 30-second tiebreaker. Bertolino had won the same way in the semis with both bouts highly controversial because of the lack of stalling calls. There are clearly better ways to decide a contest, particularly since the “rules” put the officials in an untenable situation. This year Caponi was 2nd at both the Ironman and the Beast losing again, highly controversial finals. At Brecksville he was dominant, defeating Division I state runner-up Mike Ward 4-0 in a bout that wasn’t that close.
He exits a difficult district, but that shouldn’t be critical. State champion Tripp will need some time to adjust to wrestling bigger boys, but should do well. I don’t see him beating Caponi, though. His loss at the Top Gun suggests that he may struggle some against the very best 171’s–at least early on. There are three other state qualifiers at this class. It’s difficult to sort this trio out. Moores wrestles almost an invisible schedule to me, but he was a district finalist last year at this class and won a state bout. Saniti also won a state bout last year and beat Marhofer at the Ironman. However, Tripp crushed him at Kenston and Ward did the same at the WRC. Marhofer qualified for Columbus, but was injured and didn’t wrestle. He was 4th at the Powerade and lost a low-scoring affair to Tripp.
Hiram Smith is a potential high placer at this class. He won the Gorman and was 4th at Wadsworth, losing to state runner-up Melton in the semi-finals. A state qualifier last year, he has racked up some outstanding results this year. I think he’ll dominate at Galion since I just don’t see that much there.
I hadn’t fully appreciated Hackett until I reviewed his record. A state qualifier last year, he went 1-2 losing a one-pointer to state champ Maxworthy in the first round. This year he won at Hamilton Twp. And Riverside, but the eye-opener was at the Top Gun. He beat Murray and Tripp, back-to-back, the latter a 9-2 pounding. I like the Eastern District boys for the other three spots. State alternates Clark and Randles are very good, and Miller is just a shade behind them. The southeast part of the state is very strong here since White, also in the area, qualifies through Goshen.
In this case White is fortunate. I just haven’t seen a lot in that area at 171#. Tamaska isn’t wrestling and Sanders is just starting now. Van Buskirk is certainly a state caliber wrestler along with White, but there are still plenty of gaps to fill. Thompson, a state junior high runner-up and champ, is the star of the future. He has been thrown into the middle of Graham’s brutal schedule and performed admirably. His big win was in the Parkersburg where his upset victory over the defending West Virginia state champ was huge. In another year or so he’ll be dominating this area.
189#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: CHRIS HAHN (MINERVA)
Top Contenders:
- Saniuk (Copley)
- Alexander (Howland)
- Glover (Walsh)
- Blackwell (Beachwood)
- Gavlak (Holy Name)
- Osbor (Valley View)
- Marshall (University)
- Howard (St. Clairsville)
- Horton (Hubbard)
- Ramirez (Eastwood)
- Cook (Bellbrook)
- Raybum (Ontario)
- Righi (Perkins)
- Whitten (Big Walnut)
- Marcum (Logan Elm)
- Johnson (Hamilton Twp.)
- Schwartz (Clyde)
- Scavuzzo (Revere)
- Lambert (Graham)
- Kreider (Licking Valley)
- Schneider (Western Brown)
- Lester (Eastmoor)
- Weber (Canal Fulton Northwest)
- Patrick (Benjamin Logan)
- Simcox (Sheridan)
- Kiser (Circleville)
The exceptional J. D. Bergman dominated this weight class the past two years and now another brilliant competitor has moved up and become the heavy favorite. Chris Hahn has already won at 160# and 171# and looks to become only the second big man (with Fickell) to win three state titles in Division II. Last year Hahn won at easily the most difficult of the 42 weight classes. Finishing behind him were defending state champ Jason Hackett, state runners-up Joe Dennis and Ryan Knapp and a bevy of other outstanding wrestlers. Hackett went on to win the High School Nationals. Hahn defeated Hackett in the semi-finals then beat Knapp (for the second time) in the finals. I thought Knapp wrestled a great bout and maybe, on that night, was at least the equal of Hahn. The big issue is that Hahn has been injured (hyper extended elbow and herniated disc) and has been off for some time. The assumption is he will be back refreshed and somewhat healthy at tourney time. At the Top Gun he returned, although not at 100%, winning the title with a 5-3 decision.
Most of Hahn’s serious opposition will come from the northeastern corner of the state. For example, he will face a bevy of state experienced competitors at Firestone. Blackwell was the surprise state runner-up at this weight class in Division III last year, but like Hahn, has suffered some long-term injuries. He missed all of December and half of January. Reports have reached me that he is not eating in his foods class, so he apparently will not move to 215#. State qualifier Marshall was 4th at Kenston and the Top Gun and 5 at the Ironman. He’ll have to have a great weekend to place. Hahn pinned him in the first round last year. State placer Glover is one of the guys you hate to wrestle. He doesn’t seem to do much, but at the end of six minutes it’s his hand they’re raising The one who could really surprise is state qualifier Bronder Alexander whose team has moved down from Division 1. I look for him to be a real factor at this class and, certainly, challenge for placement. In addition, folks like Scavuzzo, Davin, Tymoszczuk, and Knopick could all pull one big upset.
One of Hahn’s chief adversaries will be Saniuk, exiting from the Galion District. He went 2-2 at Columbus last year, losing his two bouts by three points, including a stall-a-thon (Hoke’s specialty) by state runner-up Joe Hoke. This year Saniuk has been something special, winning at Chippewa, Lorain Southview, and the Dies–where he defeated my Division I choice Dobies by a point. He has the tools to defeat Hahn. State qualifier Rayburn is back and down a weight class, but he has not been that impressive. Instead I look for people like Gavlak, Ramirez, Fruth and Righi to be the prime contenders for the remaining spots here.
I’m sure it’s just me, but I’m not seeing much at Watkins. State qualifier Howard returns and has won at a more than steady pace. Whitten and Johnson may be next best here, but how they’ll compete at Columbus is open to question.
State qualifier Brad Osborn is the only wrestler at Goshen who has reached that level in the past. He went 1-2 at Columbus, losing in the quarter-finals to two-time champ J. D. Bergman. This year he will be challenged by Cook, who won at Edgewood and Xenia and was 4th at the GMWA. In their only meeting to-date Osborn was victorious 4-2. More impressively Osborn won at Edgewood, up a weight class at 215# pinning in both semi-finals and finals. The other challenger will come from the east where Marcum has been impressive, winning three tournaments. Other possibilities are Kiser, Schneider, and Patrick.
215#
PROJECTED CHAMPION: JOE DENNIS/JASON MARSHALL (GRAHAM)
Top Contenders:
- Thomas (Norton)
- Thobur (Highland)
- Narinsky (Kenston)
- Levy (Oak Harbor)
- Currier (Orrville)
- Wachtendorf (Wapakoneta)
- Lanham (Southeast)
- Nachtrab (Eastwood)
- Holsinger (McClain)
- Lavalle (Lima Shawnee)
- Smith (Chardon)
- McLaughlin (Circleville)
- Bovina (Indian Creek)
- Gresham (Eastmoor)
- Edgington (Bellevue)
- Musleve (Canal Fulton Northwest)
- French (Philo)
- Reckman (Indian Hills)
- Trisnar (Carrollton)
- Bowersock (Beaver Local)
- Thurston (Teays Valley)
- Morris (Purcell)
- Williams (Watkins Memorial)
- Laracuente (Trinity)
- Messer (Sheridan)
It’s not often that the state championship bout is contested in the dank confines of a high school wrestling room, but that appears to be the case at this weight class. Three-time state placer senior Joe Dennis and two-time state placer junior Jason Marshall are probably the class of the 215-pounders in Division II. Unfortunately, they wrestle for the same team and so the loser of that wrestle off will compete as a heavyweight. Dennis was 2nd to Hackelt as a sophomore, and then, looking ahead, lost early in the brutal 171# class and finished 5th after losing to Hackett again. This year, up 44 pounds, he has been sensational winning the lronman and the Beast with very little problem Marshal has been injured all year (from football), but he was 4th as a freshman at 189# and 3rd at 215# last year, losing only to Villers. I thought he’d compete at heavyweight, but he cut down to 215# for the Walsh duals.
There are only five boys at the class with previous state experience, and three of them will be at Firestone. Thomas was 5 last year and is just a tough, hard-nosed kid. His only losses at Columbus last year were to Hoppel and Marshall–both of whom shut him out, but could not reach major decision territory. I saw him at Solon where he wrestled Division I state placer Burger dead even in the semis before losing a controversial one point decision. He came back and got a 3′. At Brecksville he pinned Stegeman of Elder in the quarters and then hammered Division I state runner-up Noga in the semifinals 8-2. But the sequel with Burger in the finals ended the same way with a 21 Burger win on a stalling point. He then finished ahead of Thoburn and Lanham to win the Dies. Difficult to score against his big weakness may be his lack of offensive action, which generates stalling issues. State qualifier Narinsky has not yet met my expectations, but there is still time. He was 5 at the tough Ironman, won at Kenston. and lost an overtime final to Trusnik at the WRC. He was 1-2 at the Ohio Duals being crushed by Dennis and upset by Nachtrab. He needs to step it up. Lanham was 6 last year, forfeiting to Thomas at that point. Marshall pinned him in the second round. He missed some time, but was 3 at the Dies and seems back on track. The last state ticket is wide open; with, maybe, Marhofer as the top possibility.
Dennis has had a fabulous year, overshadowing everyone at this class. In fact, he might be one of the most impressive wrestlers in Ohio to this point. No one else in his district can go six minutes with him and the battle will be for the last three state berths. The problem is that virtually all the 215’s are either Division I or Ill participants. At the GMWA none of the top eight placers were from Division II at this weight class. That suggests that folks like McLaughlin, Messer, and Holsinger may have the inside track.
I see even less at Watkins and the four qualifiers from there will be avidly sought as first round opponents. Maybe a Gresham or a Bowersock, or a sophomore like Trsinar will have a hot hand and a great pairing at states, but even then a low place might be all that could be expected.
The one crowded district will be at Galion. There are all kinds of possibilities here. I think Levy and Thoburn might be the best here. Thoburn won their individual bout last year at districts, but neither qualified although Thoburn, the state alternate, lost his go-to-states bout on that dratted 30-second tiebreak. This year Thoburn won at Medina (while Levy was 3rd) and then was 2nd at the Dies, losing to Thomas by a point. Levy has since dominated at SBC Duals. State qualifier Wachtendorf lines up behind this duo. He was 7th at Brecksville, but a much better 2nd at the Top Gun. He was tech falled in both his state bouts last year, but should do much better this time. Edington and LaVallee are good, journeyman performers, but Nachtrab might be the surprise here. He was 4″ at Wadsworth and defeated Narinsky at the Ohio Duals, but then lost to Chris Marhofer.
HVY
PROJECTED CHAMPION: DUSTIN FOX (GALION)
Top Contenders:
- Hoppel (BeaverLocal)
- Marshall (Graham)
- Morton (Fostoria)
- Burdette (Claymont)
- Vance (Wyoming)
- Fenner (Kenston)
- Randolph (Columbus DeSales)
- Rankin (Miami Trace)
- Kosch (Paulding)
- Hines (Indian Creek)
- Neuenschwander (St. Clairsville)
- Guhn (Clyde)
- 14 Holbert (Howland)
- McHenry (Goshen)
- Davis (West Geauga)
- Johnson (Eastmoor)
- Keckan (Aurora)
- Doolittle (Gallia)
- Hartung (Perkins)
- Suggett (Norton)
- Dickerscheid (Ross)
- Spangler (Big Walnut)
- Randall (Girard)
- Swartz (Eastwood)
- Poppleton (Roger Bacon)
There seem to be more weight classes that have a triangular nature (three top contenders) than you’ll find on your favorite afternoon soap opera. It makes for a lopsided bracket with one lucky competitor having a relatively clear path to the finals, while the other two battle it out first. While the heavyweight class is almost always more unpredictable than most other weight classes, it would appear that three wrestlers dominate the proceedings. Each exits a different district with Fox and Hoppel in separate halves of the bracket and Marshall (or Dennis) randomly inserted into the same half with one of them. Speculating on the likely winner has caused me hours of contemplation that surely could have been better spent doing almost anything else. Let’s take a closer look at the Big Three.
Initially I thought Fox would be a slight favorite, but I’m now thinking it’s dead even. Maybe that’s because for some reason I have undervalued Fox in these ratings. Somehow I just have not recognized how good he has become. Two years ago, as a sophomore, he finished 4th , losing to the eventual champ Ryan in the semi-finals, 5-3. Last year he blitzed his first three state opponents before winning in overtime against the down-tempo Boggs. A year-round wrestler, Fox weighs just under the weight limit yet moves with speed and authority. He won early at Ashland and then the injury jinx struck keeping him out of action for over a month. If he heals completely that will not be a major negative for an experienced winner like Fox. In fact, he may well be fresher than his opponents.
Hoppel is a marvelous athlete who also excels in football. As a sophomore at 215# he upset the favored Keough early and then won the title on a technical fall. Last year he cruised to the state final, matching with undefeated and awesome Villers who had his only close bout in defeating Hoppel, 8-6. A slightly longer bout might have Seen a different outcome. This year his last two bouts at Medina were the only two where he didn’t crush his opponent. in the first he defeated Division I co-favorite Tony Johnson 5-2, but then lost to Kirk Nail, the other co-favorite, 6-1 in the finals. He’ll give up about 25 pounds to Fox.
Marshall (I’m assuming it will be him) would be the lightest of the trio. He has placed 4th and 3rd the last two years at 189# and 215# respectively. A remarkable athlete, he’ll need to be at his best to compete with the other two. Like Fox he, too, has been injured and just very recently returned to limited action.
The big question will be Fox’s health. If he is 100% then it is a toss-up between he and Hoppel. However, if it in any way reduces his mobility or his stamina then the nod has to go to Hoppel. There is no question that Hoppel has wrestled the more difficult schedule facing Johnson, Nail, and Davia. Still he’ll be giving up 25 pounds to an experienced wrestler who knows how to win. My guess is he’ll try to out-condition Fox, but I don’t think it will happen. Give it to Fox by a takedown. Whatever the situation the top three young men all would be champs in a normal year.
Fox should have little trouble at Galion. The biggest obstacle will be state qualifier Morton, who has moved up from 215#. However, he is not a small heavyweight, and his 20-1 record is marred only by a decisive loss to Nail. Fox is just a bit too good for him. Gun and Kosch are mid-sized heavyweights who can win. I’d like to see Guhn do more, but then that’s true of most heavyweights. Chris Smith pinned Wyper at Perrysburg, while Hartung could also be a factor.
Hoppel faces a wide assortment of wrestlers at Watkins. State qualifier Randolph was 6th at Brecksville, but did not seem as aggressive as last year. He has a lot of physical talent. State qaulifier Neuenschwander lost his state placement bout after finishing 4th at this district. He had lost to Randolph then, but looked good at Columbus. State qualifier Burdette is tall and (relatively) slender, but did not make it out last year. He went as a sophomore. He went 3-0 at the Ohio Duals defeating Fenner and was 4th at Medina behind three super-studs. He did finish behind Golden at Barnesville. Add in Johnson, Spangler, and certainly state alternate Hines and this will be a great competition–for 2nd place.
Marshall (or Dennis) should also dominate at their district. State qualifiers Rankin and Doolittle return, but the guy to watch is Micah Vance. A 270 pound transfer from Xavier he has been a terror at some of the smaller Cincinnati tourneys and could be a finalist at this district.
Firestone is the only district without a superstar at this weight class. Fenner is the only returning state qualifier and he went 0-2 in Columbus. He was 2nd at the WRC to Dumas. State alternate Keckan is huge, while Holbert is down from Division I. Even adding in Suggett and Randall there will be at least one or two “unknowns” qualifying out of this district.
Teams
- Graham – No team has ever won four consecutive Division II team titles. However, this squad is poised to do just that–and do it without a flourish. They could conceivably have seven finalists (although five is more likely) in this quest to re-write the record book. It appears the time of the Jordan Dynasty has arrived.
- Walsh – Except for some inexplicable officiating in last year’s championship bout at 130#, Walsh would be looking at their fourth straight runner-up finish. Once again they have an outstanding squad, but there is not quite enough firepower to dethrone Graham. For that, every break would have to favor Walsh and Graham would have to stumble badly. Still, they could have four finalists on Saturday night–and three of them will be back next year.
- Columbus DeSales – The quarter of Morgan, Davis, Pizzurro, and Cormier should score a lot of points. There’s not much back-up, although Randolph, Powers, and Peck can score at this level. It’s time for Davis to be a finalist and Pizzzurro to capture a high place.
- Eastwood – This is a program that has just taken off in the past few seasons. This squad should generate a breakout year with a Top Five finish, and at least four high placers. A great job at Eastwood.
- Kenston – A deep squad, but one with only a solitary state finalist candidate. Deubel should win his second title and score close to 30 points but it will take a real team effort at Columbus to improve on this ranking.
- Akron St. Vincent – Caponi and Rohler could both be champions, but the backup people are very low placers at best. Somebody really needs to step up to solidify this ranking.
- Clyde – Ysaguirre is having a fantastic year and Taylor is a potential finalist. They have some real upside, but it will hinge on Michaels coming through big time, and Guhn, Zieber, and maybe, a couple of others contributing at the state level.
- Claymont – Jackson and Reichman deserve to be state champs, but they are both facing difficult adversaries. Burdette should help at heavyweight and then its up to Peters, Williams, and Triplett.
- University – The Preppers are a lot tougher than their nickname suggests. They were state champs in golf this year, but they can hold their own in contact sports as well. Kriwinsky, Zeiser, and state champion, Tripp, are a formidable trio and there are several possible helpers.
- Ravenna – The first two weight classes with state runner-up Davis and the freshman Reedy should be able to put points on the board. I like McMullen to help and, maybe, Bo Davis to chip in as well.
DIVISION III
During the late 1990’s, the quality of competition in Division III reached its apex. This golden age lasted for, perhaps, five years and featured superstars such as Tommy Rowlands, Clark Forward, Harry Lester, Jared Opfer and many others. That level has not been sustained and this year, it has cycled down to a much lower point. Some Division III schools like Beachwood, Brookville and Keystone with strong teams and/or a few outstanding wrestlers, have moved up to Division II partly because some very small schools have fielded fledgling teams. In addition, some wrestlers have opted to attend high schools with stronger programs and schedules than their Division III counterparts. Whatever the reasons, many of the weight classes lack the up-top strength and depth that we have seen in the past.
103#
Projected Champion: PAYNE LINT (CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS)
Top Contenders
| 2 | M Wilson (Pleasant) | 15 | F Wilson (Malvern) |
| 3 | Evans (Delta) | 16 | Wright (North Union) |
| 4 | Preece (Miami East) | 17 | Hall (Tuslaw) |
| 5 | Austin (Carlisle) | 18 | Avila (Margaretta) |
| 6 | Boing (Chanel) | 19 | Varner (Tinora) |
| 7 | Smith (Cory Rawson) | 20 | Boney (Nelsonville York) |
| 8 | Freeman (Berkshire) | 21 | Brown (Newark Catholic) |
| 9 | Blanca (Edison) | 22 | Taylor (Elyria Catholic) |
| 10 | Thome (Troy Christian) | 23 | Reed (Collins Western Reserve) |
| 11 | Thompson (Brookfield) | 24 | Coup (Martins Ferry) |
| 12 | Segovia (Triad) | 25 | Shepherd (South Central) |
| 13 | Guerra (Sandusky St. Mary) | 26 | Young (Norwayne) |
| 14 | Strickland (Bluffton) | 27 | Devers (Edgerton) |
| 28 | Armann (River) |
One of the popular (and effective) strategies in working toward a state title is to crush the top opposition during the regular season. Achieving physical and mental domination smoothes the path during the difficult weekends in late February. Opponents can’t have a positive outlook and a confident stride if they’ve been manhandled just a few short weeks in the past. That’s why I found Lint’s match with Mike Wilson over the holidays so interesting. These were two of the top contenders at this weight class meeting at a major tournament. Lint, who had defeated Wilson in overtime last year, quickly raced to a commanding 8-1 lead and looked overpowering. I foresaw a major decision and a leg up on weight class domination. Instead, Lint appeared to go on cruise control and let Wilson get back in the match, although he hung on to win 11-9. All it did was provide Wilson with evidence that, with a stronger first period, he can beat Lint. It was, perhaps, from Lint’s perspective, an opportunity wasted.
Nonetheless, Lint is still my favorite to take the title at their weight class. He was 3rd last year, losing only to Wyant (by two points) and has compiled an outstanding record this year, capped by his title at Brecksville, over Division II state runner-up Madison Davis. He has great workout partners, tourney experience, and an excellent coach, which should be a recipe for a state title.
The aforementioned Wilson and Evans are Lint’s two biggest threats. Wilson was district champ last year (with three tech falls) and won two state bouts–losing only to Gardella and Lint in overtime. This year, he was 3rd at Brecksville, beating Evans 9-3 for the third place. Evans has now lost twice to Wilson, but the 4th at Brecksville in his first outing of the year was impressive. He followed that up with the title at Perrysburg and could be a possible finalist if Wilson and Lint are in the same half.
Surprisingly, the strongest district may well be at Xenia. There are six well-credentialed wrestlers there who have upset potential when facing my top trio. State placer Austin is very tough and gave Lint a good bout before losing 9-6 last year. State qualifier Jarod Smith comes from a very small school, but he defeated Evans last year in overtime. Still, I believe Preece might be the best 103-pounder here. A transfer from Triad, he was a state alternate last year at 112# — moving up because of two-time champ Wyant. This year, he defeated Austin to win the GMVWA, and as a senior, may be one of the strongest 103’s. Also, in the mix is the freshman, Thome (Casey, not Jim), who also has a win over Austin, Strickland, and Segovia. The Xenia District was the poorest performing district of all 12 that feed into the state meet, but this group might help turn that around. Also, just back is district qualifier Amanda Breezley, coming off a fractured arm. She won the Reading Invitational her first week back.
Lint should pretty much have his own way at Mentor with only the exceptional freshman, Boing, as a possible challenger. He was 3rd at the Junior High States and has been a steady placer for Chanel–2nd at Solon and 3rd at Wadsworth. Evans should face little competition at the Owens District. I’ve struggled to find much there and so far, have failed to unearth anyone with even low state place potential. Much the same is true at Coshocton, though Wright or Fred Wilson are somewhat better than the rest of that field.
112#
Projected Champion: LEVI WYANT (TRIAD)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Gray (Norwayne) | 15 | Wetzel (River Valley) |
| 3 | Koballa (Chanel) | 16 | Freeman (Berkshire) |
| 4 | A. Tinnel (Edison) | 17 | Froelich (Ayersville) |
| 5 | Lemaster (Caldwell) | 18 | Scarberry (Liberty Center) |
| 6 | Long (Miami East) | 19 | Ware (Martins Ferry) |
| 7 | Starr (Archbold) | 20 | Lui (Independence) |
| 8 | Kleman (Blufton) | 21 | Davis (North Union) |
| 9 | Traugh (Nelsonville York) | 22 | Hambrick (Jackson Milton) |
| 10 | Weller (Lakota) | 23 | Buck (Elgin) |
| 11 | Hermes (Sandusky St. Mary) | 24 | Weiksner (CCC) |
| 12 | Combs (Aquinas) | 25 | Cloran (Madeira) |
| 13 | Fletcher (Reading) | 26 | Ellis (Grandview Heights) |
| 14 | D. Austin (Carlisle) | 27 | Notte (Ledgemont) |
It’s very unusual for opponents to meet in the state finals two years in a row. Non-congruent growth patterns, the natural inclination for superstars to seek different weight classes, and just the sheer difficulty of making it to the state finals, generally precludes such an outcome. The last time it happened in Division III was in 1985 (extra credit for knowing the wrestlers), but it certainly has a reasonable probability of occurring this year. On one side, we have two time state champ Levi Wyant, who has moved up a weight class in this, his senior year. He has displayed an uncanny skill in winning close bouts early in state competition. Twice, he has triumphed in overtime bouts in past years and two other times, by the margin of a takedown. However, he has had brilliant final rounds, winning handily both years. The victim last year was two-time state placer Oliver Gray, who has also moved up to this weight class.
Wyant has had a strong upgrade on his schedule, placing at the Ironman and beating the excellent Llanas at Wadsworth. He should be primed for his run at a third state title. He’ll face tough competition this year, but he is probably five points better than most of his challengers. Still, I think he’ll be pushed to the brink in at least one bout (Koballa), but that is where his experience should pay off.
Two-time state placer, Gray, doesn’t wrestle the same rigorous schedule as Wyant, but he is very good. Last year, he cruised through his tough district and was barely challenged at Columbus, until losing to Wyant 9-4. This year, he won at the Gorman and is undefeated at 112#, but I don’t think he has cut into that five-point margin. On the other hand, Koballa looks very good to me. Last year, he lost first-round bouts at district and state by identical 2-1 scores at 112#. Despite that, he placed at districts and won a bout at State (both times losing to Corey Opfer). This year, he was 2nd at Solon– losing by 2 to Division I state runner-up Jordan Brown–and 3rd at Wadsworth. He has wrestled a very tough schedule and knows how to win tense, low-scoring bouts. He and Gray are clearly the best out of Mentor.
I see three potential challengers to Wyant–Gray and Koballa–out of Mentor and Adam Tinnel from Owens. The exceptional freshman Tinnel has really been impressive. A state junior high champ last year, he is going to win some high school state titles. He has won at Bellevue, Plymouth, and Edison–defeating state placer Lee, 6-0–and was 4th at Brecksville, losing only to the champion, Ben Johnson and defaulting in the consolation finals. Fearless, he’ll not be intimidated by Wyant. The last three spots at Owens will be fiercely contested with state qualifier, Starr, battling Weller, Froehlich, Scarberry, Foos, and the freshman Hermes. District finalist, Starr, has struggled somewhat this year, but may be ready to have a strong second half. Both Weller and Scarberry just missed state qualification last year and should be primed for another run at it. I particularly like Weller, who has been at 125# to make it.
Now that state qualifier Cory Lemaster has dropped to 112#, there is a clear favorite at the Coshocton District. He was 3rd at the district last year, losing only in overtime to the excellent Wilson and went 1-2 at States. He’s been at 119# all year with good success, but should be even better at this class, which is weak in this area. The other three qualifiers are in for a tough time at Columbus, although state alternate, Wetzel, has upset potential.
However, Wyant will be backed up by some experienced personnel from the Xenia District at States. State qualifiers Long, Fletcher and Kleman all should be competitive this time. Between them, however, they were 0-6 at Columbus last year. Still, I think a low place is possible. Watch out for Traugh, who has put together a great seaon.
Danny Hanson (Richmond Hts.) and Alan Neikirk (Cardinal) met in consecutive state finals in 1984 and 1985. They also met in the district finals those two years with four-time state champ Hanson winning all four bouts.
119#
Projected Champion: BRAXDON SCALETTA (CUYAHOGA HEIGHTS)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Gardella (Chanel) | 14 | Hamilton (Rootstown) |
| 3 | R Tinnel (Edison) | 15 | Conklin (Tusky Valley) |
| 4 | Amburgey (New London) | 16 | Buehrer (Wayne Trace) |
| 5 | Marthey (Tuslaw) | 17 | Lopez (Patrick Henry) |
| 6 | Lee (Elmwood) | 18 | Kayatin (Lima CC) |
| 7 | Bernholt (Versailles) | 19 | Prickett (Monroe Central) |
| 8 | Steiner (Waynesville) | 20 | Gettman (Jackson Milton) |
| 9 | Skoff (Bellaire St. John) | 21 | Magers (Barnesville) |
| 10 | Gossett (Union Local) | 22 | Geesey (Montpelier) |
| 11 | Minner (Pleasant) | 23 | Lecklider (Archbold) |
| 12 | Pike (Greeneview) | 24 | Deal (Belpre) |
| 13 | Robbe (Batavia) | 25 | Jungschaffer (Oberlin) |
| 26 | D Hill (McComb) |
During the past three years, 79% of all state champions were also district champions. So that is clearly a strong correlate of success. That achievement may be even more important at this weight class, where winning the Mentor District will be vital. With three of the top contenders at Mentor, the winner should be away from the other two in the state bracket and will also be opposite two of the other three district champs. That translates into an enormous advantage in Columbus, one that should help vault that winner to the state title.
My choice is Braxdon Scaletta, the fine junior from Cuyahoga Heights. Scaletta has been 3rd and 2nd the past two years, but with a little luck, he might have even more impressive credentials. As a freshman at 103#, he met eventual state champion Levi Wyant in the semi-finals and from my perspective, appeared to have slightly the better of it. However, a late Wyant score put the bout into overtime with Scaletta losing on a scrambling takedown. Then, last year in the state finals, he met Kevin Lipp, who he had defeated the previous weekend at the district level. Ahead, he got pinned in the 2nd period, dashing his hope for a state crown. It was reminiscent of his final round in the state junior high tourney where Kevin’s brother, Jordan, eked out a narrow 3-2 decision. This year, Scaletta will put those disappointments behind him by winning his first state title.
Scaletta will face vigorous opposition at Mentor. Gardella was 4th last year at 103#, as he showed incredible improvement during the course of the season. He took Wyant into overtime before losing and then fell to Lint in the consolation finals. This year, he lost to state champion Kevin Lipp in overtime in the Solon final and placed at Wadsworth. Also at Mentor is state qualifier Shane Marthey, who looked devastating at Richmond Heights Division III tourney. Now a senior, he looks much more comfortable at this weight class and has excellent chances for a high place. The fourth state berth at Mentor could be wide open.
Some last minute certification maneuvers have toughened up the field at 119# in the Owens District. State placer Lee, after flirting with the 112# class, has certified at 119# and should do well. State qualifiers Ryan Tinnel and Amburgey are also here and this is the third year they have been at the same weight class. Tinnel won their most recent meeting at Plymouth, but Amburgey has also won in the past in this ongoing series. Amburgey is one of those enigmatic wrestlers whose results cannot be predicted. He can be brilliant as he was at the D-3 classic and, at other times, quite ordinary. Tinnel is much more consistent, but does not have the large upside like Amburgey. Other possibilities are Buehrer, the sophomore Lopez–just down from 125#–Geesey, Schreiner (Sandusky St. Mary), and Braden (Norwalk St. Paul).
There are four state qualifiers competing at this weight class at Cochocton. Skoff, Minner, Gossett and Magers could fill up the state bracket assuming the pairings work out well with Conklin ready to slip in if they don’t. Of that top quartet, Skoff and Gossett would appear to be the most dangerous threats, but Minner can be very good. Minner has been at 130# much of the year, so it has been difficult to judge exactly where he’ll fit in at this weight class. I like Skoff a lot and thought he might have worn down toward the end of last season. Still, he won two state bouts and missed placement when he lost to Lee.
Gossett also won a state bout and, again, how he’ll match up with others is problematical since he has been at 125#. He and Minner split two bouts at last year’s district with Gossett winning the second in a decisive manner. Magers might be the weak link here. Conklin missed state qualification by a point, and Murray (Grandview Hts.) and Prickett could also challenge.
State placer Bernholt is the best hope out of Xenia with state placers Steiner and Robbe a step behind. However, all three are capable of winning at the state level and potentially garnering a low place. Steiner, like Skoff, lost his state placement bout, while Bernholt won two squeakers to make the semi-finals before getting bombed three times. Robbe is a three time state qualifier who has yet to win a bout in the championship round (though he has a consolation win), but who should rectify that this year. Nobody else here is in their class, unless Long decides to compete at 119# rather than 112#.
125#
Projected Champion: CHRIS HAMED (WOODBRIDGE)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Mt. Bloniarz (Tinora) | 14 | Hopkins (Wellington) |
| 3 | Rufenacht (Archbold) | 15 | Young (Nelsonville York) |
| 4 | Nicola (Bellaire St. John) | 16 | Bell (Aquinas) |
| 5 | Kagey (Newark Catholic) | 17 | Sowers (Mohawk) |
| 6 | Terry (New Albany) | 18 | Seebach (Caldwell) |
| 7 | Brown (Carlisle) | 19 | Long (West Jefferson) |
| 8 | Kunisch (Norwalk St. Paul) | 20 | Barga (Versailles) |
| 9 | Kendig (Oakwood) | 21 | McNutt (Tuskey Valley) |
| 10 | Abair (Toledo Christian) | 22 | Schmitz (Delta) |
| 11 | Conklin (Collins Western Reserve) | 23 | Hoover (Richmond Heights) |
| 12 | Hall (Tuslaw) | 24 | Beach (Dixie) |
| 13 | Schalk (Hopewell-Loudon) | 25 | Ochwat (Garretsville) |
| 26 | Levy (West Libery Salem) |
I was very surprised that none of the top 130’s dropped to 125#. As you’ll shortly read, that’s a very crowded weight class with at least four potential state champs in the mix. From my vantage point, this weight class looks far more congenial. Still, even without them, there is solid talent here, though many are not as well known as they should be. My choice is the experienced Woodridge senior, Chris Hamed, who has oscillated between schools and classifications for four years. As a freshman, he was the best backup in the state at 103# for CVCA, but did not certify at that class. When Wade went out, he was not eligible to replace him, although he certainly had state placement potential even then. His sophomore year was at Woodridge, where he placed 4th at 119#. Last year, Woodridge was Division II and Hamed was a state quarterfinalist before losing to state champion LaFollette and three-time placer, Reichman 1-0. This year, he was 2nd at Richmond Heights, defaulting in the finals and 4th at Wadsworth, up a weight class at 130#. He’ll need to be at the top of his game to win, but this should finally be his year.
As things are currently configured, Hamed should have little trouble at the Mentor District. I don’t see anyone there who can challenge him so he should come into the state meet both well rested and a district champ.
The two best districts are at Coshocton and Owens. At the former, there are three returning state qualifiers and a sophomore who might be better than any of them. Kagey and Terry were both state quarter-finalists last year, although neither of them ended up placing. They have all done well this year becoming finalists in almost every event. However, I don’t see any of them defeating Hamed. But each of them has placement potential, much of which will depend on their district placement and sub-sequent state pairing. The wild card here is Nicola. He was the OVAC champ at 112#, defeating the excellent Lucas Huffman, but did compete at sectionals. His only loss this year was a lightning quick pin by three-time placer, Reichman. He has tremendous upward potential, and could be a major factor at this weight class if he can maintain consistency. He blew away the field at Marion Harding and he needs to maintain that level.
There are also challengers at Owens. Two-time state qualifier, Matt Bloniarz, won two state bouts last year, just failing to place. State qualifier, Rufenacht, also missed placement by one win and he exits the same sectional, so they should be apart at the district level. Rufenacht won the “A” Classic and beat Kunisch in their dual meet. State qualifier, Kunisch, and Abair are solid secondary candidates with Schalk another half step behind. Watch out for the freshman, Sowers (good wrestling genes) and Schmitz.
All of the Carlisle wrestlers have moved down a weight class mixing up my lovingly created lists. Jory Brown is probably the best, now that everything has been revised. He lost an 18-11 go-to-state bout at 130# last year, and should do even better at this lower weight. Kendig was 4th at Perrysburg and may be the finalist here, opposite Brown. After this duo are a whole host of potential challengers. Young has had a great year, while Beach had two district wins last season. Barga and Etzler (Lincolnview) are also possibilities with Levy and Lindsey (Landmark Christian) long shots.
130#
Projected Champion: DREW SCHAFER (Monroeville)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Opfer (Sandusky St. Mary) | 15 | Urling (Fisher Catholic) |
| 3 | Tucker (Martins Ferry) | 16 | Tomaino (Jackson Milton) |
| 4 | Franz (Waynesville) | 17 | Bond (Caldwell) |
| 5 | Navarra (Sandy Valley) | 18 | Reer (Collins Western Reserve) |
| 6 | J Hill (McComb) | 19 | J Hall (Tuslaw) |
| 7 | Gombash (Delta) | 20 | Melko (Bellaire St. John) |
| 8 | Shindledecker (Lima Central Catholic)) | 21 | Schmelzenbach (Senendoah) |
| 9 | Sendelbach (New London) | 22 | Crowley (Madeira) |
| 10 | Bill (Clearview) | 23 | Hogue (Brookfield) |
| 11 | Dulka (Cardinal) | 24 | Nutbrown (River Valley) |
| 12 | Schultz (Archbold) | 25 | Knisley (Elmwood) |
| 13 | Kief (Miami East) | 26 | Dobereiner (Waterford) |
| 14 | Ku. Stapleton (Carlisle) | 27 | Wyse (Grandview Heights) |
| 28 | Keuterman (Versailles) |
This is probably my favorite weight class in Division III, featuring a wide variety of styles and body types. It is a deep weight class with excellent contenders from each of the four districts. With such a diversity of style and form, the pairings will be critical, but should work out reasonably well. There are four wrestlers who have already finished either 2nd or 3rd and at least that number of others who have past state experience. It is a particularly crowded weight class because Jaggers and Shearer dominate the next two weight classes, leaving many little choice but 130#. Let’s look at some of the top contenders.
Schafer was 2nd last year at 119# after finishing 6th two years before. His only loss last year was in the state finals to Keyes, who he had defeated the previous week at districts. He looked absolutely devastating at Richmond Heights, decimating the best weight class there capped by a second period fall over the redoubtable Emery. Schafer and Opfer exit the same sectional and district, which should help Schafer acclimate to Opfer’s unusual style. The question is will that be enough for Schafer to win Monroeville’s first state title.
Corey Opfer is, without a doubt, the most unorthodox of this group. There isn’t a risk-laden hold he doesn’t love and his bouts are almost always the most entertaining of the night. Always looking to score (or better yet, pin), he takes the most chances, but his fundamentals and athleticism generally carry the day. He finished 3rd both as a freshman and a sophomore, losing both times to Lucas Huffman (who has since graduated). Up three weight classes, he won the Midwest Classic and was 2nd in overtime at Brecksville. The big question is can I pick him for a third time, after two previous failures.
Whenever I see the name Tucker linked to Martins Ferry, I know we’re talking about state placement. Two years ago, Tucker lost in the first round at 103# and came back to get 4th. Last year, he won his first three state bouts 15-0, 16-4 and 17-6, but then was pinned by Caruso and finished 2nd. He’s settled in nicely at 130# and could easily win it all this year. He beat Schafer, 5-1, two years ago. He’ll be the top seed should he win his district. So at least two of this top group will automatically be away from him.
I know the least about Franz. A solid senior, he was 3rd at 125#, losing to Caruso in the semi-finals. For their area, Waynesville wrestles a touch schedule and his nine losses last year are a testament to that rigor. This year, he won at Xenia and had a perfect record the last time I looked. He’ll be on the same side of the bracket as the Opfer/Schafer winner – assuming he wins his district.
The district breakouts are interesting. The deepest schedule of competitors is at Owens. We’ve already discussed Opfer and Schafer, but there is much, much more. The trio of state qualifiers, Gombash and Hill along with Sendelbach, are all very good. Gombash won his district last year, winning every bout in less than six minutes, but then went 1-2 at Columbus. He looked raggedy at Brecksville, but it was his first event of the year. Hill was a district runner-up and he placed 6th, losing to Tucker (badly) and Franz. Sendelbach has come on strong, finishing 4th at Richmond Heights–including a one-point loss to Hill–and winning at Hopewell-Loudon, Plymouth, and the “A” Classic– including a one-point win over Hill. At least one of this group will fail to qualify and with Schultz (who beat Kief, 7-3), Reer (a great freshman) and Knisely also here, nobody is safe. At the same time, state qualifier, Coleman, has also certified here, but I’ve ranked him at 135# since that is my guess as to where he might compete.
Tucker should dominate at Coshocton, but there is a strong under card. Navarra was a state qualifier two years ago, but lost out last year, losing to eventual state placer, Jarrod Anderson, 2-1, in his go-to-state bout after being pinned by Tucker in the semi-finals. He has looked good this year and should return to Columbus.
The unheralder, Urling, was a state alternate last year and should vie one of the last two spots with Bond, Dobereiner, Smith, Melko and Nutbrown. Wyse might be the kind of long shot you’d put some money on. Again, Cottrill certified at 130#, probably as a way of keeping his options open. I’ve rated him at 135# (where he could well be a district champ), but he would rate highly here, too, if he actually does move.
Franz will be joined by state qualifiers Kief and Schindledecker at Xenia. Kief, a move-in from Indiana, was a district champ last year and won a state bout. This year, he was 3rd at GMVWA. Shindledecker cannot be overlooked. He was a district runner-up at this weight class last year and won two state bouts, falling just short of placing. He was 3rd at the “A” Classic this year (behind Sendelbach and Hill), and his sectional movement to Xenia rather than to Owens (as it was last year), will make qualification much easier. After this trio, it is wide open with the young Stapleton, Crowley and Keuterman possibilities.
Mentor is uncharacteristically weak. I like former state qualifier Jacob Bill, who, rather shockingly, did not get out last year after getting pinned by Schafer and losing narrowly to eventual place winner, Tomasone. Cardinal has two excellent 130’s in Dulka and Morris. Either one would do well here, so I’ve rated Dulka at this class–where he has been all year–and Morris at 135#. They may switch at sectional time, however. Tomaino or Thomas are other thoughts.
135#
Projected Champion: J JAGGERS (CHANEL)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Huss (Fairless) | 14 | Rice (West Jefferson) |
| 3 | Gambill (Miami East) | 15 | Buckingham (Calvert) |
| 4 | Mk Blonairz (Tinora) | 16 | Workman (River) |
| 5 | Gliatta (Sandusky St. Mary) | 17 | Waldman (Summit Country Day) |
| 6 | Coleman (Fremont St. Joseph) | 18 | Rupp (Archbold) |
| 7 | Riley (Troy Christian) | 19 | Madden (Swanton) |
| 8 | Morris (Cardinal) | 20 | Chase (Independence) |
| 9 | Ison (Batavia) | 21 | Pelkey (Oakwood) |
| 10 | Cottrill (Madison Plains) | 22 | Bazerbashi (Columbus Academy) |
| 11 | Ky. Stapleton (Carlisle) | 23 | Ackley (Elmwood) |
| 12 | Martell (Dalton) | 24 | DeCapua (Richmond Heights) |
| 13 | Brown (Monroe Central) | 25 | Klaus (Mechanicsburg) |
| 26 | Peoples (Northmor) |
It took about 10 seconds to spot him. I’ve seen tens of thousands of wrestlers, but an absolute novice could not have helped but recognize it. The 7th grader on the center mat was clearly one of The Chosen. A precocious genius of the wrestling mat, who destroyed an excellent opponent to win a state title at the inaugural junior high state championships. There aren’t many like him–but just seeing them once is enough for recognition. I said three years ago that he had a chance to be Ohio’s first six-time champion and that was not really a bold or daring prediction. In his last two state tourneys, no one has lasted six minutes and that was true when he won the prestigious Ironman, as well. None of Ohio’s 12 previous wrestlers, trying to win four titles, have lost and while the number thirteen is considered unlucky, it won’t happen this time either. J. Jaggers has had an amazing high school career and one can expect that will continue at Ohio State.
The battle here will be a hard fought, spirited one, but it will be for second place. A key component in that struggle will be to draw away from Jaggers. Those who are sure to do so are the 2nd and 3rd place finishers at Mentor. Likely to be in one of those positions is the very tough Kyle Huss. He was a state qualifier last year at this weight class in Division II, but had an awful draw. He got eventual champ Aaron Martin in the first round and then state placer, Ryan Morgan, after a consolation win and lost 3-1. He has won titles at both North Canton and Canal Fulton, and will be a rugged challenge for everyone, but Jaggers. After him, state qualifier Martell, Morris, and, maybe, Chase are next best.
The deepest district is at Owens. While Mark Blonairz and Coleman are both state qualifiers, I think Gliatta might be the best here. He missed state qualification in 2003, but like his state champion brother of last year, he seems to be on a steep part of the learning curve. At Brecksville, he lost to Roberts (3rd in Division I), 4-3, and ended up 7th, the highest Division III placer at that weight. Certainly, Blonairz and Coleman should place at this district with Buckingham, Madden, Bodenbender and Rupp in the hunt. I think Coleman (or Smith, if they move down) will end up second best here, but there will be a lot of close bouts on this bracket.
There is also good depth at Xenia, and the quality may be just as good. District champ, Gambill, is now only a sophomore and he keeps getting better. At Columbus, he lost two heartbreakers–one in the 30-second overtime and the other, 8-7. This year, he won the GMVWA and will lock horns with Kyle Stapleton, the defending district champion at this weight class. Stapleton, at 140# most of the year, was 6th at that weight in the GMVWA, but he’ll be a major factor here. Riley was a 5-4 loser to Gambrill at the GMVWA and he was a state qualifier at 119# last year. Factor in state qualifier Waldman and Ison, and it’s clear somebody isn’t getting a return ticket to the Value Center Arena. Two other possibilities are Pelkey and the outstanding freshman, Klaus. One name I have not seen is state qualifier Wells (Bethel Tate) who was at this weight class earlier in the year. His inclusion would make it even tougher to get out.
I don’t see a whole lot at Coshocton. I rate state qualifier Cottrill and Brown as the areas top hopes. But this will not be a strong weight class at this district. It will even be weaker if Cottrill opts to wrestle at 130#, leaving the cupboard as bare as Old Mother Hubbard’s at this weight class. Besides, those listed, Cataldo (Wellsville) and Waite (Shenandoah) should be checked out.
140#
Projected Champion: TANNER Shearer (Sandusky St. Mary)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Fleming (West Jefferson) | 14 | Wisdom (New London) |
| 3 | Borders (River Valley) | 15 | Dillon (Brookfield) |
| 4 | Falk (Bluffton) | 16 | Coopman (Lake) |
| 5 | Smith (Fremont St. Joseph) | 17 | Bowers (Dayton Christian) |
| 6 | Dierkes (Jackson Milton) | 18 | Warren (Martins Ferry) |
| 7 | Ferguson (Monroe Central) | 19 | Eicher (Tuslaw) |
| 8 | Shaver (Waynesville) | 20 | Arreola (Woodmore) |
| 9 | Henry (Versailles) | 21 | McDaniel (Pleasant) |
| 10 | Besancon (Hillsdale) | 22 | Loreaux (Summit Country Day) |
| 11 | Kalina (Kirtland) | 23 | Moomey (Collins Western Reserve) |
| 12 | Spohn (Cincy Hills Christian) | 24 | Long (Miami East) |
| 13 | Miller (Garaway) | 25 | Rennicker (Indian Valley) |
| 26 | King (Barnesville) |
As was the case at the last weight class, one lone figure dominates this competition. Two-time state champion, Tanner Shearer, has lost but four times in the last three years (with 118 wins) and not once to a Division III competitor. It would be an enormous surprise if he were to be upset at the state meet, given his tough, mistake-free style. At Brecksville, he beat the excellent Rohler in the semi-finals (pounding on him the last two periods) and deserved to win against my Division II choice, Morgan in the finals. He had the only takedown and was, by far, the aggressor throughout the bout, but drew an official who apparently hadn’t heard there were rules against stalling. He lost in that horrible 30-second tiebreaker. Nonetheless, despite some reasonably good opposition, Shearer should take his third state title, becoming the third boy from St. Mary to win at least that many.
Rather surprisingly for a weight class right at the peak of the bell shaped curve of the weight division, there are (except for Shearer) no returning state place winners. Given that there is little power below Shearer, this is a weight class where exceptional freshman or under appreciated veterans could easily place. At Coshocton, state qualifiers, Borders and Ferguson, along with state alternate, Fleming, probably head the strongest district. The first two just missed placement last year and should overcome that barrier this year. Ferguson wasn’t at the D-3 Classic, but was a strong 2nd at Shadyside. It may turn out that Fleming is now the best of this trio. He missed state qualification by one point last year after qualifying the year before, and has been exceptional this year. This is his third year at 140#. Also in the mix is state alternate Miller, but Ferguson did beat him 14-2 last year in their go-to-state bout. A dark horse candidate is Warren, who gave state qualifier, Frollini, a real battle at 145# at Bellaire St. John and has now moved down to 140#.
It is not as deep a group at Owens. Coopman and state qualifier, Smith, might be next best after Shearer, but there is a large gap between them. Coopman won at Hopewell-Loudon, while Smith has bounced between 135# and 140#. Wisdom, winner at Plymouth and the “A” Classic, is also a factor, but, like Ferguson, did not compete at Richmond Heights. I’m not seeing as many names at this district that looks like state material.
The most crowded field is at Xenia. But this group has not competed well at the state level in the past. I’ve divided this group into three categories–former state qualifiers, solid performers, and exceptional freshman. In the first category, Spohn, Henry and Shafer all have state experience and I see them as relatively closely bunched. Shafer has been hot lately, but Spohn has been better in the past. Henry, perhaps, is a step behind them, though the Versailles boys do well in the late season. The second group contains Loreaux, Bowers and Taylor–all of whom have the potential to vault over that first trio. Finally, there is the freshman. Falk, son of a three-time champ, clearly got the right genes, sweeping to the junior high state title. Undefeated this year, he could be the surprise package at Xenia. He has state champion skills and it’s more a question of when, rather than one of if.
Dierkes may be the best of a pretty low-key group of qualifiers out of Mentor. The other possibility is Besancon, who just moved down from 145#. His most recent win was at Chippewa where he took the title at 145#. Both were state alternates last year with Besancon losing by one point in his go-to-state bout and Dierkes dropping his to eventual state runner-up Brandon Kertesz. Kalina and Dillon are other top-of-the-mind possibilities, but there will be some surprises here.
145#
Projected Champion: Jamison Moss (Delta)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Knoop (Miami East) | 14 | Hunkler (Bellaire St. John) |
| 3 | Hoff (Liberty Center) | 15 | Bogucki (Reading) |
| 4 | Windom (Waynesdale) | 16 | Adams (Chanel) |
| 5 | Connors (Madison Plains) | 17 | Redman (Westfall) |
| 6 | Rammel (Spencerville) | 18 | Keough (Brooklyn) |
| 7 | Baum (Sandusky St. Mary) | 19 | Nichols (West Jefferson) |
| 8 | Frollini (Shadyside) | 20 | Lowry (Lakota) |
| 9 | Lanham (Middletown Madison) | 21 | Sojka (Elyria Catholic) |
| 10 | Allerding (Loudonville) | 22 | Beisner (Versailles) |
| 11 | Bockmore (Wellington) | 23 | Shockey (Bluffton) |
| 12 | Nedolast (Fostoria St. Wendelin) | 24 | Nester (Seneca East) |
| 13 | Bumbico (Martins Ferry) | 25 | Anstaett (Grandview Heights) |
My youngest daughter is a sophomore at Furman University, which is one of five most beautiful campuses in the country. It is located in Greenville, South Carolina, which is also the final resting place of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson–probably the greatest natural hitter of all time. An article written in 1932 interviewed all the great players of that time — Ruth, Gehrig, Simmons, Foxx, Hornsby–and they all agreed that “Shoeless Joe” was the best they’d ever seen. He was initially the property of the Philadelphia Athletics, but in his time there (40 at bats), he was a failure. A pure country boy, Jackson was awed by the big city surroundings and needed time to adjust and he didn’t get it. Cut loose by the Athletics, he signed with Cleveland shortly thereafter, and proceeded to hit .387 and .407 the first two seasons with them–and this in the “Dead Ball” era.
That came to my mind as I watched Delta over the holidays. They looked slow, rusty, and out-of-synch, and poorly conditioned–a real surprise for one of the premier Division III programs in the state. Then I learned that Delta had gone far into the football play-offs, had every scheduled event to that point cancelled, for one reason or another, and this was their first action of the season. Suddenly, a whole different spin was put on their performance, and I, for one, think a shortened season for experienced wrestlers often keeps them fresher for the tournament weekends.
With that in mind, Jamison Moss is a relatively clear-cut choice. Last year, as a sophomore, he crushed all four-district foes and then won three well wrestled bouts to reach the state finals. Shearer then stopped him in his tracks, winning 7-0. At Brecks-ville, he shook off the rust to finish 5th and then got the OW while winning at Waite. He’s very quick, knows how to ride, and he’s physically stronger than he was last year. He’ll be tough to beat.
His biggest competition at the Owens District should come from the sophomore, Marc Hoff. Also a district champ last year (at 140#), he won two state bouts and nearly placed. He was 2nd at Hudson and should get a middle to high state place this year. Stuckey (Archbold) has certified at 145#, but will probably wrestle at 152#, which is where I rated him. He would also be a factor at this class. I think Baum may be third best here–he was 4th at Brecksville, but did not meet Moss–and, if St. Mary builds momentum, he could place. After him, there are a lot of options for the fourth state berth.
Knoop has placed 6th and 5th the last two years; so 4th place would seem the logical progression. I think he’ll do better than that. You know he’s real good because so many kids avoid him during the regular season. He was a strong 2nd at the GMVWA, losing only to Brulport, 11-9. His problem at Columbus is winning in the first round–he’s 0-2 in the championship bracket and 6-3 in the consolation rounds. State qualifier, Rammel, is the likely second choice at this district. His upset win over Dustin Wright last year showed some first rate talent. Then there is Redman, who lost an overtime decision in his go-to-state bout and now returns at the same weight. After that, it’s people like Bogucki, Beisner and Lanham as top choices for the last two berths.
I think state qualifier, Doug Windom, also has finalist potential (along with Hoff, Connors, and Knoop) and like the others, has some probability of winning it all. He was very impressive at the Richmond Heights D-3 tourney and should come into the state tourney as the district champ. Last year, Hoff beat him 11-9 in the first round and Knoop, 7-6, in the first consolation round, so he knows well the competition he’ll face. Allerding is also strong, finishing 2nd at the Gorman, losing to Hoff, 4-0, in the finals. Bockmore, Keough, and Sojka all should have state hopes, but it will be tough. Adams may be one of those Chanel wrestlers who sneak through the bracket with a mediocre record, but having wrestled a tough schedule.
State qualifier, Connors, should also have high expectations this year. A district champ last year, he won two state bouts and lost the other two both by a point–the latter against Knoop. He has been successful at 152# this year and should be a huge factor here. State qualifier, Frollini, is also good, with Hunkler and Bumbico providing back up. Not a bad weight.
152#
Projected Champion: Matt Feron (Kirtland)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Baldridge (Northmor) | 16 | Boster(Carlisle) |
| 3 | Hill (Liberty Center) | 17 | Hannahs (Shenandoah) |
| 4 | Bryant (Clinton Massie) | 18 | Foote (Cuyahoga Heights) |
| 5 | Irwin (Shadyside) | 19 | Stretar (Black River) |
| 6 | Stuckey (Archbold) | 20 | Leyda (Sandy Valley) |
| 7 | C Whelan (Sandusky St. Mary) | 21 | Hogue (Margaretta) |
| 8 | Benedict (Monroe Central) | 22 | Grant (Miami East) |
| 9 | Purdue (Genoa) | 23 | Gillham (Newark Catholic) |
| 10 | Bugner (Fostoria St. Wendelin) | 24 | Moten (Woodridge) |
| 11 | Owens (Oakwood) | 25 | Kisela (Richmond Heights) |
| 12 | Shannon (Bluffton) | 26 | Snyder (Fairless) |
| 13 | Roll (Plymouth) | 27 | Osterman (Grandview Heights) |
| 14 | Clum(Spencerville) | 28 | Banzel (Cardinal) |
| 15 | Dellaposta (Middletown Madison) | 29 | Stewart (New Albany) |
This competition inaugurates a series of five weight classes that lack substantial depth and experience. Of that quintet, this weight, at least as it is presently constituted, is the weakest of all. Paradoxically, this could also be one of the most interesting competitions to watch, as a form of parity has invaded Division III wrestling. We have exciting younger wrestlers, a few with state experience, some from smaller, lesser-known schools, and even a couple making comebacks from inactivity and injury. The question is which of this group will step up at Value City and make it to the finals. Still, I have this horrible, nagging feeling that I’ve missed somebody(s) who will play a significant role here. Let’s look at some of the possibilities–although we certainly can’t discuss all of them.
Two years ago, Matt Fearon lost a first-round heartbreaker at Columbus, 9-8. Then, he won four consolation bouts to finish 4th at 145#. Last year, he had a tough district, finishing 3rd, including two tiebreaker wins with escapes. After a narrow 6-5 first round State win, he lost close bouts to Bryant (who’s back) and Racheter (who’s not), and failed to place. This year, he’s won at Hawken and the D-3 Classic, pinning Benedict in the final round. He heads a pretty non-descript district that includes Stretar, who lost his go-to-state bout to Fearon last year, and a laundry list of other possibilities. That list includes Kisella, Keck, Moten, Foote and Snyder.
There are some perplexing competitors at Coshocton. Each has a resume that provides contradictory results. The best of this group is probably Baldridge, who was the district champ at this weight class last year, and a state quarter finalists. In that bout, he took the eventual champ, Matt Shilek, to the wire before losing 10-9–Smilek won every other bout by at least six points. Then Baldridge got thumped 18-2 in the next consolation round. This year, he won the Gorman (crushing a Division I state qualifier 12-2), but that was after losing three bouts in two weeks. Go figure. Irwin should be a strong challenger. He was district 3rd, losing only to two-time state champ Vogel, 4-1. He won his first state bout before losing 6-5 to eventual state runner-up Sammons, and then was eliminated in the 30-second tiebreaker. He has high placement potential in this, his senior year. Irwin beat Benedict 8-6 at Shadyside, but lost to Bryant by a point earlier in the year. Hannahs is solid with Leyda, Hepburn, Stewart and Gillham, also possibilities.
At one point in the year, Bryant moved to the top of my list at this class, and, perhaps, he still belongs there. He was 5th last year, making the state semi-finals and then losing two decisions before beating Racheter. This year, he won at Bellaire (over Irwin), and was 3rd at the GMVWA. State qualifiers, Owens and Clum, also return, but they will be threatened by Boster, Dellaposta and Grant. I can’t see Boster not going, so that leaves just two spots for everyone else–and we haven’t even brought the excellent Shannon into the picture yet. This might be one of those rare occasions when two returning state qualifiers, at the same weight, fail to make it back.
There is much of the same type of confusion at Owens. State qualifier, Hill, is back, but was 3rd at the Gorman and 5th at Hudson. I think he is much better than that. I see Stuckey wrestling at 152#, figuring it’s his best chance for high placement, along with the powerful Roll and Hogue, all contenders for a state berth. Hogue missed by one bout going last year. The critical unknown is Cameron Whelan–twin brother of Joe, my choice at 160#. He has not wrestled in about a year, but he was always talented. He stepped right back into contention with at 5th at Brecksville, losing only to Division I state qualifiers Zednik who he beat 10-1 for 5th) and Monk. He could be a real boost for St. Mary–as if they needed yet another one. I also like Bugner, Welly, and Purdue, so this is a very crowded district.
160#
Projected Champion: Joseph Whelan (Sandusky St Mary)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Studer (Mohawk) | 15 | Lopez (Genoa) |
| 3 | Brinkman (Chippewa) | 16 | Teeter (Northmor) |
| 4 | Case (Bellaire St. John) | 17 | McDonald (Newark Catholic) |
| 5 | Bahmer (Barnesville) | 18 | Estep (Collins Western Reserve) |
| 6 | McGaharan (Northwood) | 19 | Gery (Carey) |
| 7 | Roppel (Channel) | 20 | Fisher (Liberty Union) |
| 8 | Lehn (Batavia) | 21 | Gulich (Richmond Hts.) |
| 9 | Keller (Woodridge) | 22 | Meiring (Delta) |
| 10 | Weakley (CVCA) | 23 | Overton (Elmwood) |
| 11 | Schmitmeyer (Versailles | 24 | Handa (Nelsonville York) |
| 12 | Gruber (Sandy Valley) | 25 | Kibler (Elgin) |
| 13 | Duncan (Oakwood) | 26 | Sorrell (Spencerville) |
| 14 | Hale (Stryker) |
Like 152#, this is another weight class that lacks depth and state experience. The one major difference is that there is one dominating figure who deserves to be rated a solid favorite. Whelan is a two-time state placer (4th and 3rd), who has continued his winning ways this year, including a clear-cut triumph at Brecksville. A three-time state qualifier, he already has seven state tourney wins, whereas, every other current 160-pounder in the state has a combined total of three. However, Whelan is certainly not upset-proof. Two years ago, he was a district champ, but lost to Lohman (4th in that same district), and finished 4th. Then, last year, again as district champ, he outscored his first two opponents 34-8 before, once again, losing in the semi-finals, 3-2, to Curt Thompson, who he had handled in the past. He then watched Matt Smilek, a Whelan victim at the district level, defeat Thompson, 12-2, for the state crown.
Certainly, Whelan will need to maintain focus this year because, the next tier of wrestlers at this class, are good enough to spring an upset. Two of those wrestlers will be at the same district as Whelan. Joe Studer missed state placement by one bout, while going 2-2 at Columbus. He has been in peak form all year, winning, for example, at the Gorman most recently, and finishing 4th at one of the toughest weight classes at the GMVWA. Right behind him is state qualifier McGaharan, who won at Northwood and Sylvania Southview and is very experienced. He went 1-2 at Columbus last year. There are two wild cards here. One is Juan Lopez, a state qualifier two years ago, who has been out-of-sight most of the time since. He is a terrific talent with huge upset potential. The other is Estep, who has been very impressive this year, with finalist appearances at Sheridan and Columbia Station. More conventional picks include Gery, Hale, Overton and Mack. Meiring could also be a factor–if he doesn’t compete at 152#.
Coming on strong in the Mentor District is senior, Bruce Brinkman. He missed qualification by two points last year, but has been very sharp during the last month or so. He most recently won at Chippewa, beating state placer, Eric Belliottie, 8-4, in the final round–a wrestler for whom I have a high regard. The other possibility is Roppel, who qualified for Columbus two years ago. He missed out last year (eliminated coinci-dentally by one of Brinkman’s teammates) and has been at 171# this year. He was 5th at Solon and should qualify here. I see little else at this district. The freshman, Weakley, will eventually be very good (he was a state junior high runner-up), but he will probably not challenge the very top boys this year. I must admit, though, he was impressive, winning the D-3 Classic and finishing a strong 2nd at Solon. Keep an eye on him. The other good possibility is Wadsworth placer, Keller, who has also moved down to 160#.
The two top 160’s at Coshocton have a long history and I don’t think either has yet established dominance. I recall that Case beat Bahmer last year and went to States, but this year, Bahmer has won several times and finished ahead of Case at Barnesville. At any rate, I think they are the two best at this district. Case not only won the title at Marion Harding over the holidays, but copped the OW, too. Can they beat Whelan? Well, Joe beat Case 17-1 in the state quarterfinals and that’s a lot of ground to make up. However, stranger things have happened. There are some other possibilities here. State qualifier Gruber returns and he lost to last year’s runner-up, Curt Thompson by only 8-6 in the first round, and then to Bellottie by the same score in the consolations. He was 4th at North Canton. McDonald is 22-0, but will finally be tested at the CIT. He missed state qualification by one point last year. State qualifier Teeter has slipped off the radar screen, so maybe somebody like Fisher or Kibler will surface.
State qualifiers Duncan and Schmitmeyer head the Xenia sectional and should qualify once again. They failed to win a bout at Columbus, and maybe not be a huge factor again this year. State alternate Lehn may have surpassed both at this time. The rest of my choices are scattered toward the bottom of the ranking table. There remains the possibility that Boster will try to qualify here.
171#
Projected Champion: Spencer Dye (Sandusky St Mary)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Sowers (Mohawk) | 15 | Eicher (Tuslaw) |
| 3 | Yoder (Martins Ferry) | 16 | Wettengel (Belpre) |
| 4 | Douce (River Valley) | 17 | Tarver (Lake) |
| 5 | Burkhart (Shadyside) | 18 | Browning (Pleasant) |
| 6 | Goble (Wellington) | 19 | Woody (Chippewa) |
| 7 | Lichty (Ayersville) | 20 | Frank (Stryker) |
| 8 | Ball (Tinora) | 21 | Hess (Amanda Clearcreek) |
| 9 | Eichorn (Northmor) | 22 | Curtis (Mechanicsburg) |
| 10 | Strasbaugh (Versailles) | 23 | Coates (Greenview) |
| 11 | Fox (Margaretta) | 24 | Porter (Berkshire) |
| 12 | McCraith (Wickliffe) | 25 | McSurley (Clinton-Massie) |
| 13 | McMurphy (Grand Valley) | 26 | Thomason (Lima Central Catholic) |
| 14 | Garrlson (Oakwood) |
The record team total in Division III was set by Delta in 1998 when they scored 149.5 points eclipsing the previous mark held by Bishop Ready for 16 years. This year, the convergence of two factors–a strong senior-dominated squad from Sandusky St. Mary and what appears to be a somewhat diminished pool of talent state-wide–may set up a challenge to Delta’s record. No team has come within 20 points of that standard, but if everything were to go just right, St. Mary could challenge that total. An important part of that process will be at 171#, where state runner-up, Spencer Dye, was upset at the district level, but wrestled well and met the favored Picazo in the finals. In a slam-bang finale, Dye eventually lost 12-11 in the kind of bout I love to televise. Dye, whose father won the first of St. Mary’s state titles in 1976, is a go-for-broke competitor who wrestles a lot of high scoring bouts. With solid fundamentals, he looks for ways to score and is willing to take risks to do so. Wouldn’t it be great if the rules of this sport encouraged more wrestlers to do so?
Before he has a chance to win that coveted state title, Dye has to advance out of the best of the four districts at this weight class. Sowers was 4th at this class last year and has been great all year. He won the GMVWA in handsome fashion, and his only loss was in the Gorman finale to the excellent Hiram Smith. State qualifier Lichty also returns and could be a huge factor at both the state and district level. Both Fox and Ball were state alternates at this weight last year. Ball lost to Lichty by a narrow 6-4 margin earlier this year. That’s five excellent candidates for four spots, which means there’ll be some real heartbreak. All four of the qualifiers could place.
The other deep district is at Coshocton. However, in this case, there are only four good candidates for qualification and since the sectional pairings should line up, the bracketing should be good. State placer Yoder leads the way, but Burkhart is right behind him (a 3-2 loss at their last meeting). Last year, Yoder beat Sowers 14-4 in the quarterfinals, but then finished behind him. Douce, the Medina champ, and Eichorn are also strong and have compiled solid track records over the past two years. Eichorn was 3rd at the Gorman, losing by two in the semi-finals to Sowers.
Goble heads a shallow Mentor district. He was 6th last year, after making the semi-finals and losing to eventual champ Smilek. He was 2nd at Medina, losing 6-2 to Douce. McCraith won the D-3 Classic and has been very good. He was upset by McMurphy earlier in the year, but I don’t think that will happen again.
Maybe, I’m missing something, but the Xenia district does not look formidable. State qualifier Strasbaugh is back and he won at Plymouth and was 6th at GMVWA. After that, it’s folks like Garrison, Wettengel, and Curtis any of whom might upset Strasbaugh. The four qualifiers out of Xenia may not generate even a single state placement.
189#
Projected Champion: Larry Reichard (New Albany)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Hickey (Elyria Catholic) | 16 | Lambert (Clinton Massie) |
| 3 | Oxford (Tuslaw) | 17 | Horn (Shenandoah) |
| 4 | Samsa (Shadyside) | 18 | Trimble (Northridge) |
| 5 | Gracia (Archbold) | 19 | Lahna (Ridgewood) |
| 6 | Van Sickle (Liberty Center) | 20 | Nelson (Miami East) |
| 7 | Wright (Tri-County North) | 21 | Miller (Plymouth) |
| 8 | Schlack (Carey) | 22 | Tiell (Hopewell Loudon) |
| 9 | Deweese (Berkshire) | 23 | Cornett (Carlisle) |
| 10 | Kerchmar (Wellington) | 24 | Hershey (West Salem Northwestern) |
| 11 | Haubert (Mohawk) | 25 | McConnell (Seneca East) |
| 12 | Beeghley (Waynedale) | 26 | Brown (Lakota) |
| 13 | Jolliff (North Union) | 27 | Richards (Bluffton) |
| 14 | Underwood (Brookfield) | 28 | Rice (West Jefferson) |
| 15 | Schnittger (Lutheran West) | 29 | Bumgardner (Waynesville) |
When everyone anticipates a titanic two-man battle for the state title, it can be easy to overlook an unheralded newcomer. I think that might have happened at this weight class last year. Reichard was a state semi-finalist two years ago as a sophomore (finishing 5th), and was slightly more than a co-favorite last year. His principal adversary was seen as Scott Smith, who he had met many times previously. However, their ultimate match up for the state title was thwarted by the athletic Mike Blackwell (now in Division II), who upset Reichard in the semis, 7-5. Reichard wound up 3rd, winning his other four bouts decisively, the closest being 8-0. Early this year, I saw Reichard as a clear-cut favorite with no real peer at this class. Now, I’m not so sure. Hickey, a lower placer at 160# last year, has grown into a monster. Suddenly, the boy who lost 16-1 in last year’s first round is now manhandling everyone. I’m not sure I’m totally convinced yet, but one thing is for sure, Reichard needs to keep a wary eye on everyone this year.
Only Samsa should challenge Reichard at the Coshocton District. A state qualifier last year at 171#, he lost to Dye in the first round, won two consolation bouts, and then lost 1-0 to Sowers in his placement match. This year, he won big at Shadyside and Bellaire St. John and should meet Reichard in the district finals. The remaining two state berths will be “up for grabs” with the “hot hand” getting a ticket to Columbus (two awful clichés in one sentence).
It looks like the same two-man contest at Xenia. A pair of district champs head the field and should not receive more than minimal competition. Eric Wright won this district at 171# and then won two state bouts just missing placement. He apparently considered 171# again this year, but has certified at 189#. He was 3rd at the GMVWA, won by Haubert, but never met him. Jones took the district title at this weight class, but could win but one bout at Columbus. He won at Madeira and has been a finalist in every tournament he has wrestled. They are clearly ahead of other possibilities here and a loss to anyone else would be a substantial upset.
As I said earlier, Hickey has been dominating this year in compiling an undefeated record. He crushed Oxford and Beeghley at the D-3 Classic, where Schnittger finished 4th. The way I look at it, state qualifier Oxford and Kerchmar, a strong 4th at Brecksville, are the two best after Hickey, with state alternate, DeWeese, also in that mix. DeWeese missed the early part of the season, but was a district semi-finalist last year. That leaves state qualifier Schnittger, Beeghly and Hershey in need of an upset to qualify. Kerchmar has been excellent all year, but as a cautionary qualification note, Reichard defeated him 15-0.
215#
Projected Champion: Nate Thobaden (Clinton Massie)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Dibell (Fairless) | 15 | Nowlan (Bluffton) |
| 3 | Monroe (Waynesville) | 16 | Keiser (Versailles) |
| 4 | Spangler (Delta) | 17 | Huck (Waterford) |
| 5 | Bachna (Elyria Catholic) | 18 | Whitt (New Albany) |
| 6 | Leach (Shenandoah) | 19 | Zaczek (Madeira) |
| 7 | Reinhart (Calvert) | 20 | Kirchner (North Baltmore) |
| 8 | Ellwood (Indian Valley) | 21 | Carr (Northmor) |
| 9 | Taynor (Swanton) | 22 | Oswalt (Coldwater) |
| 10 | Slutz (Tusky Valley) | 23 | Neff (Waynedale) |
| 11 | Girlie (Ayersville) | 24 | Endicott (Plymouth) |
| 12 | Dick (Reading) | 25 | Davis (Grandview Hts.) |
| 13 | Wade (Chanel) | 26 | Gibson (Black River) |
| 14 | Hessick (Fremont St. Joseph) |
This is clearly one of the weaker weight classes in Division III with no dominant contenders anywhere in sight. Unlike the last two years, where Stookey, Sowers, Nagel and Zaranec battled, there are no titanic bouts to anticipate.
As such, it presents opportunities to a wide range of participants who might, otherwise, be a non-factor at most other weight classes. However, the one name that consistently appears in a positive light is Nate Thobaden. He was 3rd last year in Columbus after finishing in that same spot at the district level. One huge positive is that he is a prolific pinner, getting four at the district level and two more at States. He started this year at 275# (with great success) and now has moved down to 215#. He won the GMVWA, registering five successive pins and is obviously much stronger than last year. The big negative may be a schedule that fails to test on a consistent basis, and whether competition that results only in falls adequately prepares for the tough six-minute matches to come. In my mind, those negatives are far outweighed by his strength and experience.
It’s difficult to know from exactly what direction Thobaden’s prime opposition will originate. For example, there is very little depth at Mentor, but there are two potential high placers. Neither has state experience, but both have fashioned great senior years. Bachna, apparently inspired by his teammate, Hickey, at 189#, is also undefeated this year and has been almost as devastating. He had five first period falls at the D-3 and is currently 22-0. He probably should have made it last year, but had a bad first round at districts and got lost in the consolation bracket. Dibell was 1st at Canal Fulton Northwest (over Thoburn) and 3rd at North Canton–an impressive showing.
There is more depth at Coshocton, but I’m not sure any of them stands a good chance against the very top boys. Ellwood, Slutz, and Leach all qualified at this weight class last year, but none of them had wins in the championship bracket–though Elmwood and Leach had a consolation win. None of them have wrestled an overly demanding schedule, which could hurt them at tourney time. Carr and Whitt will come over from the Central District sectionals to compete for state spots with Whitt an alternate last year. Pretty good depth here, but no one that can challenge Thobaden.
There are two state qualifiers returning at Owens, but I’m wondering if state alternate Reinhart is now the best 215-pounder here. He defeated state qualifier Girlie at the “A” Classic, and has moved past state qualifier Taynor as well. His dominating win at Hopewell-Loudon over Xenia state qualifier, Mark Keiser, was impressive. Also in the mix here are Kirchner, Endicott and Hessick, who all have solid district experience. A dark horse contender is Spangler, who did not wrestle last year, but is slowly rounding into form for Delta. He was runner-up at Perrysburg, signaling, perhaps, his state intentions next month.
The real qualification battle will be at Xenia. I count at least seven candidates who could make it out. Thobaden could be in real trouble if he makes a miscue here. Included in this group is state placer Monroe, who has beaten a number of the best 215’s (in any class), including Tyler Zink twice. Thobaden did pin him last year. State qualifier Keiser is also back, and he was a district finalist last year. He finished ahead of both Thobaden and Monroe at the district level, but behind both of them at states– where he lost in overtime to Monroe. I think he could be in danger. Nowlan beat him earlier in the year and state alternate Huck and Oswalt are both back. Throw in Dick and Zaczek and it will be a great competition.
Hvy.
Projected Champion: Koel Davia (Union Local)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Ewing (West Salem Northwestern) | 15 | Jones (Belpre) |
| 3 | Bowers (Fairless) | 16 | Taylor (Swanton) |
| 4 | Scifers (St. Wendelin) | 17 | McEntire (Newcomerstown) |
| 5 | Dzigiel (Chanel) | 18 | Ruhlen (Hopewell Loudon) |
| 6 | Stuff (Northmor) | 19 | Treisch (Dalton) |
| 7 | Donavan (Licking Hts.) | 20 | Bruney (New Albany) |
| 8 | Shepard (Elyria Catholic) | 21 | Kaverman (Delphos Jefferson) |
| 9 | Borer (Calvert) | 22 | Montgomerly (Black River) |
| 10 | Baird (Westfall) | 23 | Carsey (North Union) |
| 11 | Howell (Sandusky St. Mary) | 24 | Binsack (Fremont St. Joseph) |
| 12 | Ruffer (Archbold) | 25 | Laughman (Miami East) |
| 13 | Ivins (Clinton Massie) | 26 | Griffiths (Wayne Trace) |
| 14 | Wysong (Dixie) |
The great crop of heavyweights we’ve seen the last two years in Division III have all graduated–that is all but one of them. Koel Davia, now a senior, is the kind of wrestler who drives prognosticators crazy. He has never won a district championship, never had an undefeated season, and never headed the list in this report, but has twice now won the state championship. As a sophomore, he lost to Carothers in district competition, and narrowly won his first two state bouts (one in a tiebreaker) and then pinned in both semi-finals and state finals. Last year, he was a district 4th, losing, again, to Carothers and to Bartholomew, 9-3, but, again, won his second title. A mammoth heavyweight, he’ll win his district and get the top ranking here on his way to a third state title. It would be a most significant title. He would become only the second heavyweight in Ohio high school wrestling history to win three state titles, and the first in exactly 50 years to accomplish that feat. In 1954, the powerful Jim Dregalla, from Cleveland John Marshall, took his third championship defeating Les Nader at a time when there was only one wrestling classification. Should Davia succeed this year, it would be a monumental achievement.
I believe there to be a significant gap between Davia and the rest of the field, but we all know that “significant gaps” can quickly be surmounted with one Davia mistake. Still, there is no one heavyweight that stands out as a particular threat. In fact, it is difficult to determine who might be on the awards stand with Davia as the tournament comes to an end. Only five other heavyweights have previous state experience and only one win in the championship bracket.
Two of those state qualifiers exit the Mentor District, but both could be in danger. Ewing defeated Dzigiel in overtime in the district semi-finals and, later won two consolation bouts at Columbus. A very small, mobile heavyweight, he is tough for the big boys to wrestle. He often seems to maneuver his way into overtime, where superior conditioning wins. Ewing was 4th at Wadsworth. Dzigiel was 3rd at Solon and is a good workmanlike heavyweight. Both Shepard and Bowers are big – both pushing against the upper limit of this weight class. They may have moved past that top duo. Shepard has only lost once and Bowers just won at Canal Fulton. Treisch is equally big and he beat Shepard last year–though that model has been replaced by a new, energetic Shepard. Add in a few heavyweights with one great move and it will be a excellent competition.
Davia should have few problems at Coshocton. Two of the best heavyweights there (Donavan and Bruney) are about half his size (or so it seems), and most of the others cannot match his strength. If Stuff remains focused, he could be a finalist against Davia at this district.
State qualifier Ivins made it down to 275 pounds, and with his size and experience, he’ll be dangerous. Davia pinned him last year and Ewing finessed him in overtime. I think the heavyweight to watch at Xenia is Baird. Kind of a mid-sized model, he pinned Dzigiel at states and has built on last year’s fine results to fashion a solid senior season. Jones and Wysong are other possibilities, but I don’t see a deep pool of talent here.
At Owens, many of the top contenders have met many times. Scifers is the only returning state qualifier, but that is no surety at this district. Actually, Borer might be the top performer in the Northwest with Scifers, Ruhlen, and Taylor close behind. However, the two that have the most upside are Ruffer and Howell. The former, only a sophomore, is moving up fast on the learning curve and if he can eliminate mistakes, qualify easily for the state meet. Howell will look great in one round and then fairly awful the next. Give him a consistent weekend and there’s no telling what he might accomplish.
TEAMS
1. Sandusky St. Mary – As I said in the essay at 171#, this team has the opportunity to post a new standard for team scoring in Division III. The big four of Shearer, Dye, Whelan, and Opfer should collect in the neighborhood of 90 to 100 points. That means Baum, Gliatta, Howell, Hermes, and Cam Whelan have to provide about 50. I’m not sure that’s possible. This will be their 5th title putting them into a tie for fifth place all-time.
2. Chanel – Another team looking for their 5th team title, but it looks like it will be their 6th runner-up trophy. The incomparable Jaggers leads the way and the lightweights are excellent. They’ll need a lot of help from folks like Dzigiel, Roppel and Wade to do much better.
3. Delta – Pretty much a four man squad with Moss and Evans the established stars and Gombash a state qualifier. The big surprise is Spangler who came back after a year of early retirement and has scintillated.
4. Cuyahoga Hts. – The first three weight classes are where they must score with Payne Lint and Scaletta as favorites. Clay Lint could help some, but only Foote has the remotest chance of putting points on the board from the rest of the lineup.
5. Fairless – A team that has moved down to Division III at precisely the right moment. I think that Huss and Dibell can score big-time at their respective weight classes and that Bowers will be a surprise contributor at heavyweight. That should be 50+ points and that can often get you in the top five.
6. Miami East – They have lots of possibilities and could go as high as 3rd if everyone was at maximum efficiency. The big guns are Knoop, Gambill, and Preece. They need more scoring from the Longs, Kief, and Grant.
7. Archbold – The question is whether this is a team of state qualifiers or state scorers. They have lots of opportunities with Starr, Rufenacht, Schultz, Stuckey and Gracia. If Lecklider or Rupp can help that would be big as is getting Stuckey at exactly the right weight class. The key element though, may be the big sophomore heavyweight Ruffer.
8. Liberty Center – I like their middleweights Hill and Huff and its time for Van Sickle to score big. State alternate Slurberry needs to contribute
9. Mohawk – Not much happens till 160#, but then Studer, Sowers, and Haubert could score big-time points. Reamer and the younger Studer are long shots to help, but the freshman Sowers might surprise everyone.
10. Martins Ferry – This might be a stretch especially since Roth has moved to Pennsylvania. Right now only Tucker and Yoder look like state scorers and they’re both at difficult weight classes. I’m not sure anyone else can step up so they could fall out of the picture early.
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