2003 High School Wrestling Forecast
32nd Annual Edition
Written by Brian Brakeman
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Division I
For the second consecutive year Division I competition will proceed at a level somewhat less than normal. As was also true last year there are some weight classes that can only be labeled as weak and others that lack significant depth. This is not to say that there are not at least a half-dozen superstars within these ranks. One impediment to writing this report is the distribution of Northwest District wrestlers. They will be allocated, in essentially a random manner, to the Mentor and Darby Districts. I will for convenience sake discuss their chances at whichever of those districts I deem weakest knowing full well that it is not an accurate representation of what will actually happen.
103#
Projected Champion: LANCE PALMER (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Brown (Solon) | 14 | Jordan (Hayes) |
| 3 | Hartley (Mass. Perry) | 15 | Gasser (Wadsworth) |
| 4 | Hunt (Collinwood) | 16 | Shaft (Strongsville) |
| 5 | Bugara (Garfield Hts.) | 17 | Chizmar (Boardman) |
| 6 | Clausing (Miamisburg) | 18 | Smith (Harrison) |
| 7 | Belcher (Mt. Vernon) | 19 | Riestenberg (Elder) |
| 8 | Tebbe (Troy) | 20 | Rodriguez (Perrysburg) |
| 9 | Weinman (Brunswick) | 21 | Lerer (Mentor) |
| 10 | Earley (Gahanna) | 22 | Burdine (Mansfield) |
| 11 | Kohler (Groveport Madison) | 23 | Love (Oak Hills) |
| 12 | Wolf/Spirk (Northmont) | 24 | Ertter (Eastlake North) |
| 13 | Johnson (Mass. Jackson) | 25 | Wade (Berea) |
| 26 | Holliday (Waite) |
The 103-pound class vacillates between years with many returning qualifiers and place winners and those where there is almost a 100% turnover of participants. We are in the latter situation in 2003. Only two state qualifiers return at this weight class and I suspect from their pattern of participation that both are battling the scale demons. What we do have are several excellent freshmen and some 103’s who were on the periphery of state qualification last year.
My choice is the exceptional freshman Lance Palmer. A two-time junior high state champion he has wrestled an absolutely brutal schedule with outstanding success. He has won at the Beast of the East and Medina while finishing 2nd at the Ironman to out-of-state Blasco (who he defeated the next week). He has not had even one nail-biter with an Ohio foe and continues the trend of a great St. Ed’s 103-pounder every two or three years (Lang, Lenhard, Moos, Kulczycki etc).
The Medina District is very solid. The explosive Hunt is now at Collinwood and he is the only returning state placer (6th). He is a huge 103 and his athleticism and experience make him exceptionally dangerous. He does not wrestle the type of schedule that many others here do, but he dominated at Rogers in an early tournament. Last year he beat both Brown and Bugara at the district level, but that will be a tough task to replicate. Bugara lost his go-to-state bout to Hunt, 2-1, last year, but he should easily qualify this year. He won at Edison and his only in-state loss was a one point upset defeat to Hartley. The fourth spot is wide-open with Shaft a slight favorite. Also look for Lerer, Tilocco, and Ertter to push for that qualifying ticket.
There is also real power at Perry. Solon is blessed with two excellent 103’s – – state qualifier Brown and Floyd. Brown won at the Powerade and was 2nd at the Midwest classic and 3rd at Solon. Floyd was 3rd at the Midwest Classic (they both lost one point matches to the very tough Prater from Georgia McEachern) and 1st at the tough WRC. Right with them is the excellent freshman Hartley who was a state junior high champ last year. I think the plan was to have district qualifier Wiley drop back to 103#, but I’m not sure he can dislodge Hartley from the varsity team. Hartley was 3rd at the Ironman and Medina and gave Palmer his toughest bout at the latter tourney. In fact, three of his losses are to Palmer. Weinman and Solon champ Johnson are my next two choices with district qualifiers Chizmar, Wade, and Gasser backing them up.
I’m not seeing much at Darby. I think Belcher might be the best of this group with Tiffin champ Kohler and Earley right behind him. Adams (Upper Arlington) and Jordan have also made my lists with Perrysburg champ, Holliday. Rodriguez and, Madison and Gorman champ, Burdine are also in the mix. This would seem to be a wide-open competition with those having the “hot-hand” qualifying. I think this group, however, will struggle at the state level.
It’s a tightly packed field at Wilmington with the potential for some very close finishes. The junior Clausing won 31 bouts last year and this year won at Fairfield and was 2nd at the GMVWA. His only downside was a 4th at North Canton. Tebbe won at Xenia and he should be a factor here. Northmont has, like Solon and Perry, two state caliber possibilities at this weight class. The senior Spirk was 3rd at GMVWA and has past district experience. Wolf, only a freshman, is the brother of state placer David, and has excellent skills. He was 2nd at Xenia and won at St. Xavier. The SWOCA champ Smith fits in here somewhere, but watch out for Riestenberg. Only 10-19 last year he was 4th at the SWOCA and then pinned Smith in the dual meet. He seems to be showing rapid improvement. Other possibilities in this tightly packed competition are Love and Beavercreek champ, Price(Xenia Beavercreek).
112#
Projected Champion: DAVE FEDERICO (Willoughby South)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Smith (Olmsted Falls) | 14 | Wanner (Olentangy) |
| 3 | Iovine (Pickerington) | 15 | Willcocks (Fairfield) |
| 4 | Metcalfe (Anthony Wayne) | 16 | Stark/Friery (St. Edward) |
| 5 | Mitcheff (Lorain Southview) | 17 | Lambert (Mason) |
| 6 | Manoogian (Green) | 18 | Mitchell (Cleveland Hts.) |
| 7 | Schuller (Toledo Central Catholic) | 19 | Rabung (North Ridgeville) |
| 8 | Kist (Hamilton) | 20 | Stoyanoff (Centerville) |
| 9 | Mossor (Groveport) | 21 | Hauff (Hayes) |
| 10 | Catalona (Mayfield) | 22 | Garisek (Madison) |
| 11 | Depoy (Greenville) | 23 | Clark (Solon) |
| 12 | Kostoff (Butler) | 24 | Abair (Toledo Central Catholic) |
| 13 | Wiley (Massillon Perry) | 25 | Peskar (Garfield Hts. |
| 26 | Metting (Perrysburg) |
Last year Iovine wrestled with great courage and skill to win the state title at 103#. It was a triumph of technique and temperament over almost overwhelming power. His 12-10 overtime win provided the Central District with its first title at the introductory weight since 1973 – – extra credit for knowing Edwards of Westland as the champ over Branham of Franklin Hts. Unfortunately, the match-up that should have occurred collapsed because of unusual circumstance.
On the surface there would appear to be three principal contenders. Naturally state champion Iovine is in the mix as is 3rd place finisher Federico whose only loss the last two season was in the state semi-finals. Certainly, a huge factor will be state Division II runner-up Ryan Smith whose school changed classification. As I write this Smith and Iovine have lost once and Federico, of course, not at all. Smith has not wrestled either of the other two while Federico beat Iovine 15-1 last year – – in a bout that would be contested differently today. Iovine’s only loss this year was at the Midwest Classic to Division III state runner-up Opfer who Federico beat 10-1 the next round. The upset-maker is the powerful and exuberant Mitcheff. He has the ability to beat anyone here – – overlook him at your own peril.
The Mentor District is strong. Federico has rebounded from his 3rd place finish last year to win at the Midwest Classic and Brecksville. He will again be the favorite this year, but needs to do a better job of expanding an early takedown into larger leads. He has been 4th and 3rd the last two years and he should improve on that this year. The sophomore Mitcheff is a dynamite competitor. He missed state placement last year by one win after taking a junior high state title the year before. He is undefeated this year and he’ll challenge anyone in this field. After a 20-16 season Catalona shocked almost everyone by winning his sectional and cruising into the district semi-finals before losing twice – – the last by a single point. He missed the early part of the year and then was disqualified at Brecksville and missed the WRC. He will not be an unknown factor this time around. The surprise here may be Stark. He was 4th at Medina including a win over state runner-up Horne at 125#. Should be able to perform well at 112# he might be a real factor. State qualifier Rabung and the excellent freshman Peskar are other possibilities, but, perhaps, another Catalona– like surprise will emerge to grab a qualifying ticket. A big question mark will be whether Metcalfe winds up here or at Darby – – he’ll take one qualifying spot at either location.
Let’s look at Darby, state champion Iovine returns up one weight, but still very successful. He was the champ at Medina winning his last two bouts in trademark style – – by one point each. He is so good in close bouts winning both his state semi-final and final in overtime. He was 3rd at the Midwest Classic losing to Division III pick Opfer in a tourney won by Federico. State qualifiers Mossor and Wanner are also here and the former, in particular, has been very good. He’s won at Madison and Tiffin in impressive fashion. District qualifiers Lepley (Davidson), Hauff and Blackburn (Grove City) may well battle for the last spot, but again, we may find Metcalfe or Schuller here. Metcalfe was 5th last year losing only to Iovine, Mathis, and Federico in the tourney process. This year he has been just short of sensational winning at Perrysburg, for example, with a fall in the finals. State qualifier Schuller should also play a role somewhere after winning big at Sylvania Southview and finishing 3rd (to Mossor) at Tiffin. He lost his two state bouts last year by a total of three points. Also exiting Toledo are state alternate Metting, Abair and Goldecker (Toledo St. Johns). Metting was 4th at Perrysburg while Abair was second at Sylvania Southview.
The movement of Olmsted Falls to Division I really augments this weight class, as state runner-up Ryan Smith will join the field at Perry. The first ever Junior High state champion he was also 3rd as a freshman and brings a wealth of experience to the mat. He is more aggressive this year with seven of his eight bouts ending in less than regulation time at Medina. The exception was an early round loss to Reader of Michigan. State qualifier Wiley has taken over the 112# slot at Massillon Perry, and he could be a big plus in the state championship quest. Also back is state qualifier Manoogian who lost in the first round, 3-2, to eventual state runner-up Josh Horne. This year Manoogian won at the Wayne Invitational and was 5th at Wadsworth losing to Metcalfe. After this trio comes a bunch of question marks. The sophomore Clark has been good while Mitchell has had some huge wins and was 2nd at Riverside and 6th at Brecksville. Also in the hunt are Garisek, Rosa (Boardman) and, particularly, Borchert (Cloverleaf).
The weak link here is at Wilmington, but there may be surprise wins out of this district at Columbus. Kostoff is the only returning state qualifier, but my guess is that Kist and DePoy may have overtaken him. Kist won decisively at the SWOCA and looks to be the top 112# in this area. DePoy upset state placer Penny while finishing a strong 2nd. Kostoff was 7th at that same tourney. Other possible qualifiers could be Willcocks, 4th at Kenston and 2nd at the SWOCA, Lambert, Brewer and Stoyanoff. The undefeated Kaake (LaSalle) wrestles a schedule that is invisible to me. I don’t know where he fits in – – if at all.
The pairings here could be lop-sided. If the districts proceed as forecasted Smith and Federico would be on the opposite of the bracket from Iovine – – with the possibility that Metcalfe could well be there, too. A Smith versus Federico semi-final would bring together two masters of the top position, and I’m guessing a low-scoring one-move bout.
119#
Projected Champion: BRANDON LUCE (Sidney)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Perez (Elyria) | 14 | McDiarmid (St. Edward) |
| 3 | Riggs (Mass. Perry) | 15 | Trotter (Akron Garfield) |
| 4 | Wornoff (Garfield Hts.) | 16 | Thompson (Carroll) |
| 5 | Anthony (Glen Oak) | 17 | Zyduck (Perrysburg) |
| 6 | Davis (Mt. Vernon) | 18 | Brown (Gahanna) |
| 7 | Pedro (North Royalton) | 19 | Lee (Lakewood) |
| 8 | Hucle (Marysville) | 20 | Rogers (Uniontown Lake) |
| 9 | Goode (Moeller) | 21 | Brown (Lorain Southview) |
| 10 | McKinney (Davidson) | 22 | Pierson/Hlebak (Lakota East) |
| 11 | Kleinman (Solon) | 23 | A. Flake (Lakota West) |
| 12 | Bodnar (Fitch) | 24 | Dreschel (Sandusky) |
| 13 | Ashbrook (Fairmont) | 25 | Cook (St. Xavier) |
| 26 | Noble (Wadsworth) |
By the end of the regular season last year I was convinced that I had selected wrongly at 112# in my annual report. It seemed to me that Albert Madsen was wrestling so well that he would sweep through the relatively weak 112# class. That view prevailed until the state semi-final when Brandon Luce disabused me of that notion by beating Madsen easier than the 6-4 score would suggest. I hadn’t realized how tough he was, and I knew as they raised his hand that he would win the state title the next evening. Now he’s back at 119# (I think) and working his way toward an undefeated regular season. At the GMVWA competing at 125# he had a brief first round scare when he went to his back, but he quickly righted the ship and cruised to the title – – beating the excellent freshman Kyle in the finals. He also won the Beavercreek at that weight class, but I don’t see him moving to 125# and facing Johnstone.
The Wilmington District is not especially strong after Luce. State placer Goode was 6th two years ago, but has not done as well since. Last year, at 103#, he won only one state bout. This year he won the SWOCA and could be in medal contention once again. After this duo there is something of a drop-off. Pierson was 5th at Medina, but neither Cook nor Flake placed at Brecksville. The canny Ashbrook was 2nd at GMVWA but got teched by Browning in the finals. State qualifier Thompson might be a factor, but they’ll be some surprises here.
There are lots of good contenders at Perry. Anthony was 4th last year and continues to improve in his junior year. He was 3rd at Brecksville after losing to Perez. Two-time qualifier Riggs remains a puzzle. Just as I’m about to write him off he pulls off a big win and I start to wonder again. He failed to place at either the Ironman or Beast of the East (no great shame in that), and was 2nd at Medina to Reichman. At the state duals he beat Wornoff 6-3, but lost, up a weight to Stark. State qualifiers Miller and Rogers are also here, but qualification for them is certainly not a surety. I really like Kleinman and I think he’ll be in Columbus. Turner and the young Bodnar are also possibilities. A “sleeper” candidate is Trotter who was a district semi-finalist last year. He wrestles a weak schedule but has solid skills.
The trio of Perez, Wornoff, and Pedro is very strong at Mentor with McDiarmid looking to make it a quartet. Perez was 3rd two years ago in Division II, but failed to place at the brutal 119# weight class last year. Now competing at Elyria with four-time champ Erik Burnett as his coach and with Felton as a workout partner he has shown great improvement. He dominated at Avon Lake and defeated a good field at Brecksville with notable wins over Anthony and LaFollette. Wornoff was 3rd at 112# last year – – losing in the first round and then winning five straight bouts including victories over Riggs and Hucle. This year he won at Edison, but lost to Riggs at the State Duals. Pedro was a state quarter-finalist last year and has good placement chances this year. He won this year at Southview and Perrysburg. McDiarmid continues to improve and has nearly reached the level of the top threesome. He won three bouts at the Ironman and was 3rd at Medina – – losing only to Riggs. He could qualify depending, at least in part, on the whims of the pairings oracle. The powerful Armstrong (Collinwood), Brown, and Thomas (Mayfield) could also get into the state bracket sheet. Lee just down from 125# has a tough choice to make, both 119# and 125# are strong but the former is far deeper. I’m thinking he’ll stay at 125#.
State qualifiers Hucle and McKinney along with rapidly improving Davis should be three of the qualifiers out of the Darby District. Hucle upset Riggs at the district level last year and then won two state bouts before losing to Wornoff. This year he was 4th at Wadsworth, but he is a very tough competitor. McKinney, a qualifier at 125# last year, seems better suited at this class. He had only two bouts at 125# at Medina, but was 2nd, to Pedro, at 119# at Perrysburg. Davis won at the Gorman (among others) and could place. I’m not sure what to do about a mediocre Northwest District. Zyduck, Dreschel, and McCulloch (Anthony Wayne) are probably the best of this group with Abitua (Start), Kemp (Mansfield Madison), and McCarthy (Toledo St. John) possibilities. Some of these folks will be at Mentor, but that will be no treat. Don’t forget about Brown who could squeeze out the entire Toledo contingent.
125#
Projected Champion: JASON JOHNSTONE (Massillon Perry)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Madsen (St. Edward) | 14 | Center (Mason) |
| 3 | Kyle (Carroll) | 15 | Schultz (Elder) |
| 4 | Horne (Pickerington) | 16 | Davis (Fremont Ross) |
| 5 | M. Bugara (Garfield Hts.) | 17 | Pierson (Lakota East) |
| 6 | Davis (Westland) | 18 | Gruneisen (Scioto) |
| 7 | J. Spencer (Mayfield) | 19 | Ward (St. Ignatius) |
| 8 | Roberts (Brunswick) | 20 | Herzfeld (Anthony Wayne) |
| 9 | Crenshaw (Sycamore) | 21 | Santiago (Lorain Southview) |
| 10 | P. Felton (Elyria) | 22 | Wise (Wadsworth) |
| 11 | Rieman (Hayes) | 23 | Aber (Wilmington) |
| 12 | Neal (Lakota West) | 24 | Hartman (Kent Roosevelt) |
| 13 | Barette (Madison) | 25 | McAfee(Centerville) |
| 26 | Nicholson (Solon) |
While there is some power at the top, this is not a very deep weight class. At every district I was scrambling to find the half-dozen or so names I usually rank from each one. However, there was no hesitation when it came to selecting the eventual champ. The junior Jason Johnstone (guys with identical initials are always tough) had the most talked about win of the year, but it was no fluke. Many people, including me, thought Dustin Schlatter had a chance of becoming the first Ohio wrestler to go undefeated over a four-year career. Johnstone in the semi-finals at the Ironman squashed that dream with a 3-2 decision that included another Johnstone takedown that was taken away for no apparent reason at the end of the second period. Johnstone finished 2nd to Preston at the Ironman and 3rd (over Preston) at the Beast. He was dominating at Medina winning five bouts – two by fall and three by major decisions. If Luce jumps to this weight class he’s making a mistake.
Johnstone should have little trouble at Perry. State placer Roberts is probably next best. He undoubtedly set some kind of record by never winning a single bout in the championship round of either the district or state tournament – – but he won seven times in the consolation rounds. He followed much the same pattern at Brecksville as this #2 seed lost in the second round and then won six consolation bouts to finish 4th. After this duo the state race is wide open. The best hopes ride with Wise, Barette, and maybe, Hartman. Someone to watch is Nicholson who failed to place at Solon or the Midwest Classic, but then was 5th at the Powerade and 3rd at the WRC. Despite his close proximity this is someone super-scout Dennis Wahl totally missed.
Madsen has not yet wrestled this year as he has struggled with back issues. Should he return shortly he still has time to work himself into top condition. Heck, it’s a long season and Madsen will certainly be fresher than many who traveled widely in that December time frame. Make no mistake, Madsen has excellent talent and could be a finalist at this class. Mentor is probably the deepest district. State qualifiers Bugara, Felton and Spencer (Division III) are all here and each has solid placement potential. Bugara, a state quarter-finalist, missed placement by two points last year. This year he won at Edison, but lost to Johnstone and Horne at the Ohio Duals – – no great disgrace. Felton lost two one-point decisions at States, but has bounced back this year. He crushed Lee at Avon Lake and was 7th at Brecksville losing 10-9 to Turchetta and then succumbing to Roberts in the (where else?) consolations. Spencer was a District champ for Newbury last year, but he and his twin brother have moved to Mayfield. He failed to place at the Beast, but was runner up to the excellent Grogg at Brecksville and to Turchetta at the WRC. State alternate Ward will look to pull an upset here while Smylie (Willoughby South) is also one to consider.
There is some good strength at Darby. Early in the year I had Davis ranked above Horne, but I believe that the latter will be on top by tourney time. Two years ago Horne was a junior high state runner-up to Schlatter, and last year he matched that effort with a second place finish to Luce at 112#. Horne was 3rd at both the Midwest classic and Medina splitting two bouts with the excellent St. Ed’s back-up Clayton Stark. He was undefeated at the Ohio Duals with a big win over Bugara. Davis was 2nd to Johnstone at Medina and wrestled very well. A state quarter-finalist last year he failed to place after losing to Johnstone and Roberts. You can note Johnstone’s improvement by observing his 2-1 victory over Davis last year compared to a 17-5 triumph at Medina this year. Rieman was 5th at 125# after winning the district title. Rieman was an uncharacteristic 4th at Wadsworth, and will need to pick it up by tourney time. After that trio I’m not seeing a lot, Waters, Herzfeld, and Davis (Fremont Ross) come to mind, but there’ll be some surprises here.
State junior high champ Kyle has stepped into a varsity slot (he had been expected to share it) and been exceptional. At the Ironman he upset state champ Zupancic and then lost two one-point decisions. He was runner up at the GMVWA losing only to state champion Luce and was undefeated at the Ohio Duals. I like him a lot. After him there does not seem to be a lot of placement talent. State qualifier Center, rated #1 in Cincinnati, was 2nd at both Xenia and the SWOCA while people like Schultz, Pierson, Foust and McAfee are at about the same level. The last boy in only his fourth year of wrestling has already won four tournaments. He may still be on the steep part of the learning curve. However, a real showstopper might be the recently added Crenshaw to this weight class. On good days he might be placement material. The one candidate for a possible breakout year is the junior Matt Neal. He was 5th at Brecksville losing 13-11 to Spencer in the quarterfinals. Keep an eye on him. Also in the background are Keefer (Springfield South) and Aber who had solid districts last year. Both will peak at tournament time.
130#
Projected Champion: T. J. ENRIGHT (Westland)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Paglia (Strongsville) | 14 | Brown (Scioto) |
| 3 | Gioiella (Solon) | 15 | Dutton (Pickerington) |
| 4 | Butler (Uniontown Lake) | 16 | Anderson (Mentor) |
| 5 | Wilson (Centerville) | 17 | Schmittauer (Lakota East) |
| 6 | N. Spencer (Mayfield) | 18 | Mankin (Chillicothe) |
| 7 | Dahling (Northmont) | 19 | M. Felton (Elyria) |
| 8 | Williams (Olmsted Falls) | 20 | Suchomski (Madison) |
| 9 | Oberdove (North Royalton) | 21 | Shroyer (Piqua) |
| 10 | Cook (Loveland) | 22 | Dickey (Green) |
| 11 | Mathews (Garfield Hts.) | 23 | Stevenson (Reynoldsburg) |
| 12 | Jonhenry (Berea) | 24 | Rutledge (Carroll) |
| 13 | Stolz (Westerville South) | 25 | Spellacy (Brunswick) |
T.J. Enright has had a marvelous high school career that requires only a state title to be complete. His results bear an uncanny resemblance to those of NCAA All-American Jake Percival – – both were 3rd as freshman and 2nd the next two years. My anticipation is that that parallel will continue as Enright (like Percival) will win that coveted state title. Last year he won his third district title over Meissner, but then lost to him the next week in the state finals. He is undefeated and won handily at Medina. While there are a number of good wrestlers at this class Enright will be a strong favorite again this year.
There will be three other state qualifiers at 130# at Darby. Dutton, at 119# last year, was 5th at the Midwest Classic and a strong 3rd at Medina losing only to Enright – -by a horrific score. At the Ohio Duals he won twice, but lost to Mathews by six. Two-time qualifier Brown has always done well within his district, but struggled on a broader stage. He is 0-4 at the state level. This year he was 2nd at Kenston (to Chris Hurley) and is undefeated in duals. Stolz won two state bouts last year, but lost to Rieman in his placement bout. All three of these candidates though, are at risk with Mankin dropping to 130#. Stevenson (Reynoldsburg) and McCreary (McCreary) are other possibilities.
The Mentor District will be strong. Two years ago Paglia was a huge favorite at 103#., but got caught in the semi-finals and quickly pinned. Last year at 125# he was injured and did not compete in the tournament process. This year he is still battling injuries, but has begun to fit in at 130#. He was 3rd at Medina losing only to state champion Shearer and could be a real factor at this weight class. Nathan Spencer was the Division III state runner-up last year at Newbury losing only to Jaggers. He was 1st at Brecksville with wins over Shearer and Frank Brown, but lost to Gioiella at the WRC. Oberdove and Mathews are both excellent, but must repel the challenges of Anderson and state qualifier Cook (should he be here) to get to Columbus. Oberdove, only a sophomore won at Perrysburg and was second at Southview while Mathews won at Edison. At the state duals Mathews won all three bouts including victories over Dutton and Herzfeld. Anderson won up two weight classes at Solon but didn’t place at 135# at Brecksville. Mathews defeated him with an escape in the 30-second overtime in their dual.
State placer Gioiella heads a very solid field at Perry. He was 6th last year at this weight class. This year he won at Solon, placed at the Powerade, and beat Spencer to win the WRC. State qualifier Butler is one of the linchpins of a very strong Uniontown Lake squad. He has been at 135# all year finishing 2nd to the excellent Mundrick at Wadsworth and winning convincingly at Riverside. He took Cunningham into overtime last year at districts but got off to a bad start at Columbus and could not recover. Williams was a district runner-up at this weight class in Division II and just failed to place. He was an impressive runner-up at Medina – – losing by five to Enright. State qualifier Jonhenry is up three weight classes and that’s a lot of new tonnage. It will be a struggle to qualify once more with Suchomski, Spellacy, and Dickey looking to take his place nonetheless his athleticism should carry the day.
Things are very quiet in the Southwest, but there are two potential placers at Wilmington. Dahling was the state alternate at 140# and has now moved down two weight classes. Its obviously worked as he was 1st at St. Xavier and 2nd at Xenia and the GMVWA – – both times losing in the finals to out of state foes. State placer Wilson started the year with some big dual meet wins and then was 4th at the GMVWA at 135#. He was 4th last year at Columbus winning two by fall and two in overtime. One of his losses was to Gioiella. Cook is a solid third choice here and he was 2nd at the SWOCA to an out-of-state champion and 3rd at the GMVWA – – again losing to an out-of-stater. Schmittauer might have the inside track for the fourth spot, but Rutledge and Cummings are good back-up choices.
135#
Projected Champion: RYAN LANG (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Cunningham (Groveport Madison) | 15 | Prvonozac (Howland) |
| 3 | Flake (Lakota West) | 16 | Bottomlee (Elyria) |
| 4 | Murray (Fitch) | 17 | Skaggs (Midview) |
| 5 | Clemens (Carroll) | 18 | White (Strongsville) |
| 6 | Mundrick (Anthony Wayne) | 19 | Wagner (Lebanon) |
| 7 | Sizemore (Lakota East) | 20 | Mierau (Medina) |
| 8 | Wright (Hoover) | 21 | Compton (Madison) |
| 9 | Uhas (Davidson) | 22 | Weisenstein (Ashland) |
| 10 | Nichols (Pickerington) | 23 | Lutz (Marysville) |
| 11 | Ramirez (Waite) | 24 | Thomas (Princeton) |
| 12 | Linz (St. Xavier) | 25 | Kramer (Springfield North) |
| 13 | Carl (Mentor) | 26 | Evans (Thomas Worthington) |
| 14 | Whittaker (Nordonia) | 27 | Berger (Glen Oak) |
There are two principal themes intertwined within this weight class. First, of course, is Ryan Lang’s attempt to become Ohio’s eleventh four-time champ – – and only the second in Division I competition. St. Edward High School has won 66 state titles in the last 25 years but no one – – not Alan Fried or Jim Heffernan or Greg Elinsky or the Jayne brothers – – have been four-time champs. It’s an extraordinary time when someone can set a new standard at St. Edward especially one of such significance. Much has been made of Lang’s losses – – he is the only wrestler to have the most losses of all 42 state champs in two consecutive years – – but, maybe, we ought to concentrate on his many wins. During the last 11 or so months he has been awesome. His closest bout in last year’s tourney process was 12-5 with Flake in the finals, and then he went out and won the Junior Nationals. This year no more early season defeats. He just pulverized the opposition at the Ironman and the Beast, and has been untouchable. He has transformed himself from a scrambler into a hammer, and it’s the opposition that has paid the price for that transaction.
The second theme is that we have the same cast of major characters from last year’s competition at 130#. The top trio is back along with five others from that curiously underclassman dominated weight class (only three seniors made the 16 man field). Once again Flake and Cunningham stand as Lang’s primary obstacles to yet another state title. Many of my Columbus friends still voice opinions that had Cunningham not been upset in the quarter-finals Lang might not be in search of his fourth title this year. They point out that in his other bouts Cunningham had a fall and four decisions by a combined 58-11 margin. I think they are badly mistaken. Nonetheless, the pairings should be good with both Cunningham and Flake away from Lang. As Yogi says, “It’s déjà vu all over again”.
Lang will surely dominate at Mentor. It will, in fact, surprise if any of the other three qualifiers place – – unless of course, a Mundrick or Ramirez migrate to Mentor from the Northwest sectionals. The quartet of Skaggs, Bottomlee, Carl, and White all have substantive district experience with Bottomlee a state alternate last year. This year Carl was 2nd at Solon and 7th at the Midwest Classic, while Bottomlee won at Avon Lake. State qualifiers Mundrick and Ramirez would certainly toughen up the qualification process should they appear here. Mundrick was a district champion last year who split his first two state bouts by scores of 12-9 and 15-12 before getting manhandled by Cunningham. This year he won at both Wadsworth and Perrysburg against very tough fields. Ramirez qualified as a sophomore and went 1-2. A semi-finalist at Medina he ended up 5th and was a disappointing 7th at Perrysburg. He needs to take it up a notch.
Cunningham should also have little trouble at Darby. He has been every bit as awesome as Lang, but against substantially weaker opposition. Last year he was supposed to be Lange’s toughest opponent, but got tripped early by the excellent Lakia. The rest of this district is very weak again without knowing the district destination for Mundrick and Ramirez. Lutz, a Triad transfer, has been solid while Evans, Haynes (Westland), and the young Weisenstein are possibilities. Nichols, just down to 135# might be second best to Cunningham here. They mystery to this point has been state qualifier Uhas who has struggled to date. Should he regain positive momentum he could be a placement factor. Watch for the young Weisenstein who is building on positive momentum.
Unlike Lang and Cunningham, Flake will not necessarily have his own way at Goshen. State qualifiers Clemens, Linz, and Sizemore are here, and while the last two aren’t major obstacles, the first named could be. Flake crushed Linz 17-7 in the SWOCA finals and then defeated a representative field at Brecksville that included a 11-4 win over state 4th Murray in the finals. He’s ready but will he stay at 135#? Clemens, just down from 140# was 6th at the Ironman and 8th at the Beast, but was only 4th at the GMVWA. Still, I just don’t see him beating Flake, but he might make it a low scoring bout. Linz was 2nd at the SWOCA and dropped to 6th at Brecksville after being a semi-finalist. Sizemore struggled at Medina after finishing 2nd at 140# at the SWOCA. The change in weight may have impacted his performance. Wagner, Thomas, and Kramer may play roles here, but there are a host of other possibilities.
The deepest and most competitive district will be at Perry. There are six wrestlers who are easily good enough to compete at the state level, but, of course, only four can qualify. Topping my list is state placer Murray and Missouri state qualifier Wright. Murray, only a junior, looked very good at Brecksville until Flake chewed him up in the finals. He should place again this year, but next year will be his year. Wright won at North Canton while Whittaker has consistently placed. They, along with Prvonozac, have the best shot at the last three spots. Compton and Mierau are also solid while Berger (Glen Oak) is an up-and-comer.
140#
Projected Champion: CHARLIE AGOZZINO (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Mason-Straus (Sycamore) | 14 | Effner (Garfield Hts.) |
| 3 | Pietropinto (Mayfield) | 15 | Anderson (Pickerington) |
| 4 | Guerra (Waite) | 16 | Kovacich (Howland) |
| 5 | Lakia (Riverside) | 17 | Butman (Lakota West) |
| 6 | Walters (Massillon Perry) | 18 | Kallai (Wadsworth) |
| 7 | Marzec (Toledo St. Francis) | 19 | Anderson (Lorain Southview) |
| 8 | Spence (Elder) | 20 | Ramsey (Hoover) |
| 9 | Samples (Marion Harding) | 21 | Brewer (Colerain) |
| 10 | Manning (Miamisburg) | 22 | Wickboldt (Gahanna) |
| 11 | Brulport (Sidney) | 23 | Jeffers (Kent Roosevelt) |
| 12 | Nasteff (Glen Oak) | 24 | Newbury (Darby) |
| 13 | Tortorici (Euclid) | 25 | Basso (Massillon Jackson) |
| 26 | Greer (Mansfield Madison) |
In past years I have written this report out of sequence and then compiled it at the very end. I did not do this in 2003. About January 10th I started on Division II beginning at 103# and worked sequentially through 275#, and then went to Division I and Division III, and did the same thing – with one exception. I skipped this weight class hoping that one issue could be settled so as to make the most informed decision. No such luck so here’s the problem.
It seems to me there could be two high probability choices at 140#, with other candidates having far smaller chances of winning the state title. One is the 2-time state placer Charlie Agozzino. He has been 3rd the last two years at 119# and 125#, but has moved up three weight classes this year with exceptional success. He won the Ironman and the Beast – pinning in both the semi-final and finals at the latter. His only loss this year was a 3-1 overtime decision to Kevin Pietropinto at the Big Eight.
The other possibility is last year’s 3rd place finisher at 135#, Daniel Mason-Straus. He won his first 40 bouts last year until losing in the semifinals to Chris Vondruska, who slowed down the tempo, made it a one-move match, and capitalized on impatience. How many times did we see Vondruska do that? Nevertheless, it was clear that Mason-Straus was a superior athlete with immense upside potential. My mental note was that nobody would touch this kid with one more year of experience. Well, that hasn’t happen. Mason-Straus still is not wrestling although he has certified at 140#. His physical tools are immense, and combined with his wrestling skill makes him an extremely attractive college recruit, everything else being in order.
It seems to me you have to go with Agozzino. He is going to show up and perform, and he may well handle Mason-Straus no matter what the circumstances. His victories at two of the toughest high school tournaments in the United States demonstrate fully well his tremendous ability.
Agozzino exits a power-packed district, and it may be further augmented if a couple of the excellent 140’s from the Toledo area end up here. State qualifier Pietropinto lost to Mason-Straus, 6-0, in the first round at Columbus last year and ended up with one state victory. This year he was 5th at the Beast and won at both Brecksville and the Big Eight, defeating Agozzino 3-1 in overtime. State qualifier Lakia pulled a major upset last year at Columbus defeating Tommy Cunningham and ended up 5th. This year he won at Eastlake North and Riverside defeating in the latter, Tortorici, and has won several dual meet tourneys. Effner has been inconsistent, but he is a real talent. He was 1st at Edison and the Dies, and nearly beat Walters at the Ohio Duals. Anderson won the title at Southview and was 3rd at Toledo Waite. The intriguing entrant is Tortorici. Only a freshman, he is the only three-time junior high state champion in history. He has chosen a very difficult district with which to begin his high school career.
Mason-Straus, should he appear, will dominate at Wilmington, but there are some other good wrestlers there. Brulport finished 6th at 125# last year, making it to the semifinals before Enright defeated him. He’s up three weight classes and it’s been a bit of an adjustment, finish 7th, for example, at the GMVWA. State qualifier Spence is up two weight classes, but with more success – at least so far. He won the SWOCA over Sizemore after winning one state bout last year. With Clemens moving to 135# – if he stays there – increased opportunities now exist for folks like Manning, Tennant, Brewer, and Butman. Manning, just down from 145#, was a district semifinalist last year, while Brewer beat Clemens for 3rd at the GMVWA. I was also impressed with Butman where he won seven times while finishing 5th, losing only to Turchetta and Davis and beating Nasteff and Gliatta. I think Brulport may struggle to return to Columbus.
It’s a crowded, difficult field at Perry. State qualifier Walters has wrestled a brutal schedule and been knocked around a bit, but he really is a tough, tenacious competitor. He was 7th at the Beast, losing to Agozzino, 7-4, and was 4th at Medina, losing two one-point decisions to Guerra. At the Ohio Duals he took Agozzino into overtime before losing. After him chaos reigns. With state qualifier Nasteff, Kovacich, and Kallai slight favorites to qualify. However, it would little surprise me if that trio were supplanted by Ramsey, Jeffers, and Basso.
Guerra won two bouts at Columbus last year, and could do even better this year. He was 3rd at Medina and won at Waite and Perrysburg. State qualifier Marzec is also very good. He won big at Oak Harbor and Tiffin and was 3rd at the CIT, losing to Davis in overtime. State qualifiers Samples and Anderson are also here with Wickboldt edging past the latter. Newbury is probably the best long shot choice, but Ciracky is also strong.
145#
Projected Champion: TRAVIS KOVACH (Massillon Perry)
Top Contenders
| 2 | M. Miller (Uniontown Lake) | 15 | Ward (St. Edward) |
| 3 | Dean (Lakota West) | 16 | Root (Whitmer) |
| 4 | Huddle (Marion Harding) | 17 | Bishop (Gahanna) |
| 5 | Sanchez (Carroll) | 18 | Bierl (Olentangy) |
| 6 | Melton (Wadsworth) | 19 | Simms (Olmsted Falls) |
| 7 | Hreben (Perrysburg) | 20 | Cook (Willoughby South) |
| 8 | Verdi (Madison) | 21 | Smith (Loveland) |
| 9 | Maupin (Glen Este) | 22 | Bork (Toledo Cent. Catholic) |
| 10 | Wilson (Xenia) | 23 | Boyd (Darby) |
| 11 | Carraher (St. Xavier) | 24 | Parker (Amherst) |
| 12 | Tischer (St. Ignatius) | 25 | Streb (New Philadelphia) |
| 13 | Cramer (Holland Springfield) | 26 | Tigner (Westland) |
| 14 | Halverstadt (Eastlake North) |
This is one of those weight classes where there is no dominant figure or even a dominant duo or threesome. It is one of those smooth classes where one wrestler flows into another such that it is difficult to distinguish the exceptional from the merely good. It is also a weight class where it is more difficult to trust last year’s results since I think there have been some major changes. My choice, Travis Kovach, was 3rd last year losing only to Pflug at Columbus. I also like his mental toughness in rebounding from a shocking first round district loss and qualifying 3rd out of his district. This year he was a strong 3rd at the Ironman but only 6th at the Beast. However, he then rebounded to win at Medina defeating Division III champ Vogel in the finals. He is a good solid choice but certainly not an unbeatable one. He’ll have to be at the top of his game to pull this off.
His district is very good. Let’s start with sophomore Miller who has exploded onto the scene. He had 34 wins last year at 140# and won two district bouts. This year he pinned his way through Riverside, and majored Melton in the finals at Wadsworth. The high point of his season was a 7-2 win over the redoubtable Ryan Hurley – – a victor, 3-2, over Kovach at the Ironman. Hmm, what do we make of that? State qualifiers Melton and Verdi are also at Perry with Melton probably the better of the two. Remember though, that is was Verdi who upset Kovach last year at districts. The way I look at it Simms or Streb may need help from the bracket sheet to qualify.
The Goshen District is also good, but even more confusing. Dean was a surprise placer at 152# last year and has switched weights with Monk this year. He was 3rd at the SWOCA pinning Carraher in the consolation finals after losing to Maupin in the semis. Then he dominated at Brecksville shutting out Halverstadt and Maupin and crushing Carraher in the finals. I think he’s the best one here. State qualifier Sanchez has also been good placing 5th at the Ironman and 2nd at GMVWA. Melton beat him 8-2 at the Ohio Duals, however. Maupin was 2nd at the SWOCA and could have placement potential. The scrappy Wilson – – also down from 152# – – should also be a factor especially after his big win over Carraher at St. Xavier. Smith, Neumann (Moeller), and Wiley (Beavercreek) are good, but it’s hard to figure them to qualify in this crowded district.
We need to keep in mind that the Toledo area has at least three state caliber wrestlers at this weight class. Where we end up finding them will play a major role in the district outcomes at Mentor and Darby. As it is, Mentor is not that strong. Tischer was 6th at this weight last year, but was pinned in the finals at Perrysburg by Hreben, and was majored by Kovach while finishing 3rd at Mentor. State alternate Halverstadt lost his go-to-state bout to Tischer 7-6 last year, but was pinned in their dual last week. He was 4th at Brecksville losing to Sanchez and did not place at the Ironman. Ward and Cook are other thoughts, but the big news would be the arrival of some of the Toledo 145’s. State qualifier Cramer returns after drawing two-time champ McIntire in the first round at Columbus. Also good is state qualifier Hreben who spent much of the year at 160# and won against a solid field at Perrysburg. He competed at 130# last year, but has gotten substantially larger. I originally thought Marzec would be here, but apparently he will go at 140#, but Root is also excellent. A state alternate last year he was 2nd to Marzec at Tiffin. Bork, Portillo (Libbey) and Mager (Ashland) are also possibilities at the right district.
Huddle’s been at 152# most of the year, but I believe he’s the best 145# at Darby. A state qualifier two years ago he got shut out last year losing two Saturday afternoon bouts – – the last to Marzec. This year he won at Marion Harding and the Gorman. After that it all seems pretty confusing. Think about it. Tigner won at Kilbourne, Boyd at Darby, and Bierl at Coffman while Bishop was 2nd at Marion Harding. I haven’t decoded the pattern as of yet. I have seen the future so watch for the freshman Popham (Mt. Vernon).
152#
Projected Champion: IAN EMMONS (Hamilton)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Kuhner (Pickerington) | 14 | Conley (Lakota East) |
| 3 | Sharkey (Miamisburg) | 15 | O’Bryan (Mentor) |
| 4 | Monk (Lakota West) | 16 | Maier (Mt. Vernon |
| 5 | T. Miller (Wadsworth) | 17 | Love (Gahanna) |
| 6 | Foster (Massillon Perry) | 18 | Ludwig (Strongsville) |
| 7 | Horner (Uniontown Lake0 | 19 | Kettinger (Toledo St. Johns) |
| 8 | Ward (St. Ignatius) | 20 | Armbrust (Lebanon) |
| 9 | Mauro (Centerville) | 21 | Marasch (North Royalton) |
| 10 | Butler (Mt. Healthy) | 22 | Gourash (Darby) |
| 11 | Gurney (Whitmore) | 23 | Lemmer (Midpark) |
| 12 | Moore (Thomas Worthington) | 24 | Needham (Grove City) |
| 13 | Jonhenry (Berea) | 25 | Cepeda (Westland) |
This is a weight class that is rather ill defined and elusive. We have top contenders returning from lengthy injuries, dropping from higher weight classes, leaving their team, and being injured. It’s safe to say that no one can be completely assured of showing up in Columbus at the end of February. However, that’s what should make it interesting, exciting, and unpredictable since there are a lot of interesting stories here. Let’s take a district-by-district look at this weight class.
It’s safe to say the Goshen District is really loaded. The blocky, powerful Emmons finished 5th last year losing twice to Rhodes and defeating Scarl, Horner, and Dean. He is undefeated this year at 160# (and just recently 152#) with wins at the SWOCA (all in under six minutes) and St. Johns. Should he win – – and he now knows he has at least one fan in Cleveland – – he would become Hamilton’s first state champion. Right behind is district champion and state 5th placer Sharkey. He was a winner at the GMVWA and North Canton (over Miller) and has finalist potential. He wrestled a lot of very close bouts at the state level last year. I think he’ll be more dominating this year. I was extremely impressed with state alternate Monk at Brecksville where he was runner-up to Division III pick Whelan. He also won at the SWOCA (Emmons was at 160#), but had some early round challenges. Not far behind this trio is another threesome of solid reputation. Mauro, only a junior, qualified at 145# last year and won a state bout before losing to Sharkey. He was 2nd at the GMVWA as Sharkey got him again. State qualifier Butler defeated Monk in their go-to-state bout last year, but I’m not sure he could do it again. He was 3rd at the SWOCA, but, otherwise, wrestles a fairly pedestrian schedule. Conley was 2nd at the SWOCA. He moved up to 160# at Medina and won 5 bouts to finish 6th. We might see him there again. Armbrust has wrestled several of these top boys very “tough” and could pull a significant upset here as might Honnerlaw (Wilmington).
Kuhner is close to a co-favorite at this weight class. He was a semi-finalist last year finishing 4th – – the best placement by an underclassman. He was 2nd at the Midwest Classic – – also losing to Whelan – – and then won by a point over Smilek to take the Medina crown. Then came the shocker – – a loss by fall to Miller at the Ohio Duals. Pickerington wrestlers have a history of peaking at tourney time so he’ll be even better in late February. State qualifiers Gurney (maybe) and Moore will be here battling for a low place. I’m a little worried about Moore who didn’t make the top pool at the Midwest Classic. He has, however, bounced back with some big wins since then. There are a number of other potential contenders Maier, Love, Kettinger, Cepeda, and Gourash trying to be part of the state recipe.
There are a lot of question marks at Perry. Foster, 3rd as a freshman, has endured nearly two years of varying levels of inactivity because of his shoulder. A favorite two years ago he had to default out of district action and has been hurt every since. Recently back, he won a small tourney at Malvern and then was 3rd at Medina – – losing only to Smilek and beating Koz twice by narrow margins. He won twice at the State Duals (including another win over Koz) but lost to Monk. Now a senior this is his last shot. Miller moved directly from being a junior high state champ to a state qualifier at 135#. Then he won two bouts reaching the semi-finals before finishing 6th. He was 2nd at North Canton (by one point to Sharkey) and 2nd at Wadsworth to Tripp. He was a sensational 3-0 at the State Duals including that fall over Kuhner. District champ and two-time state qualifier Horner drew Ward and Emmons in the first two rounds and did not place. He has, apparently, left the team, but I’ve rated him anyway with the hope that he returns. He has had a great career. State qualifier Jonhenry is also here, but after him the well runs dry. I’ve listed Lemmer and Reed, but I’m sure there are others. Maybe, Soltis (Solon) is the answer.
Mentor is not strong. State qualifier Ward is back and he had an exceptional freshman year – – including a win at the state level. However, after his 21-10 loss to Monk he defaulted out of Brecksville and didn’t wrestle at the WRC. Last year he didn’t hit the radar screen until late, and, maybe, it will be the same this year. Koz has wrestled a brutal schedule and should be, if anything, battle hardened. He has placed at the Ironman and Medina and his losses have come to high-grade competition and have been close. O’Bryan and Ludwig are reasonable selections for state berths, but a Toledo influx might put that in jeopardy. Southview champ and Perrysburg placer Marasch could also put a crimp in their plans.
INTERLUDE
There are always discussions as to the strongest districts feeding into the state meet. This examines the last two years looking only at championship round action.
160#
Projected Champion: STEVE LUKE (Massillon Perry)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Scarl (St. Edward) | 14 | Cromwell (Greenville) |
| 3 | Srock (Wadsworth) | 15 | Wallace (Strongsville) |
| 4 | Ferguson (Pickerington) | 16 | Griffin (Colerain) |
| 5 | Gallagher (St. Xavier) | 17 | Harris (Rogers) |
| 6 | Mowry (Ashland) | 18 | Alexander (Howland) |
| 7 | Doup (Mt. Vernon) | 19 | Fisher (Lancaster) |
| 8 | Rausch (Marysville) | 20 | Beck (Green) |
| 9 | DeLiberato (Brush) | 21 | Haws (Butler) |
| 10 | Zeiler (Clay) | 22 | Thomas (Marion Harding) |
| 11 | D. Hough-Snee (Mentor) | 23 | Trujillo (Groveport Madison) |
| 12 | McCunney (Westland) | 24 | Miller (Lorain Southview) |
| 13 | Frye (Hoover) | 25 | Re (Milford) |
This should be a three-man showdown filled with a lot of low scoring battles during the last two rounds. My choice is the junior state champion Steve Luke. As a freshman he battled Mark Moos for the 112# state title. Last year he was again a finalist, but this time turned the tables on Chris Vondruska and avenged several regular season defeats with a 5-4 win. Now at 160# he was 2nd at the Ironman, 4th at the Beast, and first at Medina (over Division II state champ Maxworthy). Luke has gone up 8 weight classes the last two years with no loss in efficiency, a junior high state champ at 108# he has that barrel chest, tremendous strength and quick feet that win.
Luke has gone against St. Edward’s competitors in both his state title bouts so if form holds it should be he and Scarl in the finals. They have already met four times with Luke winning thrice. Scarl is a master of the low scoring, not much happens bout, and the over/under when he wrestles quality is about five. Several times a state qualifier he has yet to place although he has come very close. He was 3rd at both the Ironman and the Beast and beat Srock 3-2 in the Ohio Duals. He is not a wrestler who can come from behind, but he doesn’t generally face that issue with his superb defense.
Srock really improved last year as a junior gaining a district 3rd and then capping the season with a state 4th. He upset Konyesni in the quarterfinals and then lost a close 3-1 bout to the eventual champ Murray. This year he has breezed through North Canton and Wadsworth barely breaking a sweat and his only loss was the aforementioned one-pointer to Scarl. He and Luke emerge from the same district so they’ll be apart at the state level, and with no seeding here Scarl could fall into either half. While the odds favor the Perry District champ to go through unscathed (2 to 1) there is still some chance that Srock (if he is not the champ) might see Luke and Scarl battle it out in the other semi-final.
We’ll just take a quick look at each district. At Perry it is very difficult to see anyone challenging the top duo. Frye, Alexander, and Beck are workmanlike performers, but seem hardly ready to upset the two top boys. Like all four districts there isn’t a lot of depth here.
Much the same is true at Mentor. Hough-Snee won at Solon and was 2nd at the Midwest Classic, but finished 6th at Brecksville. He has possible placement ability. After him I have Kenston champ DeLiberato, Wallace, and Anderson, but there may be others I have missed. There is some solid talent in the Northwest District who could play a role here. State alternate Zeiler has been very strong. He took Division II champ Maxworthy into two overtimes before succumbing 7-6, and he beat the excellent Seng at 171# to win at Sylvania Southview. Harris won at Rogers and was 2nd at Northwood and this senior could also play a role.
Maybe, I’m missing something but there isn’t much at Goshen. Look, perhaps, for one of the 171’s to drop or for a couple of the 152’s to exit that difficult class. As it is Gallagher, a state qualifier, is probably best. He won two state bouts last year and should place. He and Ferguson make up a small second tier directly below the top trio. He was 3rd at the SWOCA losing to an out-of-stater and was 2nd by default at Brecksville. Cromwell, Griffin, and Haws are other qualifying possibilities.
It may be somewhat more crowded at Darby. State qualifier Ferguson stands at the top, but I have far more names here than at the other districts. Mowry was one bout from qualification last year and won at the Wayne Invitational and Ashland. Perhaps, more importantly he was a strong 3rd at Wadsworth losing only to Srock. State qualifier Doup, Rausch and McCunney could also qualify with Thomas also a real contender. A dark-horse candidate here is Trujillo who has been pinning all kinds of people recently. His win at Darby may have opened some eyes.
171#
Projected Champion: JOSH JOHNSON (Waite)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Grogan (Hoover) | 15 | D. Miller (Uniontown Lake) |
| 3 | Malinowski (St. Xavier) | 16 | Brown (Glen Oak) |
| 4 | Rudell (Kilbourne) | 17 | Craiglow (Lancaster) |
| 5 | Friend (Piqua) | 18 | Anthony (Strongsville) |
| 6 | Combs (Centerville) | 19 | Smith (Hudson) |
| 7 | Gadd (Hamilton) | 20 | Wilson (Solon) |
| 8 | Imhoff (Ashland) | 21 | Pokorny (Strongsville) |
| 9 | Simmons (Westerville North) | 22 | Poore (Stebbins) |
| 10 | Merkle (Carroll) | 23 | Saunders (Grove City) |
| 11 | Seng (Findlay) | 24 | Glavan (Mentor) |
| 12 | Chine (Fitch) | 25 | Converse (Westland) |
| 13 | DeLande (Willoughby South) | 26 | Wiley (Beavercreek) |
| 14 | DiDona (St. Edward) | 27 | Richardson (Cuyahoga Falls) |
While this weight class will be very competitive it will not be contested at an extraordinarily high level. The winner here would be fortunate to be in the top five in Division II. Nonetheless, it should be a weight with lots of surprises and much give-and-take. I’ll get lots of e-mails because people will be ranked behind wrestlers they’ve beaten (that’s what they complain about) and ahead of wrestlers to whom they’ve lost. There is a lot of churning or turbulence at this class, and internal consistency will not be its trademark.
Two names, however, stand out above the rest. Johnson and Grogan are both undefeated against Division I foes, each suffering their only loss to state champion, Hahn at Medina. I was hoping they’d meet, but, of course, it didn’t work with Hahn beating Johnson by two in the semis and Grogan by four. Both were 160# state qualifiers last year and had oddly parallel results with again the bracketing favoring Grogan who got 6th. Johnson lost in the quarters to eventual champ Murray 6-5 while Grogan lost in the semis to Shamakian – – also in overtime. Then they both lost to Konyesni in the consolations – – Johnson by two and Grogan by eight. This year they’ve won everything entered except Medina. I like Johnson just slightly better believing him the better athlete. Even if both win their districts there is no guarantee they’ll be apart so some third party could easily be a finalist.
The bracketing methodology has not been good to Johnson, and, of course, no one knows, as of yet, what district will serve as his qualifying base. Assuming its Mentor, he will not have enormous difficulties winning that title. In the fall I had anticipated state qualifier DeLande might be the top 171-pounder at Mentor, but I’m still waiting for that to happen. Apparently plagued by injuries he has wrestled intermittently and without overwhelming success. After his gusty district performance that saw him defeat St. Edward’s star Swift twice I would not count him out. The rest of this district seems just a little above ordinary. DiDona stepped in as a starter and has done quite well. He was 5th at Medina losing only to state champion Hahn and state qualifier Grove. Pokorny and Anthony are solid journeymen with good qualification chances while Armbruster and Glavan are long shots
Like Johnson Grogan should dominate at Perry. A long ago transfer from Walsh he has shown excellent improvement the last two years. A member of that first group of Junior High State champions he has the opportunity to add a senior title to his resume. Beside his runner-up finish he was 1st at North Canton and undefeated at Springfield. There are at least half dozen contenders for the last three state berths. State qualifier Chine is closest to Grogan and could be a significant factor at Columbus. He was second at Brecksville to Knapp and upset West Virginia star, Pickens, in overtime. Fitch always has one or two excellent upper weights and Chine certainly maintains that tradition. Brown has been at 189# all year with some success. A district semi-finalist last year he certainly has strong qualification chances. Smith was the champion at Hudson beating DeLande by eight, but failed to place at Brecksville including a surprising overtime loss to Riha. Wilson missed much of last year to injury but bounced back to win opening week at Solon. I kind of expected him to settle at 160#, but he remains at 171#. He was 5th at the Midwest Classic losing to Johnson and lost to Smith at the WRC finals. That leaves North Canton runner-up Roman (who Grogan defeated 12-0) and Richardson just outside potential qualification. But upsets will be the rule at this weight class. Somebody to really watch in that vein is Miller who has a boatload of pins. Up from 145# he is dangerous.
The Darby District will be very interesting. Two Northwest District grapplers that should do well here (or at Mentor) are Imhoff and Seng. Imhoff missed state qualification by two points last year including a win over Simmons. This year he won at the Gorman (over Doup) and at Ashland (over Chine). He was 3rd at Wadsworth when Simmons defeated him. Seng went 17-10 with Wade Morris last year before having to default out of the district process and has lost but once this year (to Zieler on criteria). Other than that he has been perfect. They’ll match up with some good Columbus kids. Simmons, a state qualifier two years ago, has inconsistent results. He did not even make the championship pool at the Midwest Classic, but then won at Wadsworth. Rudell is a returning state qualifier and won in devastating style at Kilbourne. He was 4th at the MWC losing to Johnson by technical fall. State qualifier Doup is also strong and was 2nd at the Gorman to Imhoff. Rudell defeated him 10-4 at Columbus last year. I also like Fisher (winner at Tiffin) and Saunders (winner at Ready). It’ll take peak performance to get out of here.
This is another district where the transitive property doesn’t hold – – in other words if A beats B and B beats C you can’t be sure that A will beat C. I think the top quintet of Malinowski, Merkle, Friend, Combs, and Gadd are all very close. Malinowski, a returning state qualifier was 2nd at the SWOCA and 3rd at Brecksville and won at St. Xavier. Still, he has not wrestled many of the top contenders here. Friend also made it to Columbus last year, but he, too, does not wrestle an overly demanding schedule. Nonetheless he will play a major role here. State qualifier Gadd has wrestled a part-time schedule and his only loss was to Combs at Fairfield. Combs have won four tourney titles, but was 4th at the GMVWA losing to Brennan twice. And then there is Merkle who missed much of last year. He was only 1-2 at the Ironman, again having to default, but then returned to win the GMVWA in impressive fashion. Lingering just below this fivesome are Wiley, Klaesner, and Riha (Lakota West). Two interesting contestants are the powerful Poore who nearly qualified last year and the dark-horse Gentene (Mason). The one to watch is Poore who upset Merkle last year and won at Middletown.
189#
Projected Champion: ANDREW LEGG (Fremont Ross)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Clingner (Beavercreek) | 14 | Adams (Scioto) |
| 3 | Grimes (Marysville) | 15 | Adkins (St. Edward) |
| 4 | Dobies (Garfield Hts) | 16 | Donadee (Fitch) |
| 5 | Rose (Uniontown Lake) | 17 | Zalaiskalns (Massillon) |
| 6 | Lukens (Moeller) | 18 | Kemokai (Wadsworth) |
| 7 | Dominick (Euclid) | 19 | Stacy (Fairmont) |
| 8 | N. Hough-Snee (Mentor) | 20 | Kellogg (Gahanna) |
| 9 | Reinhardt (Coffman) | 21 | DeMaris (Colerain) |
| 10 | Rickman (Hayes) | 22 | Kaszar (Hudson) |
| 11 | Gronzalski (Maple Hts.) | 23 | Jeffrey (Lakeside) |
| 12 | Duenke (Findlay) | 24 | Waller (Amherst) |
| 13 | Schweer (St. Xavier) | 25 | Yelik (Kilbourne) |
| 26 | Ervin (Butler) |
*Morris (Rogers) would be rated #2 should he wrestle.
This is undoubtedly the weakest weight class in Division I. In fact, both 171# and 189# are far less strong then we normally see. I noted, for example, that at the four major holiday tournaments in Cleveland, Division II wrestlers won all eight titles at these two weight classes. That may be one of the reasons I have struggled to identify potential qualifiers and a likely champion.
Last year I singled out the sophomore Andrew Legg as a high potential candidate with good upside potential. It turned out that he far exceeded my expectations by capturing the district title at 171# and then finishing 5th at Columbus. In truth, had he gotten the overtime takedown in the semi-finals Kallai would have faced him instead of Fairman in the finals. This year he won at Ashland and Rogers and began to dominate as had been anticipated. Fremont Ross has not had a state champion in 43 years (Mooney at 119# over long-time retired Rogers coach Ray Steely) and I think they are overdue.
The Northwest District has some other solid 189’s and had Wade Morris (Rogers) recovered from his football injuries he would have been very near or at the top of the list. Interestingly enough he certified at 189# so there may yet be hope of seeing him. A state qualifier last year he was an exceptional performer. Duenke and Greene (Toledo St. John) are also potential qualifiers – – some of which will depend on the district to which they are assigned.
I don’t see a lot at Perry. State alternate Rose lost a tense one-pointer in his go-to-state bout last year, and has returned to anchor the upper weights at Uniontown Lake. He was 2nd at Riverside and Wadsworth and has to be the favorite for the district crown.
Donadee and Kemokai are also possibilities and I think the latter on a hot weekend could do very well. Kemokai was a state alternate at 215# last year. The surprising Zalaiskalns was 3rd at Wadsworth losing only to Unger and 2nd at Northwest to Brown. With so much parity at each district folk’s like Kaszar or Jeffrey have an outside chance.
The Mentor District will be stronger than what we saw last year. All four qualifiers at this weight lost in the first round at Columbus. There are six potential qualifiers here and this year they’ll have a better first round. The only problem is somehow discerning the proper order. State qualifier Dominick has missed part of the year because of illness so his current record doesn’t tell you much. Nonetheless I think he and the tough Dobies might be marginally better than the remaining quartet. Hough-Snee has on the other hand, has seeming been everywhere. He was 1st at Solon and a solid 4th at the MWC losing two very close bouts. He also was a solid runner-up at Brecksville crushing Donadee and Waller along the way. In the famed shoelace dual meet he lost to Dobies 5-3. Gronzalski is Maple’s only hope for a state berth and he may make it. He won at Franklin Hts. and was 3rd at Brecksville losing only to the excellent Carpenter. Waller has had some big wins, a title at Columbia Station and a 3rd at Avon Lake. He defeated Brown but lost to both Hough-Snee and Schweer. The wild card here is Adkins. At times he appears to be a world-beater and then he kind of fades out of sight. He was 6th at Medina losing to Bergman and Reinhart in a 17-15 shoot-out. Last year the unheralded Quinn took the district title at this weight class, but this year the task for Adkins will be much tougher. I would be remiss if I also failed to mention Rios (North Ridgeville) and Masterson (St. Ignatius).
I think Clingner has to draw the favorite’s label at Goshen after winning the SWOCA, GMVWA and Beavercreek championships. Winning the first two is a relatively rare double. Lukens, now a junior, may be following the same trajectory as his older brother. As you recall a solid sophomore season followed by a good junior season where upon he exploded at the end of that year and took home the state title. Could it happen again? I’m not seeing much after this duo with Schweer (5th at Brecksville, 2nd at SWOCA, and 1st at St. Xavier) a possible exception. After him I have DeMaris, Ervin and Lewis (Northmont).
State qualifiers Grimes and Rickman lead the way at Darby, but the former has had the better year. He won at Marysville at 215# over Radva and was 2nd at the same weight at Wadsworth losing only to Busson. Rickman on the other hand has not been overwhelming this year. He won at the Darby Tourney, but was 5th at Wadsworth losing to Zalaiskalns and Wills (by 20-9) and lost later to Schmidt as well. He still should go – – last year he had 17 losses and qualified. Reinhart, Adams, and Kellogg are three other possibilities, but no one here has really taken charge.
215#
Projected Champion: MATT KOZ (St. Edward)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Busson (Wadsworth) | 14 | Watson (Solon) |
| 3 | Burger (Mentor) | 15 | Osborne (Anderson) |
| 4 | Chambers (Elder) | 16 | Austin (Marion-Franklin) |
| 5 | Kuhn (New Philadelphia) | 17 | Johnson (Sandusky) |
| 6 | Litchfield (Pickerington) | 18 | Atkinson (Kings) |
| 7 | Wessel (Moeller) | 19 | Faught (Elyria) |
| 8 | Friend (Uniontown Lake) | 20 | Troll (Davidson) |
| 9 | Meyers (Mansfield Madison) | 21 | Kent (Green) |
| 10 | Noga (Willoughby South) | 22 | McCoy (Hamilton) |
| 11 | Trusnik (Nordonia) | 23 | Gough (Gahanna) |
| 12 | Zako (Mayfield) | 24 | McConnell (Euclid) |
| 13 | Kusmirek (Brecksville) | 25 | Harter (Greenville) |
"Like one that on a lonesome road Doth walk in fear and dread. And having once turned round walks on And no more turns his head, Because he knows a frightful foe Doth close behind him tread"
Somehow I picture this poem summarizing the feelings of most 215’s as the specter of Pat Barrentine haunted them. For more than a month he tried to reach 215# to set up one last titanic struggle with Matt Koz. Twice they had met at Columbus (once in the finals and once in the semi-finals) and both times Koz had won in the 30 second overtime – – once by escaping, once by riding out. He weighed 238 pounds at the Ironman and the cut was just too much. We’ll talk more about him at the next weight class.
Koz should become the first Ohio wrestler to win three state titles at 215 pounds. An awesome figure in his own right he now dominates a weight class that not only lacks Barrentine but had state 4th Stansbury move to Division II. A state qualifier at this weight class as a freshman he won two bouts, but did not place. Since then he won everything – – two state titles, Ironman, Medina, Beast of the East, whatever. He is short, compact, and infinitely resourceful in relation to winning. Last year he lost his first two epic confrontations with Matt Delguyd, but got the win when it counted at Columbus. He wrestles to win by taking shots, looking for backpoints, and, occasionally, putting himself at risk. This year he has lost twice to old foe Villers who defeated him for a junior high state title four years ago. He has suffered from a low-grade pneumonia for probably a month and needs to get completely healed by tourney time.
Koz should have little trouble at Mentor. He’s already beaten most of the top contenders and seems poised to take his third district title. Burger has moved into the forefront of his district challengers. He started slowly with a 5th at Solon, but the was 1st at the MWC and 2nd at Brecksville to Nagel. Last year he gamely continued wrestling at the district level despite some injuries only to lose his go-to-state bout in overtime. Noga, Kusmirek, and Faught are all very close even though Noga has missed a lot of time for a variety of reasons. Kusmirek won at St. Xavier and was 5th at Brecksville. He has a real chance here. McConnell, a district qualifier last year, also has chances. And, then, there’s Zako– who? I don’t know either, but he was 3rd at the WRC and won the Big 8 over Busson. Clearly a backup last year to Delguyd and also very good. Tragically missing is state alternate J.T. Matranga who was found dead in his truck near his home. Only a sophomore last year he would have been rated near the top at this weight class
One of Koz’s principal threats is the rapidly improving Busson. He pinned state qualifier Matt Meyers to win at North Canton and then majored state qualifier Grimes in the finals at Wadsworth. At the state duals he lost 9-4 to Koz a score that suggest that he may even do better in the future. Also at Perry is Division II state placer Kuhn who was 2nd at the Wayne Invitational. He proved a tenacious competitor at last year’s states by coming back to place after losing in the first round. Friend won at Riverside and was a solid 4th at Wadsworth in a very tough weight class. He missed qualification last year by a single point. A small step behind this trio are perennial placers Watson and Trusnik with Kent and Doyle (Massillon Perry) one further step removed.
The Goshen District is uncharacteristically shallow. I like Chambers at 215# and think he has strong placement potential. He missed the early part of the year and then wrestled at Heavyweight before moving down. State qualifier Wessel was 3rd at the SWOCA and should once again qualify. The last two spots are wide open with Osborne, Atkinson, and McCoy the principal threats. Perhaps Harter or Bolte (St. Xavier) could play a role here. Don’t forget to watch the freshman Porter (Mason) Cincinnati’s first junior high state champion. Look for him at the district level, he may still be a year away from state qualification.
Its crowded with possible qualifiers at Darby, but none are threats to Koz. Litchfield and Austin are rated the best in Columbus, but both Koz and Burger pinned the former and the latter has faced little tough competition. Still, Litchfield was 4th at Brecksville and 3rd at the MWC, while Austin won at Hamilton Township. State qualifier Meyers is a shaky third choice with Johnson, Gough and Troll not far behind. Also look for McDuffie (Coffman) and Huddle (Scioto) to offer significant problems for the higher rated boys.
HVY.
Projected Champion: PAT BARRENTINE (Carroll)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Johnson (Lakota East) | 15 | Starkey (Barberton) |
| 3 | Bendau (Mayfield) | 16 | McGee (Groveport Madison) |
| 4 | Taylor (Harrison) | 17 | Porter (Firestone) |
| 5 | Nail (Davidson) | 18 | Quinn (St. Edward) |
| 6 | Smith (Westland) | 19 | Pritchett (Grove City) |
| 7 | Britton (Geneva) | 20 | Inceoglu (Newark) |
| 8 | Cybulski (Mentor) | 21 | Slates (Mass. Perry) |
| 9 | Rowe (St. Ignatius) | 22 | Smith (Springfield North) |
| 10 | Snapp (Lebanon) | 23 | Holzhauer (Toledo Central Catholic) |
| 11 | Ciborek (Hudson) | 24 | Avolt (Amherst) |
| 12 | Fitzpatrick (Elyria) | 25 | Wiley (Hoover) |
| 13 | Vance (St. Xavier) | 26 | Modrowski (Toledo St. Francis) |
| 14 | Shanz (Olmstead Falls) | 27 | Brubeck (Findlay) |
This is an excellent group of heavyweights featuring four returning state placers – – all of whom are multi-talented. As we saw last year this is a dangerous weight class where the unexpected is almost commonplace. In the 2002 competition all four-district champions had undefeated records – – so unusual that it might have been a unique occurrence. Yet none of this group won the title and only one made it to the semi-finals. I see three distinct tiers this year – – a top trio all of whom have very realistic championship expectations, a second duo that have strong upset potential, and everybody else.
The most intriguing participant is the exceptional Barrentine. Short, like Koz, and even stockier he has tremendous skills and strength as was documented at 215#. He was 2nd as a sophomore and 3rd as a junior losing both to Koz in the 30-second tiebreaker. At the Ironman he weighed 238 pounds but wanted one last shot at Koz. Apparently it was just too large a cut and he will compete here. He won at the Ironman and Beast (7-2 over Bendau in the final). He was the OW at the Ohio Duals with three falls. He is so determined and so rock solid that I think, this time, he’ll find a way to navigate to the finals–and win.
Right there with him is the Cadet National Champion and state third place finisher, Tony Johnson. Only a junior he upset Bendau in overtime in the quarterfinals last year, but was overpowered by Vallos in the next round. I don’t think that will happen this year. He won handsomely at the SWOCA (over Taylor) and at Medina. His stated goal is not to give up a single takedown this year. Should he do that the state title is well in reach. He is the best athlete of the top trio and with his extensive experience he becomes an imposing foe.
Bendau has been 4th the past two years. He had injury problems at last year’s States which clearly hampered his effort, and he has again been injured – – this time at Brecksville. Of the top trio he is the most dangerous. Last year he pinned Johnson in 89 seconds in the Brecksville finals. Barrentine and Johnson exit the same district so Bendau will have to beat them both (and, maybe, Taylor, too) to win. That may be a larger assignment than this big man can complete.
Taylor was 5th last year and, in fact, beat Johnson at the district level. His win at Brecksville should have reminded us how good he is. Winning the district would put him away from Johnson and Barrentine and enormously inflate his chances. Nail is a small, mobile heavyweight who gives the big boys fits. He beat Taylor in the first round last year and was nipped by Vallos in overtime. Johnson only beat him by three at Brecksville – – where he finished 3rd. He is a prime candidate to pull off the big upset
The Goshen District is loaded. Barrentine, Taylor and Johnson have the potential to be 1-2-3 not only at the district level, but at the state meet as well. The last spot should probably go either to the tall (6’5”) Snapp who was the state alternate last year or to Vance. Snapp has two victories over Vance. But the vagaries of bracketing could be the real decider. Absent injury no one else should have more than an infinitesimal chance of qualification. Marshall (Mason) or Smith (Springfield North) are that small probability.
There is a lot of talent at Mentor, but certainly not to the level we see at Goshen. A healthy (and that’s critical) Bendau is easily the best, but state qualifers Cybulski and Rowe also return. Cybulski was 1st at Solon, 3rd at the MWC, and 4th at Brecksville. Rowe has been injured much of the year and Cybulski may have overtaken him. State alternate Fitzpatrick was 5th at Brecksville after getting pinned by Taylor and losing in overtime to Cybulski. Quinn, who will certify at 215#, is a very light heavyweight who has made a nice transition from 189#. He placed at both the Ironman and Beast, but Johnson crushed him at Medina. Avolt is a back up here.
Nail leads a decent group at Darby. Smith is very good and in many years would have a great shot at placement, but this year it will be much more difficult. He was 4th at Brecksville winning six times. Pritchett and McGhee also rate highly with Inceoglu right with them. Holzhauer and Brubeck lead a Northwestern contingent, but they may not be factors even at the district level.
The Perry District is somewhat ill defined. They have had some big victories (like Ciborek over Cybulski). State qualifier Britton returns along with good performers like Starkey, Ciborek, and Wiley. The unknown part of the puzzle is Porter. He won the Wadsworth tourney with a pin in the finals, but frankly, he wasn’t on any of my lists until then.
TEAMS
1. St. Edward – Very few of St. Edward’s many state titles have been won in tense, down to the wire dogfights. Generally, they sprint to an enormous lead and then concentrate on individual goals. This year could be very different. They have four potential finalists in Palmer, Lang, Agozzino, and M. Koz. They should score between 90 and 100 points, usually enough to win–but not this year. Scarl should score heavily though his track record in Columbus is shaky. After that its boys who are problematical like DiDona, Quinn, C. Koz, and Ward. The key element that could clinch the title is a healthy and effective Madsen.
2. Massillon Perry – Early in the year there was much speculation about Massillon Perry becoming the first public school to win a Division I state title since Nordonia in 1977. It evaporated when St Ed’s finished light years ahead of them at the Ironman and the Beast–but it shouldn’t have. They have three potential finalists in Luke, Kovach, and Johnstone–that should be around 70 points–and good placement possibilities with Hartley and Walters. It’s the last chance for Riggs and Foster and should they wrestle up to their full potential it will be a very happy weekend for coach Dave Riggs.
3. Pickerington – This is another exceptional public school program that generates lots of state points every year. Iovine, Kuhner, and Horne are finalist material with the right draws and could score in excess of 60 points. They’ll need help from Nichols, Ferguson, Anderson, Dutton, and Litchfield to go any higher. I think the key players are Horne–working to match last year’s result–and Ferguson scoring in the 160# class.
4. Wadsworth – This is a team that could be 4th or 14th–there is so much variability in their scoring potential. Srock is solid and could be–with a good draw–a state finalist. After Koz at 215# its wide open and Busson could score big points there. Let state qualifiers Miller and Melton have a big tournament and then get points from Kallai, Wise, or Noble and this team could challenge for 2nd–especially if Kemokai scores at the easy 189# class.
5. Carroll – Another team with a wide range of possible point totals. Barrentine should be a finalist and that freshman, Kyle, just keeps getting better and better. They’ll need points in between these two scorers from folks like Clemens, Sanchez, and Merkle. If state qualifier Thompson can put some points on the board they’ll do very well, indeed, at the Schott.
6. Mayfield – Like Wadsworth this team could end up anywhere. Bendau could really score big at 275# especially with his ability to get bonus points. Pietropinto could be a finalist, but they also have some question marks. Can the Spencers score at the Division I level? How will the erratic Ward perform? Can Catalona surprise once more? They could finish ahead of everybody but St. Eds and Pery if all these questions have positive answers.
7. Garfield Hts. -The bulk of the their points have to be generated by their little guys. The Bugara brothers and Wornoff seem fully capable of scoring 30 to 40 state points, and if Mathews and Dobies can help out that total could grow significantly larger. Maybe, Pokorny can be a player at the relatively weak 171# class or better yet that Effner gets a “hot hand”.
8. Lakota West – It’s the middleweights that will determine the fate of this squad led by state runner-up Zach Flake. However, Monk and Dean both have placement chances and Neal down at 125# is also good. There are also chances for additional help from people like Butman, Riha, A. Flake, and, maybe, Touris.
9. Westland – This is a squad with one potential state champion and a number of boys just on the edge of scoring at the state level. Enright is overdue to win a state title while Davis could be pulled along at 125#. Smith and McCunney certainly could be helpers, while Tigner, Cepeda, and Haynes are long-shots to do the same.
10. Solon – Brown and Gioiella should score heavily at 103# and 130#. Brown got off to a slow start, but seems to be rounding into form while Gioiella has consistently good all year. Other points will have to come from Wilson, Nicholson, Watson, and Clark, but the key factor is Kleinman. I think on a hot weekend he could be a significant scorer.
11. Waite – Johnson could be a finalist and Guerra and Ramirez have the potential to score heavily at the middle weights. There is no margin for error since only Holliday has the remotest chance of helping out.
Division II
In something of a landmark, the 2003 State Tournament will be the 33rd conducted with a Division II classification–exactly matching the number that were held with only one classification (1938 – 1970). Division II has always seemed to have the most competitive and spirited team competitions and some of the most entertaining weight classes. Recently, the always-high quality of wrestling has moved sharply upward and that trend continues this year. It is safe to say that this year we will see the strongest field ever assembled in Division II. Virtually every weight class is loaded with talent that includes not only a bevy of state champions, placers, and qualifiers, but wrestlers who have excelled at the national level. Both in terms of individual brilliance and weight class depth, we have entered what looks like a golden age of Division II wrestling. This has occurred because of a rare convergence of factors. These include the blossoming of talent in the Southwest District (most notably Graham), the movement of exceptional wrestlers and teams from Division I and III, and the continued excellence of powerhouse programs like Walsh and DeSales forcing their competition to match their efforts. Add to this young wrestlers emerging from the Junior High State Championships and the result is competition at a level never before reached in Division II.
103#
Projected Champion: Pat McLemore (Padua)
Top Contenders
| 2 | McCahan (Akron St. Vincent) | 15 | Stroh (Northwest) |
| 3 | Hart (Graham) | 16 | Kidwell (Defiance) |
| 4 | Artmann (Hillsboro) | 17 | Valore (Twinsburg) |
| 5 | Rooney (Walsh) | 18 | Collier (Minerva) |
| 6 | Cormier (Columbus DeSales) | 19 | Brown (Teays Valley) |
| 7 | Michaels (Clyde) | 20 | Harrison (Chaminade) |
| 8 | Schaffer (Perkins) | 21 | Reese (Fostoria) |
| 9 | Christensen (Greenon) | 22 | Henry (Kenston) |
| 10 | Cubberly (Eastwood) | 23 | Blevins (Franklin) |
| 11 | J Penney (Milton Union) | 24 | Connelly (Lake Catholic) |
| 12 | Kriwinsky (University School) | 25 | McKay (Miami Trace) |
| 13 | Davis (Ravenna) | 26 | Shroyer (Bellbrook) |
| 14 | Duffield (East Liverpool) | 27 | Yourkewicz (Fireland) |
After the introductory paragraph, it is somewhat ironic, though understandable, that this first weight class is the one that is not “loaded”. There are, at last count, only two returning state qualifiers, including McCahan, who placed two years ago in Division III. There is, as always, at this class, an influx of talented freshmen that have competed very well with those returning at 103 #. Because we’re talking about a wide variety of styles and sizes, the pairings algorithm is likely to play a major role in the final outcome. Despite so many unknowns, my view is that the freshman Pat McLemore has the best shot at winning it all, given his portfolio of tangible advantages. He is a big 103 (something of an oxymoron) with lots of experience, an outstanding skill set, and emerges from the easiest of the four districts. This year, he has already won, comfortably, at Avon Lake and Brecksville ending both finals in less than six minutes. However, facing a multitude of challengers at the state level, he must remain super-focused, and avoid the tendency to rely on muscle rather than technique.
While the Firestone District is the weakest of the four, it still offers some long shot possibilities for low places. The freshman Kriwinsky, in particular, should be watched after recording some big early wins with a decision over the excellent Shaft, a highlight example. He pushed McLemore before losing 8 – 6. District qualifier and Hudson Champ Valore is also in the mix, but after him, there are a lot of uncertainties. Henry, Connelly, and House (Ravenna Southeast) are three of those uncertainties, but look for a surprise qualifier (like Yourkewicz), too, from this district.
The competition at Galion – as it is at virtually every weight class – will be fierce with at least nine potential qualifiers fighting for only four spots. Two-time state qualifier McCahan is the veteran of this group with his 4th place finish in Division III two years ago being a critical component of their team title. Last year, he grabbed a district 3rd and just failed to place at Columbus. However, the inconsistent Rooney beat him by five at the Ironman, where despite the #1 seed, he failed to place. However, if you look at history, note that he has had 12 losses going into the state meet each of the last two years, so expect him to “come on strong” at tourney time. Rooney beat both McCahan and Hart at the Ironman and was 5th at the Powerade. On a hot weekend, he could be a potential finalist. The powerful junior Davis, is a returning district qualifier who tested McLemore in the semi-finals at Brecksville (9 – 6) where he finished 4th. His unusual strength makes him very dangerous. Factor in the capable Collier and junior high state champion, Stroh, and you have a solid group – but that ignores four other potential qualifiers from the two western sectionals. One of the best of that quartet is state alternate, Schaeffer, who won 29 bouts last year. He lost only to Gardella at North Canton, finishing 3rd, but failed to place at Brecksville, losing in overtime to Shaft. Kidwell also has district experience and has dominated in the Northwest, winning easily at Sylvania Southview. Cubberly was the surprise winner defeating state champ Levi Wyant in the finals. But the wrestler I really like here is Michaels, a junior high state finalist last year, who won handily at Franklin and beat Duffield to win at Lorain Southview. He could place. Factor in district qualifier Ritzenthaler, and there will be chaos from the first round on at Galion. Remember the difference between #1 and #15 in these rankings is not great.
Things seem much clearer at Coshocton. State qualifer, Artmann, Division I state alternate Duffield, and the clever Cormier should dominate this district. Cormier is very good on top and has thrived on DeSales tough schedule while Duffield is strong and experienced. Artmann is undefeated at 103#, including a win at the giant GMVWA where he took the title without a close bout. The fourth berth is wide open with Brown, perhaps the most logical candidate. Other thoughts might include Miller or McKay.
There is also clear directionality at Goshen. A trio of excellent freshman– two-time junior high state finalist, Hart, and junior high placers, Christensen and Penny–should head a relatively thin field. Hart, a cadet national All-American, will lead the way, but Penny, 1st at Edgewood and 4th at the GMVWA is also solid. Christensen, just down from 112#, won at Xenia and Beavercreek and there is no question that he’ll be a real load at this weight class. Watch for him the next three years. Blevins and Harrison would seem to be next best with Reese a possibility out of the Northwest sectional that competes here.
112#
Projected Champion: Mike Compton (Willard)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Horne (Aurora) | 15 | Land (Valley View) |
| 3 | Franklin (Franklin) | 16 | Joseph (Maysville) |
| 4 | D. Penny (Milton Union) | 17 | L. Hoppel (Beaver Local) |
| 5 | Bowers (Miami Trace) | 18 | Pleiman (Tipp City) |
| 6 | Laughlin (Canton South) | 19 | Shearer (Hamilton Ross) |
| 7 | Pizzurro (Columbus DeSales) | 20 | Stone (University School) |
| 8 | Jackson (Claymont) | 21 | Macko (Padua) |
| 9 | Jenkins (Carrollton) | 22 | Best (Bath) |
| 10 | Keyes (Walsh) | 23 | Stepp (Jackson) |
| 11 | Doggett (Graham) | 24 | Bryson (Buckeye) |
| 12 | Murton (West Geauga) | 25 | Moser (Dover) |
| 13 | Bartley (Southeast) | 26 | Jordan (Fostoria) |
| 14 | Llanas (Eastwood) | 27 | Aona (Clyde) |
This is a weight class that has a sharp dividing point between the top contenders and everyone else. The top eight all have state placement potential, while those below that mark are low probability items. That is not to say that the brilliant freshmen Keyes, Llanas, and Murton don’t have great upset potential. But most of those on the awards stand on Saturday night will come from that top group.
Now that long-time rival Ryan Smith has been moved to Division I, Mike Compton becomes a clear favorite to win his second state title. Compton posted a 43-1 mark last year at 103# losing only to Smith (who else?) in the district finals. But he avenged that loss (and several others, including the junior high state championship bout) with a solid 4-2 win. Except for Smith, he totally dominated the opposition last year. The move up one weight class has seemingly had little impact on him as he has won at Wadsworth and the Gorman. A superior athlete, he’ll face not only many of the excellent 103’s he defeated last year, but a number of returning 112’s, who have already won at the state level at this weight class. Still a healthy Compton will be very difficult to defeat.
Some of Compton’s most vigorous opposition will emanate from the Goshen District. Franklin, a senior, was state runner-up two years ago at 103# when Compton finished 5th. Last year, at 112#, he was a district finalist losing (again) to Schlatter by some enormous score. Injured at the state meet, he was never a factor, despite 40 wins. This year, he has been at both 125# and 119# until dropping here. I’m guessing this is a tough cut, but he won at 112# at Coffman. Essentially even with him is the athletic Penny, who was a surprising 3rd at this weight class in Columbus after placing 4th at the district level. He and Franklin battled to the 30-second tiebreaker at the district with Franklin prevailing. Doggett, a transfer from Tecumseh, joins his cousin at Graham and he should be a factor. He beat Wyant the first week of the season, but was injured at the Ironman and has not wrestled since. He will not suffer for a lack of excellent workout partners at Graham. The improving Land and the state qualifiers Shearer and Pleiman are left fighting for the last ticket to Columbus. Land was 4th at Medina after finishing 2nd at Edgewood — where Penny tech falled him. Pleiman and Shearer share an interesting bond. Last year, Pleiman was 4th at the district, while Shearer wrestled his heart out to win the 5th place bout 17–12. When Pleiman couldn’t wrestle, Shearer went to Columbus. It could come down to the two of them again this year.
Compton’s toughest foe may well be 112# state qualifier Horne, who should dominate the relatively weak Firestone District. He went 1-2 at Columbus, losing two narrow decisions to experienced seniors. This year, he has been crushing most opponents, losing only to the exceptional Federico 6-5. As a district champ, he should get an excellent pairing, but with each of the other districts having two high quality wrestlers, he’s bound to have difficult opponents from the quarterfinals onward. The freshman, Murton, won handily at Kenston and is a strong pinner. But the other two state spots are wide open. However, I believe Bartley has the inside track based on his record at 119#, which included a 2nd at the Wayne Invitational.
Compton is not alone at Galion. Two-time placer, Laughlin, is very good, but Compton pinned him in 84 seconds last year. This year Laughlin has won at Canton South and Wadsworth — both at 119#. However, I see him at 112# rather than the super tough 119#. He’ll be away from Compton at Columbus and he certainly has the ability to defeat anyone else in this field. The two freshmen, Keyes and Llanas, are both junior high state place winners, and have a go-for-broke attitude. Llanas gave Compton his toughest battle before succumbing 10-7. Should any of them falter, the little known Best may be in line for a state berth. He was a district semi-finalist last year. Otherwise, Aona, Pusateri (Perkins), and Hall (Genoa) will get the fourth berth.
There are three excellent contenders at Coshocton, any of whom could be a finalist. The high scoring Bowers has just moved down to 112#, where he beat Franklin and he has put together 2 ½ great regular seasons. As a freshman, he came to Columbus as a district champ at 45-1, but narrowly failed to place. Then last year, as a sophomore, he repeated as district champ and entered the state tourney with a 42-0 record– and again, failed to place. He needs to prove that he can win at the state level, which is why I rated him between Franklin and Penny. I think Pizzurro has looked vastly improved this year, and is wrestling with more confidence. He was a semi-finalist at both the Ironman and Brecksville, losing tough matches to the eventual winner each time. A two-time state qualifier, he has posted wins over Laughlin and Jackson and dropped a one-pointer to Franklin. He is excellent on top and doesn’t let bouts get away from him. State placer Jackson, was 5th at Medina and won at Brecksville. Both Pizzurro and Laughlin defeated him last year at tournament, but he was the only one of that trio to place. There are a number of solid wrestlers battling for the last two slots.
119#
Projected Champion: Cameron Doggett (graham)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Deubel (Kenston) | 14 | Jastal (Crestwood) |
| 3 | La Follette (Akron Springfield) | 15 | Woods (Hamilton Twp) |
| 4 | Reichman (Claymont) | 16 | Quiqley (Franklin) |
| 5 | Browning (Bellbrook) | 17 | Sells (Milton Union) |
| 6 | Scurry (London) | 18 | Small (University School) |
| 7 | Q. Smith (Bellevue) | 19 | Sabatino (Norwalk) |
| 8 | Ysaguirre (Clyde) | 20 | Cradlebaugh (Teays Valley) |
| 9 | Jones (Orange) | 21 | Bates (East Liverpool) |
| 10 | Albaugh (Minerva) | 22 | Shroyer (Eastwood) |
| 11 | Szczubewski (Greenon) | 23 | Hodge (Preble Shawnee) |
| 12 | Schneider (Columbus DeSales) | 24 | Saxton (Buckeye Local) |
| 13 | Zeller (Louisville) | 25 | Nagel (Avon) |
This weight class features the kinds of match-ups that wrestling fans dream about. We have two past state champions battling one of the finest sophomores in the country and all of this amidst a very strong supporting cast! Let’s take a look at the top trio.
Doggett, only a sophomore, is something of a prodigy. A two-time state junior high champion, he wrestles year round and was a Cadet National Champion. Last year, as one of the quartet of fabulous Graham freshmen, he competed in the unbelievably brutal 119# class. He was a district 3rd after being upset by Conger and then lost at Columbus once again (in overtime), and failed to place. This year, he has taken it to the next level winning two of the toughest tourneys in the country – the Ironman and the Beast of the East – in back to back weeks. He has been brilliant.
Doggett’s closest bout this year was with former state champ Ricky Deubel in the Ironman semi-finals. Deubel, now a junior, posted an undefeated freshman season culminating in an easily won state title. He, too, was at the brutal 119# class last year, and like Doggett, failed to place after a tough overtime loss. This year, he was 3rd at the Ironman and 1st at Kenston. In the latter tourney, he beat state runner up Keyes and state champion Lipp by a combined 34-2 score in the final two rounds. Interestingly, he also lost to Doggett at the junior high states three years ago. He is nearly as fast as Doggett, and should he get the first takedown, he’ll be difficult to defeat.
LaFollette surprised everyone two years ago winning the Division I state title including pins in the last two rounds. Than, to prove it was no fluke, he made it to the finals last year before getting thumped by Schlatter. That was a bout where dubious strategy possibly impacted the outcome. Devastating on top, LaFollette chose down on his choice negating his greatest strength. As it turned out, he never got the top position, as Schlatter was superior on his feet. His only loss this year was an overtime thriller to Perez at Brecksville.
Hamed, 3rd in Division III last year, also certified at this weight class, but somehow I think he’ll end up at 125#. At this weight class, he’s only, in my opinion, at best, fourth rated–and possibly lower. At 125#, if he wins his district, he’ll be away from Schlatter and very likely a finalist –plus he gets to eat. That’s why I rated him at the next weight class. Of course, he and his coach may see it differently.
Deubel and LaFollette exit the same district (and sectional) and so Doggett will have to defeat both of them to take home the title. The likely scenario is that the Firestone District champion will be away from the other two, so that bout takes on added significance. State alternate, Jones, should be the third Firestone qualifier, and he is no easy mark. A tough competitor, he lost to state placer Sandy in his go-to-state bout last year. This year, his only loss has been to state champion Jordan Lipp 3-1. The fourth berth should go to the excellent Jastal, although Small, Buchholz, Bowers (Lake Catholic), who defeated Cradlebaugh, and Soeder (Holy Name) could play a role here.
Doggett also emerges from what looks like a two-man district. Browning is already a three-time state qualifier who has won two state bouts and lost two state bouts each of the last three years. He has had five bouts where a win would have meant a state place and has, unfortunately, lost them all–several times by narrow margins. A perennial winner in the Southwest–he won handily at the GMVWA–he is clearly due to make it to the awards stand this year. The last two spots should feature a wide-open battle with Szczubewski and Sells a slight favorite over Quiqley, Hodge, and Potter (Goshen). I particularly like Szczubewski (except for having to spell his name) as he came close to qualifying after losing a first round battle to Conger.
The question at Galion is whether state placer Sandy will compete here or at 125#. My guess is that we’ll see him at 125#, and he is accordingly ranked there. Given that assumption, qualification should be relatively straightforward. State qualifier Smith and Ysaguirre are old rivals–Smith last beat him in overtime to qualify for state action– while state qualifer Albaugh and Zeller are both solid. This makes Sabatino the dark horse and people like Shroyer (Eastwood) having a chance. For Sandy, the choice is interesting. Should he go at 119# with an easier district, but brutal state competition or compete at 125# with a more difficult district, but a somewhat easier state bracket.
The district at Coshocton will be very, very competitive. Two-time state place winner, Reichman, heads the field, looking to qualify once more and improve on his 6th and 4th place finishes. That will be a large assignment, but, possibly doable. He won easily at Barnesville this year, but was truly outstanding at Medina. He had four first period falls (and one decision) including ones in both the semis and finals (over Riggs). State qualifier, Scurry, wrestles a non-descript schedule, but has put up some big numbers. Undefeated, he has excellent low placement potential. Now that Jenkins has moved to 112#, two spots are open for folks like state qualifier Woods, the fast improving Schneider, Bates, and Cradlebaugh. Factor in the excellent freshman Saxton and Coshocton will really rock.
125#
Projected Champion: Dustin Schlatter (Graham)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Sandy (Walsh) | 16 | Hinton (Celina) |
| 3 | Hamed (Woodbridge) | 17 | Nuhfer (Willard) |
| 4 | Turchetta (Twinsburg) | 18 | Niswonger (Chaminade) |
| 5 | French (Minerva) | 19 | Kempf (Carrollton) |
| 6 | Naso (Northwest) | 20 | Dailey (Miami Trace) |
| 7 | Sponseller (West Holmes) | 21 | Rando (Oak Harbor) |
| 8 | Lee (Hamilton Ross) | 22 | Micale (Kenmore) |
| 9 | Protz (West Geauga) | 23 | Lamancusa (West Branch) |
| 10 | Thress (Watkins Memorial) | 24 | Williams (Columbus East) |
| 11 | Grant (Benjamin Logan) | 25 | Klofta (Indian Lake) |
| 12 | Turnbull (Buckeye Local) | 26 | Scott (Benedictine) |
| 13 | Spitalieri (Hoban) | 27 | Melnichenko (Indian Valley |
| 14 | Kozusek (Valley View) | 28 | Yaros (Coventry) |
| 15 | Cain (Meadowbrook) | 29 | Rendinell (Kenston) |
I’ve been somewhat perplexed by the articles and commentary that suggest that Dustin Schlatter has lost his confidence after a couple of upset losses at the Ironman. You have to figure that someone as good and as successful as Schlatter has to be mentally tough–extremely mentally tough. It is beyond far-fetched to suggest that somehow Schlatter will no longer be as sensational as in the past. Sure, he won’t be the first four- year wrestler to go totally undefeated, but I’m betting that he’ll be a four-time champ–and I’ll give odds on that. With a resume that includes innumerable national titles and an undefeated freshman year where he was never challenged, Schlatter is a huge favorite to win–even though he may be a little small for the weight class. I’m seeing Zupancic competing at 130# and, most likely, Conger doing the same thing, which tells me that they like the odds far better at that higher weight class.
Schlatter exits a crowded and rather demanding district. Lee, a state qualifier two years ago, looked good winning at Edgewood and should return to Columbus this year. Grant, something of a forgotten guy, missed going to State by one win last year at this weight class. He should be very tough after campaigning at 130# most of the year. Niswonger, a district runner-up and state qualifier at 103# last year, started the season at 119#, but, clearly is growing. He already has seven losses to date–Kozusek and Klofta both have past district experience and good current results. Hinton and Fetters are two other possibilities with, maybe somebody like Wilhelm (Paulding) as a real long shot.
The deepest district is clearly at Galion. Assuming Sandy competes at this weight class, I count at least six legitimate state qualifiers for four spots. Hamed was 3rd in Division III last year and this year won at the D-3 Classic and was a semi finalist at Medina. Still, I don’t think he has looked quite as good as he did last year though it is still early. Naso, the hard nosed state qualifier from Canal Fulton Northwest, lost to Hamed in overtime at Medina, but won in overtime over Huss to take the title at North Canton. Again, I don’t sense the same positive energy as last year. Sandy, of course, would be the district favorite after placing last year, and except for a crushing loss to Doggett, looked good at the Ironman. French defeated Naso at Medina and won at the Wayne Invitational over Sponseller. Spitalieri, Rando and Yaros are good, and would qualify at the other districts. Nuhfer may be even better and that gives us eight wrestlers for four berths. Some are going to be disappointed while others may consider migrating to the slightly easier 130# weight class.
I’ve had trouble locating solid contenders at the Firestone District. State placer, Colby Turchetta, is one obvious choice as he continues to perform at a high level. He was 3rd at Brecksville (losing only to very tough West Virginia star, Shane Grogg) and 2nd at Solon to Caruso. The outstanding sophomore Protz is up three weight classes this year and has had to make some adjustments. He didn’t place at the Ironman, losing to state champions Zupancic and Schlatter and was runner up to Caruso at Kenston. After this duo, however, I’m struggling to identify viable contenders. I’ve listed Lamancusa, Scott and Munn, but maybe the young Rendinell will pull a very mild upset. At any rate, there is great opportunity for someone with the hot hand at district time.
It’s an interesting cast of participants at Coshocton with lots of different strengths. I’ve always liked the two-time state qualifier, Sponseller, but he has only one win at the state level–though admittedly, his two losses last year were to Zupancic and Doggett. He won easily at West Holmes, but failed to place at Medina–though, again, his losses were to state runners-up Jonnstone and Horne. Based on this, his biggest need might be better bracketing luck. That should happen if he wins this district. Thress was probably the smallest 140-pounder in the state last year, but still had a district win. He should be a bear at this weight. State qualifiers Cain, Turnbull and Dailey will be battling for the last two state tickets, but there is a lot of depth here. Williams is very dangerous and his explosiveness could create huge upsets. Melnichenko won a district bout last year and has moved back down from 130#. And, of course, there is state qualifier, Kempf, up three weight classes and stuck in a very crowded district. The freshman, Triplett, was a junior high state finalist last year and he can do nothing but get better at Claymont. Hoover (Beaver Local), Webb (Circleville), and Espervoa (Ham.Twp.) are other possibilities.
130#
Projected Champion: Josh Zupancic (Walsh)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Conger (McClain) | 15 | Trawinski (Carrollton) |
| 3 | Brown (Columbus DeSales) | 16 | Dreger (Alliance) |
| 4 | Freirichs (Graham) | 17 | Murton (West Geauga) |
| 5 | Midlam (Chaminade) | 18 | Kerr (West Holmes) |
| 6 | Hoffman (Clyde) | 19 | McGill (Bryan) |
| 7 | Hurley (Kenston) | 20 | Powell (Preble Shawnee) |
| 8 | Sheehan (Holy Name) | 21 | Worley (Big Walnut) |
| 9 | J. Smith (Bellevue) | 22 | Jarnagin (Bellbrook) |
| 10 | Lashaway (Eastwood) | 23 | Treolo (Greenon) |
| 11 | Hawk (New Lexington) | 24 | Patriarca (Lake Catholic) |
| 12 | Johnson (Indian Creek) | 25 | Doughty (Willard) |
| 13 | Rohler (Akron St. Vincent) | 26 | Henline (St Marys Memorial) |
| 14 | Kemble (Southeast) | 27 | Murphy (Wapakoneta) |
Has there ever been a wrestler as under appreciated and unrecognized as Josh Zupancic? This is a wrestler who could well be a four time state finalist and two time state champion who still garners few accolades. Last year, he took the title at arguably the toughest of all 42 weight classes contested, defeated the brilliant all-everything Mark Moos, and snapped Ricky Deubel’s high school unbeaten string and scarcely raised a ripple on the consciousness of most wrestling fans. This year, he has had his usual slow start wrestling at 125# and 130#, but I expect him to be fully prepared by tournament time. After all, he has defeated probable four-time champ Jaggers and did anyone doubt that this Stanford recruit would beat Freirichs the second time they met. I also like his newfound aggressiveness, which means more back points and more falls (like six in a row at the Ironman). This is a very difficult weight class augmented by some 125’s looking to avoid Schlatter, but Zupancic has to be accorded the favorite’s role.
In fact, both finalists could be competitors who started the year at 125#. The ferocious Conger was 3rd last year after beating Doggett at both the district and state level (Doggett has twice defeated Zupancic), and generally, terrorizing most of the field. I don’t receive all of his scores, but I don’t think he has been challenged this year (not always a good thing). Assuming both are district champs, they’ll be apart in the state bracketing setting up a possible confrontation in the finals. Two years ago, they met in the first round with Zupancic winning handily–but things can change in 24 months.
Conger exits a rather difficult district lead by the talented Brown. Like Conger, he, too, was 3rd last year winning a succession of close bouts (his four wins were by a total of eight points) including one over Hoffman. He was a strong 4th at the Ironman–defeating Freirichs–but was only 5th at Brecksville including a consolation loss to Smith. I think that was an anomaly. Right behind them is state qualifier Hawk, who beat the older Pizzurro at Columbus last year. A fine competitor, he lost a first round district bout, then came back to face the same wrestler in his go-to-state bout and won 10-4. There is a wide gap between this duo and the rest of the Coshocton district. Johnson and state qualifer, Trawinski, are back, but both will be challenged by Worley, Kerr, and Neil (Vincent Warren).
The best district is at Galion. Zupancic will not have it easy. State qualifiers Hoffman and Lashaway return as does state alternate Smith. Smith was 1st at Avon Lake and 2nd (to Sheehan) at Bellevue, while finishing a strong 4th at Brecksville. Last year, he lost to Lashaway in his go-to-state bout. With Hoffman and Lashaway exiting the same sectional, I foresee potential bracketing issues at the district level. If so, one of this quartet could be eliminated with folks like Huss (Fairless), Yaros or Doughty, having a golden opportunity. Two other candidates to watch are Johnson (Minerva) and Hudak (Lexington). The wild card, here, is the sensational freshman Rohler. I’m not sure where this state junior high champ fits in, but he is a dynamite kid. I may have him too low here.
There is also solid strength at Firestone. State qualifier, Hurley, is now down to 130#, and will build off his successes at 135#. He was 4th at the Ironman and won at Kenston. Sheehan had a very tough draw at Columbus last year–especially for a district champion–getting state runner up Budd and Turchetta early on. This year, he has looked very good winning at Southview, for example, where he had a technical fall in the finals. Both of them have definite placement potential, but are unlikely finalists. Factor in Kemble, Dreger, and Murton and this is a good, solid, representative district.
The Goshen district, and, in fact, the entire 130# bracket got a whole lot tougher when Midlam moved down to this weight class. A two time state qualifier and 4th last year, he escapes the trio of excellent 135’s, but he’ll find this weight class nearly as tough. Zupancic, by the way, beat him 6-3 two years ago at Columbus. West Virginia state runner up, Freirichs, was a felicitous move-in for Graham, and the tall, lanky junior is very good. He was a semi-finalist at the Ironman and ended up 5th there and at the Beast of the East. He has split two bouts with Zupancic. He and Midlam make a great 1-2 punch, but the rest of this district lacks strength.
135#
Projected Champion: Anthony Constantino (Lake Catholic)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Blunk (Streetsboro) | 15 | Hazlett (Kenston) |
| 3 | Vince (Upper Sandusky) | 16 | Robinson (Bellbrook) |
| 4 | Martin (Watkins Memorial) | 17 | Maston (Canfield) |
| 5 | Morgan (Columbus DeSales) | 18 | Hickman (Alter) |
| 6 | Blackburn (Clyde) | 19 | Wright (Harvey) |
| 7 | Schlater (Graham) | 20 | Johnson (Woodridge) |
| 8 | Miller (Carrollton) | 21 | Bennett (Fairfield Union) |
| 9 | J. Hoppel (Beaver Local) | 22 | Wheeler (Steubenville) |
| 10 | Fee (Defiance) | 23 | Kissinger (Buckeye) |
| 11 | Escobar (Genoa) | 24 | Slonaker (Tipp City) |
| 12 | Apperson (Morgan) | 25 | Bodnar (Conventry) |
| 13 | Spurlock (Bellevue) | 26 | Gray (Preble Shawnee) |
| 14 | Kanta (Hamilton Ross) | 27 | Schuller (Buckeye Local) |
This is just a sensational weight class–even better, I think–than at 119#. It should be one of the best and most exciting competitions of the last decade. Just writing about it is exciting. We have five runner-up trophies among these participants and there are a host of other state placers and qualifiers. Even at the district level, the competition will be fierce with outstanding wrestlers in every area failing to qualify. This class could use a 32-man state bracket, just to accommodate those who deserve to go.
My choice is two time runner-up and three-time placer Tony Constantino. Loser to Ott in the finals two years ago, he was upset by Thompson in last year’s final round after having defeated him the previous week. He defeated Blunk to win at Medina this year and beat Vince in last year’s state semi-finals. He is the most consistent wrestler at this weight class and, perhaps, the most talented.
Blunk, in an almost a bizarre coincidence, is also a two time state runner-up losing last year in a mild upset to Chris Seta. He is a scoring machine in the top position, where he is nearly unstoppable. His only loss this year was to Constantino at Medina, where he outscored his four other opponents 59-8. Last year, he had 40 consecutive wins before losing to Seta–after outscoring his other state opponents 44-1. He and Constantino emerge from the same district, so that winner will be away from both the loser and Vince at State.
Vince was 2nd two years ago–losing to Schlatter in the finals–and then was 3rd last year after losing to Constantino in the semis. He, too, likes to score points by the bushel basket and a bout with Blunk could well burn out the scoreboard. He wrestles a much weaker schedule than the other two, and that could cost him at the state level.
Each district is loaded. At Galion, there are six outstanding candidates for four spots. Blackburn missed much of the early season, but returns at this weight, where he was 6th last year. He came back with a crushing win at Southview and will be a factor here. State alternate, Spurlock, lost his bid for Columbus to Blackburn last year, but won at both Avon Lake and Bellevue this year. He was 7th at Brecksville, losing to Division I state runner up Flake and Morgan. I’ve liked state qualifier Fee for several years, but it’s time for him to step it up a notch or two. At this difficult district, he’ll have to be in top form to qualify. Right behind him are Escober–whom he defeated in overtime– Johnson, and Bodnar. Seven potential qualifiers and there are only four openings. I’m thinking, maybe, some of these folks might opt for the far easier 140 # class at this district.
Constantino and Blunk should dominate at Firestone, but there is other talent as well. Hazlett recently dropped from 145# and will be a factor. He won at Kenston and might be third best at this district. State qualifier, Maston, is “on the bubble” with Kissinger, Wright, England (Aurora) and Wiles (Perry) as the potential fourth qualifier of this group. I think England has the best chance–although being in the same sectional as Blunk and Hazlett could hurt his district bracketing.
There are five wrestlers with previous state experience at the Coshocton District, but I think Aaron Martin is the best of this quintet. They wrestle at lots of different weight classes at Watkins Memorial, but Martin is good wherever they put him. He was a dominating district champ last year at 130#, but then lost a narrow quarter-final bout to Vince and ended up 6th. Morgan has moved up from 119#, where he drew Deubel and Perez in his first two bouts, and has rebounded with good success this year. He was 3rd at Brecksville, including wins over Spurlock and state runner-up Young. Miller has been a mainstay at Carrolltown and was a state quarter-finalist last year. Hoppel and Apperson both went 0-2 last year at Columbus, but they’re much better this year. Hoppel won three bouts at Medina and was champion at Beaver Local. Apperson, only a junior, is up two weight classes. But remember, his brother is a 160 pounder so there is room to grow. Pairings, as is so often the case, will be critical with Apperson looking to be the odd man out. Other possibilities are Wheeler, Bennett (Fairfield Union), and Wilson (Claymont). Some of these folks might end up at 140#.
With Midlam dropping to 130#, the field is not quite so crowded at Goshen. The best of this group might be the totally unheralded Tyler Schlater. Frankly, I was stunned that he made it to State last year and even more when he won two bouts. This year, he was a semi-finalist at the Ironman and gave Lang his best bout of the tourney. He gets overlooked with the star-studded cast that Graham puts on the mat, but he has become a very good performer. State qualifiers Kanta and Robinson are both good, but they’re likely to get lost in the cauldron of competition at Columbus. The last qualifying spot is a puzzle. Slonaker, Gray and Deeter (Valley View) are top contenders.
140#
Projected Champion: Kalen Knull (Graham)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Turchetta (Twinsburg) | 14 | Mizer (Carrollton) |
| 3 | Gross (Padua) | 15 | Cost (University School) |
| 4 | Davis (Columbus DeSales) | 16 | Carnahan (Paulding) |
| 5 | Klingensmith (Licking Valley) | 17 | Phelphs (Hamilton Ross) |
| 6 | Krawcyzk (Buckeye) | 18 | Hustead (Field) |
| 7 | Rella (Walsh) | 19 | Plowman (Maumee) |
| 8 | Rumpke (Preble Shawnee) | 20 | Taylor (Clyde) |
| 9 | Shiff (Fostoria) | 21 | Givens (Hamilton Twp.) |
| 10 | Nelson (Akron St. Vincent) | 22 | Slauterbeck (Oak Harbor) |
| 11 | Rendinell (Kenston) | 23 | Hauck (Roger Bacon) |
| 12 | Odenweller (Elida) | 24 | Harvey (Granville) |
| 13 | Powers (Bellevue) | 25 | Warner (Meadowbrook) |
This would appear to be pretty much a two-man competition, especially now that Gross has had health problems that make it uncertain the he will participate. The only fly in the ointment is Davis, who can be brilliant one day and not much more than ordinary the next. Since Knull and Turchetta are both state runners-up, they should be apart in the bracketing to set up what should be an exciting final.
I favor Knull, but I’m not sure why. He was 2nd at the Ironman and 4th at the Beast of the East after losing to Hurley in last year’s state final. A solid, intelligent performer, he doesn’t let any bout get totally away from him. He was 3rd as a sophomore, 2nd as a junior, and will climb that last step this year. Turchetta is also very good. He won at Solon and Hudson and lost in overtime in the finals at Brecksville to Pietropinto. He was a surprise state finalist last year at 135# and went the full six minutes with Schlatter. His coach, Dave Mariola, has an uncanny knack for developing effective game plans that give his wrestler an edge (see Haring vs Cianciola), and that may help even the playing field against Knull.
Turchetta should dominate his district unless, by some chance, Gross not only returns, but is in top form as well. Gross, twice a state qualifier, lost to eventual champ Thompson in the quarterfinals 3-2, and then failed to place. He crushed the Avon Lake field at 145#, but then had to default out at Brecksville. If healthy, he has finalist potential. Also very good is Krawcyzk, who won two bouts at Columbus last year. This Buckeye senior has remained undefeated to this point and has strong placement potential. Rendinell should also qualify, and I anticipate seeing Cost here based on substantially better qualification chances.
I thought Davis might be a real challenger for Knull and Turchetta, but his 11-0 loss to the latter at Brecksville suggested I might have been overly optimistic. Then he goes out and beat Knull at the State Duals and I don’t know what to think. Still, he’s the best at Coshocton and should place high. He was 3rd at both Brecksville and the Ironman, and I liked the way he beat Gael at the latter tourney after losing to him earlier. State qualifier, Spohn (New Lexington), is out for the year with a football injury, leaving state qualifier Klingensmith as Davis’ main rival. I’ve always liked Klingensmith and this is the year he should get to the placement level. Last year, he lost to eventual state runner-up Turchetta 5-4 in the first round, and then to Henry 7-6 in his placement bout. After this duo, the last two qualifiers could be anybody, but Mizer, Rennicker and Givens have the best chances.
Knull should pretty much have things his way at Goshen. State qualifiers Shiff and Rumpke and state alternate Odenweller are a respectful step behind him with very little behind them. Rumpke and Shiff met in the first consolation round at Columbus with Rumpke winning in overtime. This year both have operated at about the 90% win level. I’m thinking that some of the excess 135’s may move in this direction creating more competition at this rather sparsely populated weight class.
Even at Galion, there is very little depth and, in fact, little up-top strength. State qualifier Nelson is back and certainly has placement potential. The key element, though, is the freshman Rella. A dominating junior high state champion, he brings an explosiveness that cannot be taught. He is on the steeply rising portion of the learning curve, and I anticipate good results. After this duo, I think the qualifiers from the two western sectionals will be the principal contenders for the last two berths. Plowman, Taylor, Powers and Slauterbeck (who will surely realize his chances are better at 140#) look to be the prime combatants. Someone to watch out for is Kuhn, a district qualifier last year, who was 4th at Wadsworth.
145#
Projected Champion: Ryan Hurley (Akron St. Vincent)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Pucillo (Walsh) | 15 | Beall (Springboro) |
| 3 | Erwin (Graham) | 16 | Ranallo (Twinsburg) |
| 4 | Roush (Van Wert) | 17 | Parks (Big Walnut) |
| 5 | McSorley (Edgewood) | 18 | Zeiser (University) |
| 6 | Summers (Hamilton Twp) | 19 | Bergman (Oak Harbor) |
| 7 | Henneman (Maumee) | 20 | Owens (Roger Bacon) |
| 8 | Ray (Hamilton Ross) | 21 | Davis (Ravenna) |
| 9 | Lopez (Genoa) | 22 | Reimond (Napoleon) |
| 10 | Ferris (Jackson) | 23 | Bardo (West Branch) |
| 11 | Joseph (Norton) | 24 | Bowman (Buckeye Local) |
| 12 | Ganzhorn (Aurora) | 25 | Young (Watkins Memorial) |
| 13 | Westbrook (Vincent Warren) | 26 | Holztrager (Normandy) |
| 14 | Pelton (Bellevue) | 27 | Henley (Akron Springfield) |
| 28 | Ciccone (Lake Catholic) |
Generally, the most ferocious rivalries are with teams in close proximity to one another. Think of Ohio State and Michigan or the Browns and the Steelers as two good examples. The danger is that, sometimes, the adrenalin flows too vigorously and results are distorted and sportsmanship vanishes. So might it be at 145#, where the fierce rivalry of nearby schools could factor into the final result.
My top two choices will need no introduction. Hurley has had a fabulous career. A state junior high champ, he was state runner-up as a freshman, state champion as a sophomore, and a brave 3rd last year as he battled injuries at Columbus. This year, he went into double overtime before losing to #1 rated Ryan Davis of Blair Academy at the Ironman and took the title at Reno. His only other loss was to the highly underrated Miller of Uniontown Lake. He also holds a 2-1 win over his most likely rival, the super sophomore, Mike Pucillo. Pucillo missed much of his freshman year, but placed at 125# anyway. Up four weight classes this year, he has placed at the Ironman, Beast of the East and Powerade. These two are well ahead of the rest of the field at Galion. In fact, there are no clear favorites for the last two spots. Somebody to really watch in this context is explosive Juan Lopez. He has been at 152# most of the year, including a win at Oak Harbor, and a runner-up performance at Sylvania Southview. If an upset is to occur at this district, he could be the perpetrator. Other possibilities are Brecksville 3rd placer, Henneman, Solon 3rd placer Joseph, and Avon Lake runner-up Pelton. The hard to analyze Bergman could play a role here, as might Davis or Reimond.
The district at Goshen is very deep. Last year as a freshman, Erwin wrestled up at least two weight classes and still managed state qualification as a district champ. Then he won one bout and lost two heartbreakers to finish out of the money. This year– down one weight class–he has wrestled a brutal schedule and has a loss to Pucillo. He and Pucillo could be rivals for a long time. Roush was a state semifinalist at 135# last year, but somehow is consistently overlooked. He has already won at Oak Harbor and the GMVWA and my admittedly incomplete records show him as undefeated. State qualifier, McSorley, and Ray have split a pair of bouts with Ray’s win coming on a 15 second fall. McSorley won titles at Franklin and Edgewood. There two are a bit ahead of other potential contenders. However, with both of them and state alternate Beall, Longsworth, and Flinders (Little Miami) at the same sectional, district pairings could get messy.
The apparent top contenders at Coshocton have fallen into an informational black hole for me, so my normal margin of error (pretty big to begin with) is even larger. Summers, a district semifinalist, won at Hamilton Township and was a strong 4th at North Canton– losing twice to Division I, Verdi. Ferris and Westbrook are returning state qualifiers, whose results this year are mostly unknown, but Westbrook was 2nd at West Jefferson and won several dual meet titles. His only district loss last year was to Knull. Ferris qualified two years ago, and this year was a big winner at Gallia. Young, Bowman and Warner are three possibilities, should any of the top group falter, and the middle man (Bowman) may well be an important factor here. However, somebody to watch in this situation is Parks–a big move guy.
I see very little at Firestone. I’ve listed some state possibilities led by state alternate, Ganzhorn, who has won at Aurora and finished 2nd at Hudson, where he was pinned by Joseph. Ranallo is a solid journeyman, wrestling up a weight class because of Turchetta. The big unknown is Pankiewicz, who may be way better than I’ve rated him. Other than that, there’s a very good chance that at this weight class, the Firestone District will be shut out at the awards presentation.
152#
Projected Champion: C P Schlatter (Graham)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Tripp (University School) | 15 | Glover (Walsh) | ||
| 3 | Rhoades (Bellefontaine) | 16 | Goebel (Springboro) | ||
| 4 | Smith (Eastwood) | 17 | Milano (Rocky River) | ||
| 5 | Butzer (Northwest) | 18 | Phillips (Twinsburg) | ||
| 6 | Davis (Ravenna) | 19 | Witt (Oak Harbor) | ||
| 7 | Shaw (Beaver Local) | 20 | Peck (Columbus DeSales) | ||
| 8 | Couch (Tipp City) | 21 | SanFillippo (Lake Catholic) | ||
| 9 | Shriner (Sheridan) | 22 | Wagner (Celina) | ||
| 10 | Marsh (Claymont) | 23 | Dingus (Perkins) | ||
| 11 | Bush (Licking Valley) | 24 | Babel (Steubenville) | ||
| 12 | Pack (Hamilton Twp) | 25 | LaRosa (Avon) | ||
| 13 | Riggleman (Bellevue) | 26 | Casey (Meadowbrook) | ||
| 14 | Bellman (Wapakoneta) | 27 | O’Neill (Alliance) | ||
| 28 | Walters (Preble Shawnee) | ||||
I think it could be argued that CP Schlatter is the finest high school wrestler in Ohio’s long history. While he doesn’t have the charisma of an Alan Fried or the explosive power of Luke Fickell, or the fireman’s carry of Tommy Milkovich, he has established a record of consistent excellence that is unmatched. For four years, he has wrestled an extremely difficult schedule with but a single blemish–and that was to an out-of-state competitor in overtime. He will be the first four-time champ who I believe would have won four titles had we maintained the single class system utilized prior to 1971. For the past three years, he has met and defeated the Division I state champion during the regular season, and this year, wrestling in the toughest of multi-state tournaments, been unchallenged. He wrestles with a calculating intelligence that allows for no errors on his part, and punishes every transgression–however small–by his opponent. He reminds me of the great Jimmy Heffernan in his approach and for me, that is high praise, indeed.
As is often the case when a superstar lays claim to a weight class, we find more crowded fields at the adjacent weights. That provides exceptional opportunities for state qualification and placement for those that remain. I would anticipate that those who recognize that they are unlikely to be on the awards podium at 145# (or 160#), may think about conceding the state title to Schlatter and focus on the other possibilities at this weight class.
All four districts should be very competitive in the battle for state qualification tickets. Schlatter, of course, dominates at Goshen, but there will be a real battle for the other three spots. State qualifier Rhoades returns after posting two state wins last year, and has performed at a high level this year. State qualifier Couch is up two weight classes, but hasn’t missed a beat at this here. Bellman has gone in precisely the opposite direction moving down two weight classes after being a district semifinalist at 171# last year. He was a solid 5th at Brecksville. Goebel and Wagner will also be factors here with the first named finishing 3rd at the GMWVA. The pairings may be a problem with Schlatter, Rhoades, Couch, and Van Buskirk (Benjamin Logan) all competing at the same sectional. Apparently, not wrestling because of a football injury is the excellent Kleman (Kenton). However, I note that he has certified at this weight class.
It’s also a crowded field at Firestone, but at a somewhat lower level. State qualifier, Tripp, has been outstanding all year, and while he could wrestle at 145#, I expect to find him here where he has finalist potential. Milano is the bright spot at Rocky River with a win at Hudson (over Phillips), while Phillips and SanFillippo are solid. The one to watch, however, is the explosive Davis. A runaway champion at Kenston, he lost two super close matches at the Ironman including a 3-2 defeat by Koz. On a hot weekend, he could go a long way.
There are a lot of uncertainties at Galion. State qualifier Smith was 3rd at Wadsworth in a very competitive weight class losing only do Division I placer, Tim Miller. I’ve always like Butzer, but he has never quite reached the level I’ve anticipated. He keeps losing the close ones, but I believe that he is placement material–especially since this is his last chance. Glover was a state qualifier at 189# two years ago (and competing at 215# last year) and will try to set something of a state record by qualifying this year at 152# — three weight classes down. Riggleman was a semifinalist at Brecksville finishing 4th and won at Avon Lake, while Witt was 2nd at Oak Harbor. The wild card is Dingus, who was one point from state qualification last year, but has not been as convincing this year.
Shaw, Shriner and Marsh lead the Pack (and the Peck) at Coshocton. Shaw, a returning district champ and state qualifier, has been at 160# much of the year. He has had some injuries, but should be very solid at this weight class. Shriner had a heartbreaking afternoon at last year’s district, losing two go-to-state bouts by a total of three points. State qualifiers Marsh and Pack could capture the last two spots with both providing extensive experience at this district. Pack had an interesting state meet losing to the ferocious Galvan by just one point in the first round and then being crushed by Erwin in the consolations. Burns is a mystery. He has wrestled with great success between 145# and 160#. Last year, he lost two district bouts–both in overtime — the latter one 10-9 in his go-to-state bout. Based on his past performance, his success this year, and his lineage, he could be a game breaker. He is a real mystery and could be a state finalist or fail to exit his district.
This is an incredibly crowded district with this top quartet backed up by Bush, Babel, Peck, Casey and Aleshire. I, particularly, like the first two named, but there just doesn’t look like there’ll be room for them in Columbus.
160#
Projected Champion: Tim Maxworthy (Buckeye)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Bertolino (Buckeye Local) | 15 | Fuller (New Richmond) |
| 3 | Evans (Graham) | 16 | Clark (Licking Valley) |
| 4 | Lowther (Walsh) | 17 | White (Sheridan) |
| 5 | Grove (Claymont) | 18 | Bitsko (West Geauga) |
| 6 | Caponi (Akron St. Vincent) | 19 | Kopacz (Conneaut) |
| 7 | Walton (Chaminade) | 20 | Elam (Franklin) |
| 8 | Brenner (Canfield) | 21 | H. Smith (Willard) |
| 9 | Hoehn (Wapakoneta) | 22 | Weimer (Springboro) |
| 10 | Dixon / Vaughn (West Holmes) | 23 | Keaton (Genoa) |
| 11 | Apperson (Morgan) | 24 | Stettin (Normandy) |
| 12 | Common (Louisville) | 25 | Jordan (Norton) |
| 13 | McMullen (Ravenna) | 26 | Garvey (Roger Bacon) |
| 14 | Tamaska (Taylor) | 27 | Glancy (Vincent Warren) |
Clearly, I have not given Maxworthy nearly enough credit in the past. A state junior high runner-up, he was a surprising (to me) state runner-up two years ago, losing to Cupp in the finals. Then, last year, I still (mistakenly) ranked him 5th and he took the state title beating the mighty Galvan in both the district and state finals. Should this weight class stay as it is (i.e. no Hahn), he has to be the favorite to win his second state title with only Bertolino, Evans and, perhaps, Lowther as credible threats. This year, he won at Buckeye and Perrysburg and was second to Division I state champ Luke at Medina.
Maxworthy should dominate at Firestone. It is likely that only he will place from this district. Brenner had one district win and Canfield always seems to produce a couple of outstanding wrestlers. Bitsko and Kopacz have previous state experience and have put together solid senior seasons–which may be enough at this district. A dark horse candidate might be Stettin, who was 2nd at Avon Lake and 5th at the Midwest Classic. Bardo and Stetka (Crestwood) are other thoughts here.
The big question is how well will Evans do at 160#. Two years ago, he was 4th at 130#, losing to Vince 16-13 in a wild semifinal. Then last year–again at 130# –he was one of the favorites, but got terribly sick during district week and could not wrestle. This year, he is up five weight classes and just returning after a football injury. So far, so good. He’s had six bouts and won all six by fall. He’ll be one of those competitors who wrestles like a little guy, but has suddenly gotten big. Examples like Ed Potokar or Tommy Rowlands show how effective that combination can be. The questions to be answered are whether he’s big enough and healthy enough to win. There’s a lot of other talent at Goshen. State qualifiers, Walton and Fuller, also return, but they have low place potential at best. Fuller lost to Tamaska at Madeira and was also 2nd at Edgewood. Walton won at Franklin and was 2nd at the GMVWA in a tight overtime bout. Nipping at their heels will be Tamaska, Bussell, Weimer and Garvey from the southwest. A bigger challenge will come from state qualifier Hoehn, who lead a northwest contingent that also includes Green (Elida) and Rhodes (Celina). If Evans is healthy, there are only three spots left for everybody else. I’m thinking Bussell, who just dropped to 160#, may reflect on that decision as I check out the 171’s.
It seems like every district has one dominating figure and Bertolino is just that at Coshocton. This excellent senior was 5th at this weight class last year, losing two very close bouts. He has ravaged the Eastern District the past few years and 2002-03 is no exception. In addition, he won the prestigious Midwest Classic defeating several Division I stars. I think he’ll take Maxworthy to the limit. State qualifiers Grove, Dixon and Apperson also return. Grove has been at 171# most of the year with a win at Barnesville and a very strong 4th at Medina. In the latter tourney, he faced very strong opposition, losing only to Grogan and Johnson. Should any of this trio falter, Clark, Glancy and White are all experienced competitors, while Perdue and N. Hackett (Hamilton Twp.) are also in the wings. Again, as we saw at Goshen, one standout wrestler and a boatload of very even competitors clamoring for the other three state berths.
I thought Lowther looked great at the Ironman finishing a very strong 4th, losing twice to Scarl and defeating Caponi. However, he has not wrestled for some time and one hopes that he’ll be sharp on his return. Last year, he was 5th and gave Maxworthy everything he could handle in the quarterfinals 11-10. Caponi, also a state qualifier, split his two bouts with Lowther, and the two are very close in overall ability. Common and McMullen are slight favorites for the last two tickets to Columbus, but Smith looked good winning the Gorman. He could grab one of these two spots, as could Keaton, who has already won three tourneys this year.
171#
Projected Champion: Joe Dennis (Graham)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Hackett (Hamilton Twp) | 15 | Lyons (Steubenville) |
| 3 | Knapp (Columbus DeSales) | 16 | Good (Normandy) |
| 4 | Hahn (Minerva) | 17 | Keesee (Galion) |
| 5 | Seeley (Buckeye) | 18 | Brewer (St Mary’s Memorial) |
| 6 | Green (East Liverpool) | 19 | Sanders (Milton Union) |
| 7 | Jo Williams (Beaver Local) | 20 | Moores (Jefferson) |
| 8 | Schutte (Maumee) | 21 | Kozenko (NDCL) |
| 9 | Marhoffer (Walsh) | 22 | Stokes (Norton) |
| 10 | Randolph (New Richmond) | 23 | Harmon (Elida) |
| 11 | Brennan (Chaminade) | 24 | Griffin (Northwest) |
| 12 | Vaughn / Dixon (West Holmes) | 25 | Palmisano (Lake Catholic) |
| 13 | Jewell (Miami Trace) | 26 | Righi (Perkins) |
| 14 | Cook (Bellbrook) | 27 | Horton (Hubbard) |
As I think about it now, this may be the strongest single weight class in close to a decade. It features two returning state champions and two returning state runners-up plus a host of returning qualifiers and placers. All this at an upper end weight class where most previous winners are usually seniors. Even more surprising is that two of this top quartet are still just juniors and will be two of the top recruits in the country next year. This is a feast for any wrestling fan and its anticipation should generate incredible excitement in the weeks leading up to the state finals.
The pairings are likely to be unbalanced–and that would be a shame. The Coshocton District champion is likely to be on one side with Dennis, Hahn, and the Coshocton runner-up on the other side of the bracket. That would mean that the district final at Coshocton would be hugely important because it would tremendously enhance the winner’s probability of making it to the final round. It’s almost a once-in-a-century situation that is not likely to occur again in our lifetime.
Let’s look at the principal players. Hahn, a junior high state champion, was 6th at 152# as a freshman two years ago and then took the title at the 160# class last year. An exceptional talent, he really had no close bouts throughout the entire state tournament process. This year, he has been at 171# with equal success. He pinned his way through the Wayne Invitational and beat both Division I stars, Johnson and Grogan, on his way to the Medina title. His father, John, won one state title (1974). This boy is looking to surpass that total.
Hackett is the defending champion at 171#, but has competed at 189# up to now. Last year, he was a perfect 50-0 after finishing 3rd the year before. Ironically, his only close match at the state level was a one-point victory over Dennis in the finals. However, twice at districts, he won the coin flip in the second overtime and escaped to victory– both those wrestlers, Williams and Razzano (at 189#) return. This year, he continues to win with a consecutive win streak, now stretching toward 80.
Dennis, still only a junior, was 4th two years ago at this weight class, and won last year’s district in easy fashion. After a technical fall in the first round, he was involved in three one-point bouts–winning the first two, but losing in the finals to the undefeated Hackett. This year he won at Graham and was 2nd at the Ironman, losing to Pennsylvania star Jake Herbert 7-1. He was 3rd at the Beast of the East, and has been untouchable ever since.
Knapp, 2nd at 160# last year to Hahn, has also been superb this year. He was 3rd at the Ironman, losing to Herbert in the semifinals by the same 7-1 score. He was absolutely dominating at Brecksville, crushing everyone. He has been out the past two weeks, so his anticipated showdown with Dennis at the Ohio Duals never (unfortunately) happened.
Two state placers back up Hahn at Galion. Both Schutte and Marhoffer were 6th at their respective weight classes last year. Marhoffer, then at 160#, lost to Knapp by a single point in the semifinals and struggled thereafter. He also lost to Herbert, 15-0, at the Ironman, who made a point in knocking off Ohio place winners. Dennis has majored Marhoffer twice in duals. Schutte lost to Hackett in the first round last year, but then won three straight to place. He has had his ups and downs this year, but has the experience to do well at tourney time, as demonstrated by his runner-up finish at Perrysburg. Dennis pinned him in their dual meet. It’s a struggle to find another possible qualifier at this location. I think Keesee might have the best shot, but Currier (should he be at 171#), Griffin and Righi are also possibilities. My guess is we’ll see a surprise or two.
Dennis wasn’t challenged at this district last year, and I sure don’t see it happening this year. Missing here is the Alter star, John Borland, who is not wrestling this year. The only state qualifier back is Brennan, who represented Tri-County North in Division III last year. He has been at 189# most of the year, but moved down and was a strong 3rd at GMVWA. I also like Randolph, who won at Edgewood, and Brewer, a high placer in several tourneys this year. Right behind this trio is a second threesome of Sanders, Harmon and Cook, with almost equally good hopes. Besides Dennis, there might be a low place out of the last three qualifiers.
As has often been the case, I’m not seeing a lot of strength at Firestone. State alternate, Seeley, won at Buckeye and was 3rd at Perrysburg, and 6th at the very strong Medina Tourney. After that, I’m looking for potential qualifiers. Good won at Avon Lake, but was shaky at the Midwest Classic. Moores and Kozenko are very close, while Palmisano may be good enough to qualify.
The power district is at Coshocton, where two or three boys who would qualify anywhere else are going to be kept home. We’ve already talked about Hackett and Knapp, but there is much more. State alternate Jordan Williams was 2nd at Beaver Local, losing to Hahn by the respectable score of 9-4. He then just missed placement at Medina, losing 3-2 to Seeley. He was one of the two who took Hackett into double overtime last year. Green, a Division I state quarter finalist, also returns, and this experienced senior won easily at Lorain Southview. Lyons was 6th at last year’s district, losing a one-point decision to Williams, and 3rd at Barnesville and 1st at Steubenville. State qualifier, Vaughn, is up 3 weight classes, was still 2nd at the Wayne Invitational, but didn’t place at Medina. Jewell has been exceptional for Miami Trace, winning at Hamilton. That still leaves Rey and Johnson (Hamilton Twp) to be accounted for. This will be a great competition, and the winner looks to have great bracketing upsides.
189#
Projected Champion: J D Bergman (Oak Harbor)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Hoke (Graham) | 14 | Willis (Coventry) |
| 3 | Ohl (Ontario) | 15 | Osborne (Valley View) |
| 4 | Narinsky (Kenston) | 16 | Gavlak (Holy Name) |
| 5 | Unger (Perry) | 17 | Ebaugh (Bryan) |
| 6 | Carpenter (Maumee) | 18 | Newhart (West Branch) |
| 7 | Razzano (Columbus DeSales) | 19 | Coleman (Kenmore) |
| 8 | Ja Williams (Beaver Local) | 20 | Whitten (Big Walnut) |
| 9 | Snowden (Franklin) | 21 | Yackey (Dover) |
| 10 | Turchin (Norton) | 22 | Hunter (Bellevue) |
| 11 | Schmidt (Bellefontaine) | 23 | Miller (Celina) |
| 12 | Saniuk (Copley) | 24 | Kreider (Licking Valley) |
| 13 | Rodden (Miami Trace) | 25 | Esarco (Canfield) |
| 26 | McMullen (Purcell) |
Some of the excitement left this weight class with Jason Hackett when he returned to the 171# weight class. Still, it should be outstanding with super star J. D. Bergman battling extremely fine wrestlers from all around the state–wrestlers who, in most years, would have expectations of wrestling late on a Saturday evening. All districts are well represented, but the one at Galion, in particular, is very good.
At the top of the list has to be the defending champion, J. D. Bergman. Last year, he cruised to the title, pinning in both the district and state finals, and being challenged only by the fearsome Villers–who had beaten him the previous year. This summer, he was second at the Junior Nationals and has used that as a springboard toward complete domination. Of the results I have (admittedly incomplete), he has not yet gone six minutes with any Ohio wrestler in winning at Medina and Oak Harbor. Normally, we would just cede him the title and look for placers, but this is not a normal year.
At Coshocton, Razzano and Jared Williams will vie for top honors. Razzano was 5th at the Ironman and 4th at Brecksville, but I didn’t think he looked quite as sharp as I remembered at the latter tourney. As a state qualifier last year, he lost to Dennis by one point in the quarters, and eventually ended up a takedown short of placing. Williams is part of an excellent Beaver Local team that is loaded with good wrestlers and Hoppels. Behind this duo is Rodden, who was second to Hackett at Hamilton Twp and won convincingly at Tiffin. Whitten and Yackey stand to the ready for the last qualifying spot, with Kreider and Kessinger as other possibilities.
The suddenly transformed Hoke, should win at Goshen. He has gone from a 160# state qualifier who didn’t place, to a 189# with placement hopes. Short, stocky and very strong, he was 2nd at the Ironman (beating the #1 ranked Maciag and losing in two overtimes to Bond) and 5th at the Beast of the East. He’s beaten both Razzano (narrowly), and Carpenter by being very difficult to score against and looking far more aggressive than he is. He does it beautifully and it seems to work. Two-time state qualifier, Snowden, is probably second best here. He’s 0-4 at the state meet, with a 15-4 loss as his closest bout. He should win a couple this year. After that, it’s pretty much chaos with Osborne and Schmidt the two best bets to qualify. I particularly like Schmidt, who has had some big wins this year.
At Firestone, state placer, Narinsky, and state runner-up, Unger, are well ahead of the rest of the field. In a mild upset, I think Narinsky will edge out Unger for the district title. Narinsky won at Kenston, and the WRC, but failed to place at the Ironman, losing by one point to Hoke and two points to Razzano. Unger was a surprise finalist at 171# in Division III, losing to Dollaway in the finals. He has not yet wrestled a very demanding schedule, but has been undefeated to this point. After this duo, look for Gavlak to grab the third spot with the last berth a real opportunity for somebody.
The district at Galion is dynamite. It starts, of course, with Bergman. But there’s much, much more. Ohl was 3rd as a sophomore two years ago, losing a semifinal battle to Dollaway. Last year, they were co-favorites after Ohl evened the score and stopped Dollaway’s unbeaten streak at the Gorman. Unfortunately, Ohl injured his elbow, lost to Unger, and defaulted to 6th–with Dollaway taking the title 15-1. This year, Ohl hurt his knee in football, but has come back to win at the Gorman and Marion Harding. Like Hoke, state qualifier Carpenter has moved to 189# with immediate success. He won two smaller titles before grabbing first place at Brecksville with wins over Razzano and Hough-Snee. I thought he looked great. Turchin is an enigma. He is already a three time state qualifier who finished 6th as a sophomore, but he doesn’t seem to be getting better. Last year, he was only a district 4th and went 0-2 at the state level. This year, he was 1st at Hudson and 2nd at Solon, so I’m thinking this is his last time to place and I’m expecting an all out effort. Any slip-ups by the top quartet and both Saniuk and Willis will step in. The former won at Chippewa and Southview, while the latter was 4th at Wadsworth and 2nd at Rogers–losing only to Division I wrestlers at both tourneys.
215#
Projected Champion: Jared Villers (Akron St. Vincent)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Hoppel (Beaver Local) | 15 | Green (East Liverpool) |
| 3 | Marshall (Graham) | 16 | Gutierrez (Valley View) |
| 4 | Stansbury (East Liverpool) | 17 | Schwed (Aurora) |
| 5 | McAllister (Columbus DeSales) | 18 | Wachtendorf (Wapakoneta) |
| 6 | Morton (Fostoria) | 19 | Bidlack (Defiance) |
| 7 | Thomas (Norton) | 20 | Akers (Benjamin Logan) |
| 8 | Radva (Normandy) | 21 | LaVallee (Lima Shawnee) |
| 9 | Thoburn (Highland) | 22 | Prosser (Galion) |
| 10 | Sanders (Ravenna) | 23 | Bucha (Holy Name) |
| 11 | Mason (Genoa) | 24 | Kelly (Taylor) |
| 12 | Levy (Oak Harbor) | 25 | Martini (Girard) |
| 13 | Kunk (Celina) | 26 | Fankhauser (Edison) |
| 14 | Johnson (Eastmoor) | 27 | Aliff (Jefferson) |
| 28 | Howard (St. Clairsville) |
From 160# through 215# in Division II, it’s just one exceptional weight class after another, each just as marvelous as the last. This is no exception. The top quintet is outstanding and the last two rounds will be riveting.
It is difficult to pick against a defending state champion, but we have here a former state champion and a future state champ (though not this year) at this weight class. In addition, there is a Division I placer, a Division III placer, and several potential Division II placers. Interestingly, three, of my top five, were junior high state champions (Marshall, Villers, and Hoppel).
My choice–and it’s a very tough call–is the dynamic senior from Akron St. Vincent, Jared Villers. A three time state qualifier, he was champ at 171# as a sophomore and 3rd at 189# last year, losing in the semis to junior national runner-up, Bergman, by a narrow 6-4 score. This year, he won at both Reno and the Ironman, wrestling with tremendous verve and enthusiasm. At the Ironman, he pinned Marshall in the semis and then whipped two-time state champ, Koz, for not only the title, but the Outstanding Wrestler award. Tremendously quick and strong, he’ll need to maintain his focus and enthusiasm at this most difficult weight class.
The first great wrestling family in Ohio were the Hoppels from tiny Lisbon Beaver Local. This was the era of just one state champion per weight class–big schools and small schools all together–and in the 1950’s and early 60’s, the Hoppels were a force to be reckoned with. With Mama Hoppel screaming in the stands, Herman, Daryl, Dave, Jim, and Carl won a boatload of tournaments and six state titles (with a number of other places, as well). The best of the boys was the last, Carl, who came within a few points of being Ohio’s first and only four-time champ in the one classification system. Only a semifinal loss in his sophomore year to the excellent, Gary Joseph, prevented him from winning four titles. Now his son, Adam, a 6’ 5” giant, is re-igniting the Hoppel legacy. Last year, as a sophomore, he swept aside a good field to capture this title, including a technical fall in the final round. This year, he opened with four falls at Medina before succumbing to Koz in the finals, 4-1. Hoppel could have one huge bracketing advantage. If he wins his district (no easy task as we’ll discuss), he’ll be away from Stansbury and McAllister and he’ll be seeded away from Villers. That would provide a 50% chance that Marshall, too, would be in the other half bracket. That is a lot of ifs, but it could end up with Hoppel in one half and his four major challengers all bracketed together.
Marshall, a sophomore, is a hugely powerful wrestler who overpowers the opposition. Marshall was 4th last year, losing to Villers, 11-10 in the consolation finals. It was an amazing performance for a freshman. This year, he was a semifinalist at both the Ironman and the Beast of the East, losing to Villers (by fall) and Koz (by major decision). He can defeat anyone in this field.
Stansbury was 4th in Division I, losing only to Koz and Barrentine. He also is exceptionally strong and, along with the solid McAllister and Hoppel, makes the Coshocton District exceptionally strong. The fourth spot, which could well be determined by the bracketing gods, should fall to Johnson, Fankhauser, or Howard. Other possibilities are Holsinger or Ellwood (Indian Valley). With three spots more or less already spoken for, there will be no margin for error for the rest of the competitors.
Villers will not face such a formidable field, but there are still a number of competitors with state qualification credentials. Including Villers, there are eight on my list participating at Galion. Thoburn was a state alternate, losing his go-to-state bout by two points. He was a semifinalist at Medina, losing to Hoppel by fall, but performing at a high level. The sophomore Thomas won titles at Solon and Hudson and will be a huge factor next year. The powerful Sanders was 3rd at Solon and Brecksville and might be getting better faster than anticipated. I may not have him ranked high enough. Mason was 4th at heavy weight as a Division III performer for Genoa, but then last year, competed at Holland Springfield. This year, he’s back at Genoa, but at a new weight class. Genoa, generally a Division III team but six boys over the limit this year, has an excellent team this year. They’ve won titles at Northwood, Sylvania Southview and Oak Harbor this year, and would be an enormous factor at the relatively weak Waite District. Mason won at both Northwood and Sylvania, but did not compete at Oak Harbor. The winner there was the powerful, Levy, who is also undefeated in duals. Those six fine competitors, and if you factor in Prosser, Bidlack and Green, it makes for a deeper field than at any other district.
Marshall’s task will not be nearly as daunting. State qualifier, Morton, heads a representative group coming from the one Northwest District sectional feeding Goshen. That should also include Kunk and Wachtendorf–both with past district experience. However, that trio must face Gutierrez, Akers and Kelly coming from the nearby Southwestern sectionals. Gutierrez has my vote as the most impressive of this trio, but Kelly, with a 2nd at Edgewood and a 4th at SWOCA may be a “sleeper” pick.
While I have a dozen names at the other three sectionals, I literally cannot come up with five at Firestone. Radva won at Avon Lake and was 2nd at the Midwest Classic, and may have placement potential. After that, I drew a major league blank. Eventually, I produced those listed above, but this group will struggle big time at Columbus.
Hvy.
Projected Champion: Mike Skonieczny (Akron St. Vincent)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Fox (Galion) | 15 | Bauman (Hamilton Twp) |
| 3 | Boggs (Maumee) | 16 | Karcher (Upper Sandusky) |
| 4 | Seals (Clyde) | 17 | Doolittle (Gallia Academy) |
| 5 | Katris (Franklin) | 18 | Crummey (Van Wert) |
| 6 | Price (Cambridge) | 19 | Neuenschwander (St Clairesville) |
| 7 | Ridenour (Harvey) | 20 | Anglin (Edgewood) |
| 8 | Moler (Valley View) | 21 | Di Petro (West Geauga) |
| 9 | Widmer (Genoa) | 22 | Fenner (Kenston) |
| 10 | Marino (Hoban) | 23 | Rankin (Miami Trace) |
| 11 | Sharp (West Branch) | 24 | Dickerschied (Hamilton Ross) |
| 12 | Randolph (Columbus DeSales) | 25 | Keckan (Aurora) |
| 13 | Eyink (Celina) | 26 | Garafalo (Normany) |
| 14 | Burdette (Claymont) | 27 | Edgington (Bellevue) |
Last year, I agonized trying to come to some conclusion about this weight. It came down to Ryan or Seals, or was it Seals and Ryan. Eventually, after long deliberation, I predicted a Seals win. Naturally, Seals (not totally healthy) failed to escape his district and it was Ryan who took the title. This year, it’s much worse with a half dozen or more possible winners, and, again, no clearcut choice. Even worse, almost all the best heavyweights exit Galion, where there are at least seven excellent contenders.
Let’s take a look at the big guys in Galion. In a bold move, Coach Randy Glover moved Skonieczny from 215# to heavyweight in mid-season. At about 230#, the worry was that some behemoth would out muscle him. It was a brilliant move, with Skonieczny finishing 3rd, but ironically, losing only to the even smaller Boggs. This year, he was 2nd at the Ironman (losing to Barrentine) and, otherwise, undefeated in Ohio. I under-valued both Boggs and Fox last year, as they proved resourceful in finishing 2nd and 4th – both losing to Ryan in the championship rounds. Boggs, short and strong, is not a dominator, but he is almost impossible to score against. He was 2nd at Brecksville, losing only to Division I, Taylor. Fox beat Boggs at the district finals, but drew into Ryan’s half and lost in the semifinals. As far as I can tell, he hasn’t had a close bout this year. Widmer has won at Oak Harbor, Northwood and Sylvania Southvew and his closest final round bout was 19-8. That’s four possible contenders, but wait, there’s more. Seals, my choice from last year is back. However, he has been slowed by injury and was only 3rd at Clyde, but won at Franklin (over Katris), and Lorain Southview. If he is totally healthy, he’ll do better than this rating. Marino was 2nd at Wadsworth and wants desperately to qualify. Last year, he lost a 6-4 overtime decision in his go-to-state bout. Karcher, Bowers and Edgington are possibilities, but of all the weight classes, out of all the districts, this may be the single toughest one to qualify from.
Katris is one of the strongest threats to break the Galion monopoly. A state qualifier last year, despite injury issues, he lost to Fox by a single point in the first round and failed to place. This year, he won at Coffman and finished 2nd at Medina (to Johnson) and Franklin (to Seals). State qualifier, Moler, won two bouts at the state level, and lost by only two to Skonieczny. He won at Carlisle, but did not place at Medina, despite wrestling reasonably well. Eyink competed in Division I last year, and just narrowly missed state qualification, while Crummey was 3rd at GMWVA. At least to me, the top trio, are a notch above the rest here at Goshen, with Crummey facing a host of challenges for that fourth berth.
At Firestone, there are two potential placers and then an enormous chasm that separates them from the rest of the field. I particularly like Sharp, who missed placement last year by a single bout. Ridenour did place last year–beating Sharp to do so–and these two will fight it out for the district title. Ridenour, a state junior high champ shows an inconsistent pattern, but he knows how to win. The rest of the field is quite weak, with the pocket size DiPetro, Fenner and Keckan making my short list. This is a wide-open competition for the last two sports with a dark horse–like Garafalo, maybe, getting through to Columbus.
It’s a nice solid group of heavyweights at Coshocton, but that may not be enough to place at this difficult weight class. Randolph looked amazingly good at the rugged Ironman for a first year varsity wrestler, finishing 3rd. He is very athletic and will probably get even better at a rapid rate. State qualifiers, Burdette and Doolittle, may be overmatched at Columbus again this year, as they went a combined 0-4 last year. Baumann may turn out to be second best here, while Neuenschwander and Rankin have definite qualification chances. Basically, though, with the exception of Randolph, this is the group you’ll want to draw into.
TEAMS
One of the most durable records in Ohio wrestling is the Division II scoring record held by the 1978 Coventry squad with 158.5 points. That record was set with four state champions (Kallai, Glover, Foxx, and Potts), three third place medals, and a fourth place finish. At that time there were thirteen weight classes, no technical falls, and a very much abbreviated consolation process so that team total would be roughly equivalent today to about 180 points. It is the silver anniversary of that record this year and there is absolutely no doubt that Graham will seriously challenge it.
1. Graham – The most powerful public school team assembled in the last 40 years. It is a squad with unparalleled brilliance, strength at every weight class, and exceptional coaching. They could qualify as many as 12 for the state tournament including at least five potential finalists. Unless something bizarre occurs they should smash the Division II scoring record and challenge the all-time state record of 203 points held by the 1995 Walsh team.
2. Walsh – My super-secret team scoring methodology actually rates them fourth best, but they get extra credit for almost always performing well at the State Meet. I’m expecting big things from state champion Zupancic, Pucillo, and Sandy, but help needs to come from Lowther and Marhofer up top and the exceptional freshman at the lower weights.
3. Akron St. Vincent – They have three potential finalists in Hurley, Villers, and Skonieczny which should generate between 60 and 70 points–however Hurley has been shaky lately and Skonieczny has the horrendous district situation. McCahan must come up with a huge effort and Nelson and Caponi must do the same. A big unanswered question is at what level can Rohler contribute.
4. Columbus DeSales – They have not done as well at recent state meets as anticipated. This year that should change. Knapp is terrific, but he is at that hideously difficult 171# class, and the sometimes erratic Davis needs to score heavily at 140#. Then they have great chances with excellent people like Brown, Morgan, Pizzurro, Cormier, Razzano, and McAlister. In many years this would be a state championship assemblage. However, even factoring points from Randolph, the runner-up trophy is all that can be hoped for.
5. Kenston – There is an enormous drop-off in potential team scoring after the top quartet. There may be as much as a 40 point differential between 4th place and 5th. Deubel, Hurley and Narinsky lead a Kenston team that is not as deep as usual. However, the big guns can score, and, maybe, Hazlett, Rendinell and Davis can chip in with some unexpected points. The Firestone District is much easier this year and that could help get people to Columbus.
6. Claymont – As always this is a team with multiple scoring chances, but low and middle places are probably the most they can hope for on an individual basis. Their best chances are Reichman and Jackson at the lower weights and Marsh and Grove in the middle. Burdette could help the cause with some points at 275#.
7. Beaver Local – Adam Hoppel should be worth at least 20 points and the Williams brothers could score, but they are brutally tough weight classes. State qualifiers Shaw and Jared Hoppel need to contribute with Hoover, Luke Hoppel, and Grant Hoppel long-shots to score.
8. Hamilton Twp. – State champion Hackett will probably make me look bad and win again, and then you have to wonder who else will step forward. There are lots of possibilities with Summers, Pack, Woods and Baumann the best hopes
9.Buckeye – State champion Maxworthy, Krawczyk and Seeley are a trio of potential point scorers, but the big problem is that Seeley is locked in at 171#. Only Kissinger and Bryson have any hopes of making it to Columbus, and they are both long shots to do even that.
10. Clyde – This is a team with some upward mobility. Blackburn, Hoffman and Ysaguirre can all score at the state level, but, perhaps, not enough to get them into the Top Ten. However, if the bookends–the precocious freshman Michaels and the experienced Seal– can escape the dynamite weight classes at their district, they can score in Columbus.
Division III
I am totally puzzled by the district structure in Division III. Incredibly, district size varies from as few as 46 schools to as large as 61. Even worse, the district that has easily the best state record of all districts (Divisions I, II, and III) has been augmented with the best Northwest sectional. This creates an Elyria Catholic District of 61 teams that is far and away the most difficult from which to qualify. Not every competitor can be a state champion, but reaching the state tournament is something everyone can aspire to. That process ought to be as fair to all contestants as possible. The argument that this was somehow a geographical necessity is patent nonsense. There are many other, equally logical, ways by which to create more appropriate districts. The oversight authority in this process, whoever they are, should be ashamed of themselves. Let’s hope they can do better next year.
103#
Projected Champion: LEVI WYANT (TRIAD)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Gardella (Chanel) | 16 | Wright (North Union) |
| 3 | Marthey (Tuslaw) | 17 | Notte (Ledgemont) |
| 4 | Lint (Cuyahoga Hts.) | 18 | Austin (Carlisle) |
| 5 | Gray (Norwayne) | 19 | Miller (West Jefferson) |
| 6 | Lee (Elmwood) | 20 | Wilson (Malvern) |
| 7 | Porter (Spencerville) | 21 | Eichenauer (West Liberty Salem) |
| 8 | Combs (Aquinas) | 22 | Piper (Mechanicsburg) |
| 9 | Skoff (Bellaire St. John) | 23 | Strickland (Bluffton) |
| 10 | Wilson (Pleasant) | 24 | Miller (Brookville) |
| 11 | Kemble (Jackson Milton) | 25 | Lemaster (Caldwell) |
| 12 | Evans (Delta) | 26 | Geesey (Montpelier) |
| 13 | Smith (Cory Rawson) | 27 | Laney (Van Buren) |
| 14 | Froelich (Ayersville) | 28 | Mercer (Wellsville) |
| 15 | Long (Miami East) | 29 | Fletcher (Reading) |
It would almost seem that the entire Elyria Catholic district is in pursuit of Levi Wyant’s state title. There are seven state caliber wrestlers competing there with only four to qualify. At the same time, never have I felt uneasier about the choice of a state champion returning to defend at the same weight class. Wyant is undefeated at 103#, but his sojourns to 112# have been unimpressive and slightly disturbing. His schedule at 103# has not been terrifically strong and he’ll need to be at the very top of his game to hold off the Elyria Catholic contingent.
It will be just plain brutal at Elyria Catholic. Gardella is vastly improved. He was 2nd at Solon (including a win over Jordan Brown), 1st at North Canton, and 3rd at Wadsworth – losing to Wyant 7-6 in the semi-finals. He massacred Rooney at the Big Eight, and will be a real force in the tourney process. Marthey, an Orville transfer, might be even better. He won the D-3 Classic and was 2nd at Medina, losing only to Division I pick, Lance Palmer. He built on that with a win at the Bill Dies, and clearly he is on a sensational roll. Lint is a pinner. He won at Bellevue, was 2nd at Aurora, and a very strong 3rd at Medina, losing only to Division II pick McLemore 7-4. I have Gray rated 4th at this district and he was 5th in the state last year. Still the BCS goes on strength of schedule, and so do I. Gray was 2nd at 112# at the Gorman, losing only to state champion Compton. He has not lost at 103#, and that includes a big win at Doylestown Chippewa. Combs was 2nd at North Canton to Gardella and it isn’t often that two Division III boys compete in the finals there. He won at Canton City and Canton South, and has past district experience. I’ve liked Kemble the last two years. He was one bout from state qualification last year, and this year won at Jackson Milton and was 2nd to Marthey, 8-6, at the D-3 Classic. The sophomore Notte was 3rd at the D-3 Classic – pinning Geesey, but he is clearly at the wrong district.
Two excellent wrestlers head the field at Waite. Lee came in at mid-season for Elmwood last year and ended up winning 35 bouts and just missing state qualification, losing 6-5 to Tinnel in his go-to-state bout. He has won at Hopewell-Loudon and was second to Bugara, 9-7, at Edison. He will give the Elyria Catholic boys all they can handle. State qualifier Porter was 6th at Columbus last year, losing twice to Gray. He won at Marion Harding and Lincolnview. After these two it’s wide open with Evans, Smith, and Froelich all at the same level. Should some of this group falter a second trio of Strickland, Geesey, and Laney could step in.
There’s not much at Xenia after Wyant. Long is experienced while Austin has done well in smaller area tourneys. He was, for example, 1st at Carlisle and Waynesville. The last qualification berth is wide open.
I’m not sure what to expect at Marion. Many of the top contenders are newcomers without much of a track record, and who have wrestled only within their own geographical area. Skoff, winner at Bellaire St. John and Barnesville, and Wilson, champion at Ready, seem to be the best. They should probably both be ranked at 8½. I have to admit Skoff has put up some excellent results in his freshman year. Wright and Miller, both from the Columbus area, would seem to have the best opportunity for the last two spots with the other Wilson, from Malvern, certainly a viable contender. I wouldn’t be surprised to see someone I’ve completely overlooked in the ratings grid get to Columbus.
112#
Projected Champion: COREY OPFER (SANDUSKY ST. MARY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Huffman (Hannibal River) | 15 | Robbe (Batavia) |
| 3 | Scaletta (Cuyahoga Hts.) | 16 | Weller (Lakota) |
| 4 | Nicola (Bellaire St. John) | 17 | Karnes (Edgerton) |
| 5 | K. Lipp (Beachwood) | 18 | Hambrick (Jackson Milton) |
| 6 | Harris (Brookville) | 19 | Garee (Utica) |
| 7 | Koballa (Chanel) | 20 | Steiner (Waynesville) |
| 8 | Bernholt (Versailles) | 21 | Lopez (Patrick Henry) |
| 9 | Tinnel (Edison) | 22 | Abair (Toledo Christian) |
| 10 | Minner (Pleasant) | 23 | Smith (Fostoria St. Wendelin) |
| 11 | Ewing (Bloom Carroll) | 24 | Seidler (Monroe Central) |
| 12 | Pycraft (Keystone) | 25 | Grosswiler (Col. West. Reserve) |
| 13 | Amburgey (New London) | 26 | Traugh (Nelsonville York) |
| 14 | Riley (Madison Plains) | 27 | Kleman (Bluffton) |
| 28 | Kayatin (Lima CC) |
So how do you analyze a weight class that features 13 state qualifiers and 3 returning state placers? Especially, how do you do that when there are, in addition, four exceptional freshmen–all of whom were either champs or place winners at last year’s Junior High State Tournament? The difficulties I face are more than offset by the interest and excitement this weight class should generate during the remainder of this season.
The last two years have seen an influx of exceptionally talented freshmen from every part of the state, and in all three divisions. It has been so pronounced that it raises a question as to its cause. Is there an upsurge in interest in wrestling that manifests itself in more youngsters becoming involved in the sport, or is this just a peak period in the natural cycle of ups and downs that every sport experiences? Both those may be true, but there is an important third factor. The Ohio Junior High State Championship has grown to be a very important event on the wrestling calendar. It gives middle and junior high school wrestlers added incentive to continue practicing. It attracts a star-studded field that provides competition at the very highest level. As you look back at past champions at that event you can see it almost always translates to overwhelming success at the senior high level. All of us in the wrestling community owe Jude Roth and his cohorts a huge thanks for creating and growing this event, and owe it to our sport to promote it in any way we can.
Revenge is a powerful sports motivator and it may become an important theme at this weight class. Many of these wrestlers have a history with one another that predates high school competition. For example, Cory Opfer, one of last year’s favorites at this weight class, cruised into the state semi-finals after two easy wins and was rudely awakened by Lucas Huffman, who yanked him to his back and went on to defeat him 9-4. Opfer recovered to gain two more easy wins, but third place isn’t what the Opfers are about. This year it’s time to make amends and Opfer, now a sophomore, has been excellent. He defeated Division I state champion Iovine at the MWC and his only loss at 112# has been to the excellent Federico 10-1.
Huffman, now a senior, also has something to prove. After his big win over Opfer he never got going in the finals and lost a narrow 3-2 decision to Lipp. Very determined he got to 112# early and has not yet been challenged. No doubt he will be further motivated by this particular selection. He has already won this year at Malvern, Beallsville, Union Local, and Shadyside.
Scaletta also finished 3rd last year as a freshman, but I’m sure he thinks it could have been even more. After defeating the very rugged Schafer in the quarterfinals he battled Wyant into overtime. Actually I thought Scaletta might have been slightly the better of the two boys (a difficult admission since I picked Wyant), but Wyant won in overtime. This year Scaletta has dominated smaller tournaments and was a very good 2nd at Brecksville, losing only to the ubiquitous Federico 5-0. While this trio is excellent, they’ll face, as I started this essay, very strong competition.
The Marion District is both strong and deep. Huffman has not matched up with many of them to date so his dominance is not assured. Foremost is one of the outstanding freshmen, Mick Nicola. Last year he won the junior high state title at a weight class that also featured (among others) Kevin Lipp and Jacob Murton. He dominated at Bellaire St. John, and his only loss has been to Terry Jackson, 7-5. He’ll win a state championship or two before he’s done. Also at this weight class are returning state qualifiers Minner, Ewing, Riley, and Seidler. Ewing, top-rated in Columbus, won at West Jefferson, Hamilton Township, and Sheridan, where he beat Grosswiler to win the OW. Minner won a state bout last year, and along with Wilson has given Pleasant a great 1-2 punch at the top of their line-up. Riley has won several tournaments for Madison Plains and should improve on his 0-2 record at Columbus last year, if he can get there. In a normal year Seidler would expect to easily qualify, but he will struggle to do so this season. Garee is good, as is Grossi, but they are at the wrong weight class.
Unbelievably, it’s even more crowded at Elyria Catholic and even Opfer is not a lock to get out. I count nine wrestlers with state caliber credentials. Opfer and Scaletta lead my list, but the other three exceptional freshmen are all here. Lipp watched his older brother take the state title at this weight as a freshman last year, and hopes that lightning strikes twice in the same place. He took the title at Solon, but was 3rd at both Riverside and Kenston. Koballa, a junior high state runner-up last year, has been very good. He has been 2nd three times this year – at Solon (to Lipp 3-1), North Canton, and the Big Eight. He was 3rd at Wadsworth, losing only to state champion Compton. I don’t know as much about Pycraft. However, he was runner-up at Lorain Southview, losing only 5-2 to the explosive Mitcheff, and has won a couple of smaller tourneys. His reputation and his genes are both excellent. That’s five outstanding candidates, but there is much more. State qualifier Tinnel won a bout at Columbus last year. This year he was 2nd at Edison and Bellevue (losing by fall to Scaletta), and 7th at Brecksville. State qualifier Amburgey is also good. He defeated Tinnel at last year’s district in a tiebreaker, but lost twice at states. This year he humbled state champion Wyant at the A Classic in a 4-0 win. Add in the D-3 champ Hambrick – a pin master – and the steady Grosswiler and it adds up to a lot of heartbreak. Ironically the four boys out of the Northwest District that were shuttled to Elyria Catholic would probably all qualify out of Waite.
There is not much left at Waite. No state qualifiers, no fabulous freshmen (well, maybe one), and no state placement hopes. Weller and Karnes were the consolation finalists at the A Classic and they might be the best here. Lopez is that one freshman, and he looks to be real good. Abair and Smith are also top contenders here, but this is the district you’ll want to draw into at Columbus.
There are four returning state qualifiers at Xenia, and if the bracketing works out, they should be the qualifiers. Harris is the best. He beat Mosher early and lost to Huffman by a narrow 4-2 margin. His highlight this year was winning the giant GMVWA, finishing ahead of state placer Penny, Depoy, and Kostoff. Despite all of the big names from other districts, he has placement potential. Bernholt is not that far behind. He, too, placed at the GMVWA and won two state bouts last year, over Tinnel and LeJeune. Factor in Steiner and Robbe and this is a very representative district at a very difficult weight class. Two caveats need be made here. The bracketing could work so that one of the top four cannot get out, or there could be a big upset. The key figure in both cases is Traugh who has chances either way.
119#
Projected Champion: JORDAN LIPP (BEACHWOOD)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Schafer (Monroeville) | 16 | Martinez (Wauseon) |
| 3 | Keyes (Berkshire) | 17 | Bey (Versailles) |
| 4 | Kagey (Newark Catholic) | 18 | Gossett (Union Local) |
| 5 | Mosher (Mogadore) | 19 | Senn (Seneca East) |
| 6 | Emery (Harrison Central) | 20 | Mages (Reading) |
| 7 | Tomasone (Chanel) | 21 | Schierloh (Lockland) |
| 8 | Bloniarz (Tinora) | 22 | Hall (Dalton) |
| 9 | Bill (Clearview) | 23 | Sroufe (Ayersville) |
| 10 | LeJeune (Freemont St. Joseph) | 24 | Kief (Miami East) |
| 11 | Rufenacht (Archbold) | 25 | Fox (Newcomerstown) |
| 12 | Riley (Troy Christian) | 26 | Wakefield (Edgerton) |
| 13 | Wilson (Malvern) | 27 | Brown (Carlisle) |
| 14 | Terry (New Albany) | 28 | Sendelbach (New London) |
| 15 | Carver (Westfall) | 29 | Hoppe (Dayton Christian) |
This is not a particularly deep weight class except, again, at the dynamite Elyria Catholic District where six potential state placers will be whittled down to only four. My guess is that at both Xenia and, particularly, Marion some of the excess 112’s may find their way to this weight class.
Jordon Lipp had one of those dream seasons last year. A junior high state champion, he fashioned an undefeated regular season then swept through the tournament process with 12 more wins to complete a perfect year with a state title. Wise beyond his years, he is an intelligent wrestler who does exactly what it takes to win. After easy wins in the first three rounds at Columbus he met the fiercesome Huffman, who had just vanquished Opfer. Wrestling a beautifully choreographed bout he won a close 3-2 victory – his only close bout in the tournament process. This year he extended his winning streak to 46 with a title at Solon, but fell to the buzz saw Deubel in the Kenston final 18-3.
Despite his credentials, Lipp is not assured of qualification at Elyria Catholic. Schafer lost narrowly to Scaletta at Columbus last year and did not place, but he deserved better than that. He got stuck in an unbalanced bracket situation, which put him with Scaletta, Wyant, and Bill. This year he has taken the title at Gibsonburg, Marion Harding, Clyde, and Van Buren, including wins over people like Ysaguirre. He exits the easiest sectional and should get a good draw at the district level. Keyes was the state runner-up at 103# and bitterly disappointed immediately thereafter. He has not been as dominating up two weight classes where he does not have the size advantage he enjoyed last year. He was 3rd at Kenston, also losing to Deubel, 16-1 – but ripped through Jackson Milton. Tomasone is another brilliant Chanel freshman coming off a stellar junior high career. His highlight tournament was a 2nd at Wadsworth to Laughlin. But he placed at both Solon and North Canton as well. Mosher and Bill are both returning state qualifiers, both of whom lost their placement bout at Columbus. If they qualify they can place.
It’s a two-tiered district at Marion with only state placer Kagey and state qualifier Emery on the top level. Kagey got pinned in the first round at Columbus by Opfer, but won three consolation bouts (Emery and Mosher were two of his victims) to get 6th. Most recently he was a sparkling 1st at the CIT. Emery was 2nd at the D-3 classic losing to Mosher in the 30 second tie-breaker. Emery was a state quarter finalist last year losing to Lipp 10-5. Below this duo are a large group looking to capture one of those last two spots. State alternate Wilson and Terry look like slight favorites, but Gossett, who certified at 112#, will probably be back to challenge.
State qualifiers Matt Bloniarz, LeJeune, and Rufenacht head a not so strong group of 119’s at Waite. Bloniarz defeated Rufenacht in the consolation finals at Waite last year, but got hammered by Emery in the first round at Columbus. He won two bouts at 125#, and then lost by only 7-6 to the excellent French. On a hot weekend he could place. LeJeune had a state win last year and won easily at Northwood. He had the bad luck to draw Wyant in the first round last year, but as a district qualifier he could look forward to a much better bracket position. Rufenacht won at the A Classic and has met and beaten most of the other good 119’s in this district. Martinez, Senn, and Sroufe are the top battlers for the last two spots with Wakefield and, maybe, Schalk as possibilities.
State qualifier Riley transferred from Milton Union to Troy Christian and should become the first wrestler from that school to qualify for the state tourney. Below him is a tangled mass led, I think, by Carver, Bey, and Mages. However state alternate Schierloh is a good second-half wrestler who beat Bey last year, but lost to Mages this season. Kief, a transfer from Indiana, may be a factor.
125#
Projected Champion: RANZIE GAMBILL (MIAMI EAST)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Caruso (Beachwood) | 14 | Navarra (Sandy Valley) |
| 3 | Anderson (Barnesville) | 15 | Kunisch (Norwalk St. Paul) |
| 4 | Tucker (Martins Ferry) | 16 | Gibson (Belpre) |
| 5 | Herner (Monroeville) | 17 | Coleman (Fremont St. Joseph) |
| 6 | Cavalier (Newbury) | 18 | Zickafoose (Brookville) |
| 7 | Hill (McComb) | 19 | Schmelzenbach (Shenendoah) |
| 8 | Graessle (West Jefferson) | 20 | Friedman (Chanel) |
| 9 | Ison (Batavia) | 21 | Knisely (Elmwood) |
| 10 | Burrer (Keystone) | 22 | Madden (Delta) |
| 11 | Franz (Waynesville) | 23 | Suffel (Edgerton) |
| 12 | Morris (Cardinal) | 24 | Stapleton (Carlisle) |
| 13 | Steinmetz (Hopewell Loudon) | 25 | Nelson (Tuslaw) |
There is no clear-cut choice at this weight class. Early in the year defending state champion Shearer was competing at this weight and was, in my mind, an overwhelming favorite. However in the end, he was growing too rapidly and has since moved to 135#. That makes it a wide-open race to the top step of the podium with a surprise winner the likely outcome.
As I see it there are four choices that are slightly more likely than anyone else. The most interesting is Ranzie Gambill, who was state runner-up as a freshman and sophomore (the second loss a 3-2 defeat in the 30 second tie breaker). Last year he was unable to compete in the state tourney process, but now returns at this weight class. He was 3rd at the GMVWA, losing only to the sensational freshman Kyle. Caruso lost to Jaggers, and Spencer (to the two state finalists) at the district level and has no state experience. This year he won at Solon (over Turchetta) and Kenston (over Protz). He can be inconsistent, but when he’s good, he just might be the best one here. Anderson was 3rd at this class last year, losing only to Spencer. This year he has won titles at Shadyside, St. Clairsville, and Sheridan (He likes the letter S) and was second to Tucker, 3-2 at Barnesville. Tucker is up three weight classes after a state 4th last year at 103#. He won at Bellaire St. John and Barnesville.
As always the Elyria Catholic District is loaded. We’ve already discussed Caruso, but if my top quartet doesn’t snare the title, the champ will likely be someone from here. Cavalier, twice a state qualifier, was 5th last year after a quarterfinal loss to Opfer. This year he has been somewhat shaky. At the D-3 Classic Hill had him beat in the semi-finals, but allowed some late points that permitted Cavalier to forge a 12-12 tie. Then Hill defaulted in the overtime and Cavalier ended up 2nd to Hamed. At Waite, Cavalier only finished 5th, losing to Morris in the process. I wonder whether the loss of the Spencer twins as workout partners (they moved to Mayfield) has been a huge negative. Herner and Burrer are two excellent wrestlers who have never quite made it to Columbus. They certainly have state caliber talent. Herner has won at Gibsonburg, Bucyrus, and Clyde, and was 2nd at Marion Harding. Morris was 1st at Jackson Milton and 4th at Waite, including that upset win over Cavalier. Nelson and Friedman are other possibilities.
While Tucker and Anderson stand out at Marion, state qualifiers Graessle and Navarra are not far behind. The former won a state bout last year, and had two interesting bouts with Anderson. He lost 14-13 in probably the most exciting district final in the state, but then was dumped 17-7 at Columbus. He has dominated Division III action in the Central District this year. This would leave Schmelzenbach outside the qualifying circle unless he can manufacture an upset.
There is not much placement potential at Waite. Hill, second to Herner at Waite, is the top dog here and he has shown that he can stay with some of the top folks here. State qualifier Steinmetz is probably next best after finishing 3rd at Van Buren and the A Classic, and 1st at Hopewell Loudon. Kunisch and Coleman look good for two state tickets, but Knisely, Madden and Suffel cannot be overlooked. Nedolast (Fostoria St. Wendelin) and Dotson (Liberty Center) are also possibilities.
A reconstituted Gambill should take the title at Xenia. In addition, the fierce rivalry between Ison and Franz should continue with both eventually gaining a place in the state bracket sheet. I look for Gibson to nail down the last spot with Zickafoose, Stapleton, and probably countless others in close pursuit.
130#
Projected Champion: JEFF JAGGERS (CHANEL)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Bernath (Keystone) | 16 | Henry (Versailles) |
| 3 | Cocherl (Pleasant) | 17 | Hampton (Garaway) |
| 4 | Bloniarz (Tinora) | 18 | Nickles (Allen East) |
| 5 | Ezerski (Brookville) | 19 | Kelly (Wauseon) |
| 6 | Gliatta (Edison) | 20 | Adams (Westfall) |
| 7 | Clum (Spencerville) | 21 | Thomas (Elmwood) |
| 8 | Craemer (Smithville) | 22 | Schalk (Hopewell-Loudon) |
| 9 | Shindledecker (Lima CC) | 23 | Buckingham (Calvert)` |
| 10 | Brown (Monroe Central) | 24 | Snyder (Chippewa) |
| 11 | J. Gambill (Miami East) | 25 | Hensley (North College Hill) |
| 12 | Kertesz (Beachwood) | 26 | Allerding (Loudonville) |
| 13 | Eicher (Tuslaw) | 27 | Casebolt (Bloom Carroll) |
| 14 | L. McGhee (Clear Fork) | 28 | Dobereiner (Waterford) |
| 15 | Autullo (Fremont St. Joseph) | 29 | Cottrill (Madison Plains) |
| 30 | Dierkes (Jackson Milton) |
At last! A weight class where there is just one dominating figure. Jeff Jaggers is on track to win his 5th consecutive state title (two junior high titles, plus two state titles to-date). A dominating foe, there is no one in Division III who can compete with him. Last year he did not go six minutes in any of his four bouts, winning by technical fall over Spencer in the finals, 19-4. This year he has won four tourney titles, but has split two great bouts with Division II choice Josh Zupancic, losing 11-10 and winning 7-6. In both cases I thought his conditioning might be suspect, but it won’t matter here. He will be highly recruited next year.
The best district is – surprise – at Elyria Catholic. Bernath, who was district runner-up to Jaggers last year (it took 73 seconds) was 4th last year, defaulting in the consolation finals. He is an excellent wrestler who could well meet Jaggers in the sectional, district, and state finals. Craemer lost his district semi-final to Hamed (who ended up 3rd) by a 5-4 count, and then failed to qualify. He missed the early part of the year, but won impressively at Chippewa. There is a real logjam after this trio. Gliatta, Kertesz and Eicher are all possibilities, but so too are state qualifier McGhee, Snyder, Allerding, and Dierkes (Jackson-Milton). It should be a frantic race for the two bottom slots, with Craemer in the lead.
State qualifier Cocherl should dominate a curiously weak Marion District. He had one win at Columbus last year and should better than that this time around. He has been at 135# much of the year, but his district is much easier at this weight. He took titles at Bishop Ready and North Union and should have a great opportunity for a high place. Brown won the D-3 Classic and has the look of a district finalist. During the past few years Monroe Central has developed some excellent wrestlers and this year is no exception. State alternate Hampton is returning from a broken ankle, and has just begun wrestling. Still, he was 2nd to Craemer at Chippewa. After that it’s “by guess and by golly” with Cottrill, Casebolt, and Workman as the prime candidates.
It’s like we’ve gone back in a time warp to the 1970’s when I look at the Xenia District. The one exception is state alternate Ezerski who is down two weight classes. Should he be able to compete at this level, he will be very tough. He was at 135# at GMVWA and finished 3rd defeating Ryan Wilson in the consolation finals and losing only to the excellent Midlam. Watch for him. That leaves five prime contenders for just three spots. The freshman Jake Gambill is a national age group champ and was 7th at the GMVWA. Hensley is ranked as the best Division III 130-pounder in Cincinnati, with a 13-1 record and wins at Deer Park and Lockland. Dobereiner was one win from Columbus last year and won at Beallsville and Belpre. Adams was also one win from Columbus last year and was 2nd at Madeira. And Henry is from Versailles and that Henry family is always good. Take your pick.
There is also an overload of state candidates at Waite, but not at a performance level that will generate many state placement opportunities. State alternate Bloniarz and state qualifier Clum are probably the best here. Bloniarz was runner-up at Perrysburg, losing only to Oberdove, but was not so fortunate at Medina where he lost early to Eicher. Clum wrestles an easier schedule, but I was impressed with his big win over McCreary at Marion Harding finals. Shindledecker started slow with only a 3rd at Gibsonburg, but bounced back to win at Rogers and the A Classic. Kelly, whom I didn’t recall from last year, was 3rd at Rogers and the A Classic, and won at Oak Harbor. That’s my “starting” quartet, but the back-up guys may be just as good. That includes Autullo, Thomas, Nickles and Schalk, who won at Gibsonburg and Hopewell-Loudon, and was 2nd at the A Classic and Van Buren. He might be way better than I’ve rated him. That still leaves state qualifier Buckingham (who beat Schalk once this year), Wagner and Barton to be factored into this equation with eleven variables.
135#
Projected Champion: TANNER SHEARER (SANDUSKY ST. MARY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Moss (Delta) | 15 | Waldman (Summit Country Day) |
| 3 | Meyers (Cuyahoga Hts.) | 16 | Weyer (Bluffton) |
| 4 | Grigson (Northwood) | 17 | Nolan (Collins Western Reserve) |
| 5 | Borders (River Valley) | 18 | Lanham (Middletown Madison) |
| 6 | Paparone (Chanel) | 19 | Nichols (West Jefferson) |
| 7 | Stapleton (Carlisle) | 20 | Smith (Fisher Catholic) |
| 8 | Gracia (Archbold) | 21 | Spohn (Cincy Hills Christian) |
| 9 | Bennington (Newcomerstown) | 22 | Jahnz (Lima CC) |
| 10 | Mulholland (Mohawk) | 23 | Aberegg (Beallsville) |
| 11 | Smith (Versailles) | 24 | Bodey (West Liberty Salem) |
| 12 | Steiner (Chippewa) | 25 | Pallotta (Lutheran West) |
| 13 | Shaver (Waynesville) | 26 | Yeary (Williamsburg) |
| 14 | Mamone (Martins Ferry) |
For the past two years Chanel has been the team to beat in Division III, but they did not win either time. Two years ago injuries and bad wrestling luck cost them the team title by ½ point, and last year bad luck at the brackets (compared to tremendous draws for Sandusky St. Mary) and some shaky wrestling cost them the title. Now this year the shoe is on the other foot. St. Mary is now the big favorite, but they have been bedeviled by injuries, and weight problems. So they’ve gone to Plan “B” which, I believe, will start here.
Defending state champion (at 119#) Tanner Shearer began the year at 125# and looked like a sure shot to win another state title. After all he was 57-0 last year, with no close bouts with Division III folks – except the last, tense, nail-biting final against Tierney won on a 30 second ride-out. Shearer had grown too much and so it was on to 130# – or was it. Suddenly we see him at 135# eating and smiling, and happy, and not having to wrestle Jaggers (that’s why he is smiling). The question remains how well will he perform at this weight class, and that answer is still to be determined, but my guess is “just fine.”
Shearer will face tough competition at Elyria Catholic with four other state qualifiers in that bracket. Meyers, a district champion, had a puzzling state tourney going two and out. This year he has been at 140# much of the time, and with great success. He’ll place this year – and toward the top end of the podium. Paparone, a two-time qualifier, was 5th two years ago at 112#, but failed to place last year. He started at 145# this year and has now apparently settled here. He was 4th at Solon and North Canton (at 145#), 2nd at Wadsworth (at 140#), and 2nd at the Big Eight (to Lang at 135#). This could be a pivotal weight for the team title. Steiner and Nolan may have to battle for just one spot if they want to return to Columbus. Last year Steiner defeated Nolan 9-7 in a first round consolation bout. Pallotta and a bevy of others may have to wait until next year, unless they’re seniors.
The sophomore Moss, already a state qualifier, has become a hammer in the Northwest District. He’s now only losing to the very best kids like Flake or Martin, or Shearer’s teammate, Young. If he doesn’t win it this year his time will come soon thereafter. He has lots of good company at Waite. I’ve always liked state qualifier Grigson and he should place after just missing last year. He’s won at Northwood and Sylvania Southview. Gracia wrestled at the district level at 160# and has dropped four weight classes (shades of Jake Glover). He won the A Classic over state placer Mulholland and they may meet again at the district level. Factor in state qualifier Weyer and Rogers champ Jahnz and this district begins to look like Elyria Catholic.
State qualifiers Bennington and Borders should lead the way at Marion. Bennington has already qualified twice and a couple of state wins would be a fitting climax for an exceptionally fine career. Borders, now a junior, is top-rated in the Columbus area after another excellent year. He beat Moss in overtime last year and a rematch would be a great gauge of their progress. Mamone is a good third choice, but there really is no standout fourth option.
The Xenia District is also strong at this weight class. Stapleton won two state bouts last year and has moved forward this year. He was 2nd to a Kentucky champion at Carlisle and beat Ezerski at Waynesville. State qualifier Shaver also returns, as does the puzzling Smith. Two years ago Smith was one bout from state placement, but last year failed to gain a return trip. This year he placed at the GMVWA at 140# and should catch that return visit this year. That leaves Waldman and Lanham as the top choices for the last spot and they are very close. Lanham won two district bouts last year and three tourneys this year. He’s close to going.
140#
Projected Champion: MATT SAMMONS (CVCA)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Young (Sandusky St. Mary) | 16 | Ferguson (Monroe Central) |
| 3 | B. Gliatta (Edison) | 17 | Janas (Chippewa) |
| 4 | Walker (Utica) | 18 | Hicks (Chanel) |
| 5 | Knoop (Miami East) | 19 | Coopman (Wauseon) |
| 6 | Fleming (Jonathan Alder) | 20 | Long (Grandview Hts.) |
| 7 | Majer (Richmond Hts.) | 21 | McFarland (Brookfield) |
| 8 | Burkholder (Delta) | 22 | J. Miller (Garaway) |
| 9 | Reynolds (Carlisle) | 23 | Bogden (Huron) |
| 10 | Eicher (Tuslaw) | 24 | Lewis (West Liberty Salem) |
| 11 | Stuckey (Archbold) | 25 | Bugner (Fostoria St. Wendelin) |
| 12 | Hoff (Liberty Center) | 26 | Loreaux (Summit Country Day) |
| 13 | Gratz (Bluffton) | 27 | T. Mack (Allen East) |
| 14 | Bruce (Bellaire) | 28 | Comer (Ledgemont) |
| 15 | Hunkler (Barnesville) | 29 | Schultz (Batavia) |
There seems to be in Division III more than the normal maneuvering by wrestlers and coaches seeking the perfect weight class. It is, for example, very evident at 140# where several wrestlers may still decide to compete elsewhere. I would not be greatly surprised if both of my top choices were, for one reason or another, not participating at 140#. Nonetheless, my intent is to approach this analysis as if these weight classes are fixed, though I’ll mention some possible changes.
My choice is the physical senior from CVCA, Matt Sammons. Last year he was 3rd at both the district and state level, winning four consecutive bouts in the consolation rounds. He has been at 145# much of the year and the cut to 140# cannot be an easy one. Still, strategically, it sets him up for an all-out effort to achieve a state title in his senior year. He won the D-3 Classic at 145# in a tough weight class, but did not wrestle at Medina. This will be two tough weekends as his district bracket may be nearly as difficult as his state one. A major risk is early round action where he is cold, nervous, and right on weight. It’s a time when upsets seem to blossom.
The Elyria Catholic District is very strong, anchored by three state placers and two other returning qualifiers. Young has certified at 135#, but will probably be here if, as expected, Shearer moves to 135#. I think it’s a good fit. A state runner-up last year at 130#, Young is very good in close bouts, and will be quicker than most opponents at this class. He wrestled a brilliant bout against my choice, Tierney, in the quarterfinals, and had solid winning chances in his one-point final loss. He was 4th at Medina. Gliatta was 5th last year at 135#, and both losses were very close to Ralph – the last one on tiebreaker. This year he won at Edison and was 2nd at Bellevue (losing to Meyers). He should place once again. Also returning are state qualifiers Majer and Eicher, and they are both good. Majer has won their two bouts – last year’s district and this year’s D-3 Classic – by one point. Gliatta beat both of them in state consolation rounds last year. Majer also won at Clyde and was runner-up at Kenston. There are several other possibilities here. Janas has had a sparkling year including a runner-up finish at Chippewa, losing only to Blunk. Hicks had manufactured a solid season at 135#, but has now switched weight classes with Paparone. McFarland and Comer would have good placement chances at the other district, but will need good fortune to escape this district.
The Marion District is also strong. Walker is a two-time state qualifier who was just on the edge of placement in Division II last year. This year he should reach that level. State qualifier Fleming lost a 10-7 decision to Sammons in the first round at Columbus and then won a consolation bout before being eliminated. State qualifier Ferguson, Bruce, and Hunkler are not strangers to one another. This year Bruce has made solid improvement and may now be the best of the trio and fully capable of challenging Walker and Fleming. He won at Bellaire St. John and Shadyside, pounding Hunkler in that final. Hunkler has won three times, Sheridan, St. Clairsville, and Barnesville, and defeated Ferguson at the latter event. Ferguson was 5th at the D-3 Classic losing 7-0 to Eicher.
The Northwest District is quite crowded, but I’m not sure at exactly what level. I’ve rated the top quartet very close to one another, and they may deserve to be somewhat closer to the top. Gratz, a state qualifier last year, moves from the Xenia to the Waite District, and this may not be the best weight class to do that. He won at Van Buren and Lincolnview, but will face stiff competition here. Hoff is a great freshman whose potential has been noted to me in several e-mails, but Stuckey did stick him in the A Classic final. State qualifier Burkholder may be the best of the lot right now. He placed at Waite and Brecksville (at 145#), but his results always seem a little inconsistent to me. Bogden will be the wild card here.
State placer Knoop and state qualifier Reynolds are well above the rest of the field at Xenia. Knoop was 6th last year losing to Gliatta in that bout, but wrestled very well after a first round loss. He defeated Burkholder by two during that consolation run. He was 2nd at the GMVWA losing only to the excellent Division II wrestler, Aaron Martin. Reynolds lost two state bouts by a total of three points last year. I don’t have him losing this year with wins at Carlisle and Waynesville. After that the competition is wide open with the last two qualifiers likely to face big trouble in the first round at the Schott.
145#
Projected Champion: JOHNNY VOGEL (GRANDVIEW HTS.)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Wilson (Monroe Central) | 14 | Youngen (Garaway) |
| 3 | Fearon (Kirtland) | 15 | Geers (Madison Plains) |
| 4 | McCreary (Newbury) | 16 | McGaharan (Northwood) |
| 5 | Wright (Chanel) | 17 | Rammel (Spencerville) |
| 6 | Irwin (Shadyside) | 18 | Bologna (Monroe Central) |
| 7 | Bryant (Clinton Massie) | 19 | Kisella (Richmond Hts.) |
| 8 | Baum (Sandusky St. Mary) | 20 | Chapman (Hopewell-Loudon) |
| 9 | Shannon (Bluffton) | 21 | Muldrow (Summit Country Day) |
| 10 | Smith (Chippewa) | 22 | Ross (New Albany) |
| 11 | Racheter (Lakota) | 23 | Layton (Edison) |
| 12 | Hill (Liberty Center) | 24 | Voisard (Versailles) |
| 13 | Burton (Miami East) | 25 | Porter (Wauseon) |
| 26 | Goins (Crooksville) |
There are eight returning state champions returning in Division III and, except for Jaggers, picking them to win again is problematical. In almost every case they have to be looked at as favorites, but they are not the big hearty, virtually nothing could go wrong favorites. And so it is here. Vogel was 6th as a sophomore and then wrestled extremely well at Columbus, was never in serious trouble in any of his four bouts, and came home with a state title. His much-anticipated match-up with Lohman in the final round failed to materialize when Lohman hit his head in the first ten seconds and briefly lost consciousness. Doctors wisely ended the bout. It was Grandview’s first state title and led them to a third place finish in the team race. It also completely erased the belief– held by some– that they couldn’t win at the state level. This is an excellent program that gets better every year. Vogel was a very strong 2nd at Medina, losing only to Division I selection Travis Kovach, 3-2.
Vogel’s toughest competition might come from his own district. Wilson, already a three-time state qualifier, was runner-up at this weight class, losing to Marcus Gordon. Wilson appears to be an excellent athlete (all-state football) who should give Vogel problems, although Vogel defeated him at the district finals two years ago. Wilson’s only loss was at 152# when the fierce Smilek manhandled him, 10-0, at the D-3 Classic final. State qualifier Irwin is also here after winning a bout in Columbus last year. Vogel beat him 5-2 in the district semifinals last year. This year Irwin has won at Bellaire St. John, Shadyside, and St. Clairsville. Only a junior, he will be exceedingly tough next year. The last opening should be a struggle between two Columbus area wrestlers (Geers and Ross) and two wrestlers from the Eastern District (Bologna and Youngen).
Defending district champion and state qualifier Bryant has placement potential, qualifying out of the Xenia District. It’s a rather thin district with few challengers for him. Burton had 33 wins last year, but only one of those was at the district level. However, he was an impressive 4th at the GMVWA and looks to be second best at this district. Muldrow won at Madeira, while Goins and Voisard (just recently installed in the line-up) are possibilities. It looks like there is plenty of opportunity here for others.
There are a number of potential placers at Elyria Catholic, maybe even a finalist. Fearon was 4th last year after losing 9-8 in the first round. He was 2nd at the D-3 Classic, losing to Sammons. He does not wrestle a real rugged schedule, but he seems ready for the big meets. State qualifier McCreary lost to Vogel in the first round at Columbus, and then to Sammons (again) two rounds later. He went toe-to-toe with Fearon at the D-3, finally losing in overtime. Wright, also a state qualifier, was the 140# district champ, but was upset in the first round, and despite two consolation round wins (one over Irwin) did not place. He has been at 152# and placed 2nd at Solon and North Canton and 3rd at Wadsworth. Baum, only a sophomore, has excellent credentials at the youth level. Last year as a freshman 152-pounder he won 33 bouts, but lost both his district encounters. He is the likely fourth qualifier. The big obstacles to this top quartet are Smith and Kisella, along with, perhaps, Windom (Waynedale). I particularly like Smith who is a pinner.
Much as we saw at 140#, the Waite District is tightly bunched, but at a respectful distance from the very top boys. Again, we’ll see a lot of churning with results from one weekend not being good predictors of what will happen the following weekend. I’ve ranked Shannon and Racheter as best here, but the top three are very close. Hill, who is very tough on top, has had vacillating results but, I believe, has the most upside potential. He’s the guy to watch when this group gets to Columbus. McGaharan and Rammel should engage in an epic struggle for that fourth berth, with Layton and Porter having little hope.
152#
Projected Champion: JOE WHELAN (SANDUSKY ST. MARY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Smilek (CVCA) | 16 | Bays (Otsego) |
| 3 | Hardy (Grandview Hts.) | 17 | Riley (New London) |
| 4 | Roppel (Chanel) | 18 | Burton (Chippewa) |
| 5 | Bahmer (Barnesville) | 19 | Lehn (Batavia) |
| 6 | Merillat (Archbold) | 20 | Jones (Bellaire St. John) |
| 7 | Lichty (Ayersville) | 21 | Thomason (Lima CC) |
| 8 | Thompson (Seneca East) | 22 | Horn (Columbia Sta.) |
| 9 | Baldridge (Galion Northmor) | 23 | McKnight (Carlisle) |
| 10 | Keiser (Cincinnati Country Day) | 24 | Dellaposta (Middletown Madison) |
| 11 | Emery (Crestview) | 25 | Baker (Harrison Central) |
| 12 | Bellottie (Keystone) | 26 | S. Mack (Tinora) |
| 13 | J. Studer (Mohawk) | 27 | Bender (Caldwell) |
| 14 | Fisher (Wauseon) | 28 | Goble (Wellington) |
| 15 | Bates (Jonathan Alder) | 29 | Bedford (Woodmore) |
| 30 | Owens (Oakwood) |
Let’s face it – three can be a very awkward number. Whether we’re talking about love or wrestling it becomes a complicating factor. What we have here is a three-man battle – each of whom has put together an impressive resume. One of them, probably the Elyria Catholic champion, will catch a break, as the other two must wrestle each other before they can get to him.
Joe Whelan won the super tough 140# class at Waite last year and was a state semifinalist before finishing 4th. This year he has been little short of awesome while winning at the Midwest Classic (over Kuhner) and Brecksville (over Monk). He has to be a slim favorite.
Matt Smilek has been almost as good. He was 3rd last year at 130# and has moved up four weight classes. He will be a small 152 pounder, but he is very strong and preternaturally quick. He dominated at the D-3 Classic, beating state runner-up Wilson (who looked bigger) 10-0. He was a finalist at Medina, defeating Butzer and Foster, but losing a squeaker to Kuhner 6-5. Already a three-time state placer (3-6-3) all he needs now is a state title.
Pat Hardy was 3rd last year, losing only to two-time champ Marcus Gordon. He was 2nd at his district (losing to Wilson), but ended the year with 40 victories. This year he has been a champ everywhere but at Medina where a first round upset loss threw him in that tortuous consolation maze where he lost (eventually) to Butzer. He and Vogel are a superb one-two punch for Grandview Hts.
Whelan and Smilek are the two best at Elyria Catholic, but Roppel is gaining on them. He has a pair of second place finishes, a third, and a fourth at four major tourneys where, generally, he competed at 160#. I originally thought that Keck at 152# for Jackson-Milton was returning state quarterfinalist Lee Keck, but apparently it is Adam. That solves a major problem for the top trio. It also gives the fiery Emery, freshman Bellottie (State Junior High 2nd), and Burton far better odds of qualifying. Horn might just blast by this whole group.
Hardy has a much easier district. State qualifier Bahmer is his chief obstacle, but Hardy did beat him at districts, 5-3. Bahmer has already won three tourneys this year, beating the excellent Shriner twice. The Central District, with Hardy, Baldridge, and Bates should dominate at this weight. I particularly like Gorman champ Baldridge, who will try to follow Dollaway’s state title – Northmor’s first – with one of his own
We have a mini-three man battle at Waite. State qualifier Lichty, state alternate Merillat, and district 6th Thompson are all back, Merillat for a new school. Lichty beat Merillat 3-2 and Thompson 4-1, while Merillat defeated Thompson 3-2. The transitive holds here, at least until next week. However, I still think that Merillat has better statewide potential. There is a big falloff after this threesome, with folks like J. Studer, Fisher, Bays, and Bedford well behind.
There isn’t much at the Xenia District except state qualifiers Whitt and Keiser, and they went 0-4 at Columbus last year. Keiser has won at Norwood and Lockland, while Whitt, who spent some time at 160#, was 2nd at Madeira. Lehn is my choice for the third spot, with McKnight, Dellaposta and Owens hoping to grasp that last ticket to the Schott. There isn’t a lot of sleep being lost in the other districts over Xenia.
160#
Projected Champion: A. J. Aeschlimann (tuslaw)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Petrella (Hartley) | 15 | Burkhart (Shadyside) |
| 3 | R. Mack (Tinora) | 16 | Myers (Sandy Valley) |
| 4 | Bolanis (Sandusky St. Mary) | 17 | Miller (Manchester) |
| 5 | Sutter (Grandview Hts.) | 18 | Mignin (Archbold) |
| 6 | Mages (Reading) | 19 | Dobereiner (Waterford) |
| 7 | Keough (Brooklyn) | 20 | Myers (Harrison Central) |
| 8 | Hickey (Elyria Catholic) | 21 | Cletzer (Columbia Sta.) |
| 9 | Fischer (Worthington Christian) | 22 | Strasbaugh (Versailles) |
| 10 | Kostel (Cuyahoga Hts.) | 23 | Utrup (Columbus Grove) |
| 11 | Ross (Seneca East) | 24 | Brinkman (Chippewa) |
| 12 | Gery (Carey) | 25 | Schumacher (Monroe Central) |
| 13 | McNeal (Dixie) | 26 | Coates (Greeneview) |
| 14 | Frank (Stryker) | 27 | Hitt (Covington) |
Sports Illustrated has a tongue-in-cheek feature entitled “This Week’s Sign of the Apocalypse” where some strange or ironic athletic activity is chronicled. Under that heading we might well note that Jimmy Jewett (Dixie), a state placer at this weight class last year, quit wrestling –to play varsity basketball this year. Of those that remain, my choice is the senior A. J. Aeschlimann, the pin-happy senior from Tuslaw. A mild favorite last year, he went to the state meet with a serious injury and failed to place. This year, healthy once more, he has won three tournaments, including the D-3 Classic, the Dies, and Northwest. Rangy and very athletic, he will face a solid field that features three dominant challengers.
One of those challengers will be at the Elyria Catholic District with him. P. J. Bolanis. (this will obviously be a district big on initials) moved from Oak Harbor to St. Mary’s this year. He was a Division II district semifinalist last year before losing to eventual state champ Maxworthy. He has been hampered by injuries all year, but when healthy he is very good. Keough surprised me last year by qualifying for Columbus in a very strong district. This year he has placement potential but, again, as it was last year, this is a difficult district. State alternate Hickey has wrestled Keough more times than I can count. He’ll battle him again at the sectional and district level, along with Kostel and Cletzer, for a state berth. All four exit the same sectional. Add in Miller, Brinkman and Vernon and Elyria Catholic is a district that will not allow you to make any mistakes.
Petrella is an even bigger threat to Aeschlimann. Ranked at the top in the Columbus area, he won at Ready and Hamilton Twp., and was 2nd at the CIT, losing to Caponi. He ended up 5th in the state last year, but should do even better come early March. He, like Aeschlimann, faces a crowded district, but it is not quite as strong as Elyria Catholic. State qualifier Sutter is back, along with Fischer, Burkhart, and two different competitors with the last name of Myers. The Sandy Valley Myers was a district 6th last year, while winning 27 times, and was 3rd at Bellaire St. John this year. The Harrison Central Myers was a Junior High State Champion who hasn’t wrestled in two years and is making a comeback (if that’s possible at age 17). Watch for Blackford and Blevins here.
Aeschlimann’s biggest battle, however, may be with Mack who was 3rd last year. Tinora has had some outstanding 160’s (e.g. J. D. Davis) and this lad could be the best one yet. He went 4-1 at the Schott, losing only to eventual champ Nick Roppel in the semifinals. He has dominated his own area and was a very strong 3rd at Medina, losing only to state champion Maxworthy. He was very nearly my choice here. Mack is a senior and it is very likely that his younger brother will carry on the 160# tradition next year. The remainder of the field at Waite is not nearly as strong. I see Ross, Gery, and Frank at about the same level, but it will take a very hot weekend for one of them to place at the state level. I think Van Buren champ Ross is the best of this trio, but he was pinned by Kostel in the Bellevue final. Mignin is the strong dark-horse candidate here, and could well derail one of that top trio. Utrup is also a possibility.
I’ve been impressed with the scores Mages has put up in the Southwest and he looks to be a real factor at this weight class. He was 4th at the very tough SWOCA and won handily at Reading. Last year at 145# he lost a tough, overtime quarterfinal battle to eventual district champ Bryant and kind of faded out of the picture. This year, with Jewett gone, he should top this district. His biggest challenges should come from O’Neal, also from Dixie, and Dobereiner. After this trio the rest of the field is very weak.
171#
Projected Champion: ALEX PICAZO (GRANDVIEW HTS.)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Oxford (Tuslaw) | 16 | Dimmerling (Monroe Central) |
| 3 | Dye (Sandusky St. Mary) | 17 | Barker (Barnesville) |
| 4 | Morgan (Beachwood) | 18 | Simmons (Middletown Madison) |
| 5 | Samsa (Shadyside) | 19 | Fox (Margaretta) |
| 6 | Wright (Tri-County North) | 20 | Bates (Jonathan Alder) |
| 7 | Yoder (Martin’s Ferry) | 21 | Lewis (New London) |
| 8 | Sefsick (Harrison Central) | 22 | Flowers (Edgerton) |
| 9 | Hausch (Stryker) | 23 | Parrish (Carlisle) |
| 10 | Weaver (Seneca East) | 24 | Eichorn (Galion Northmor) |
| 11 | Yoakum (Huron) | 25 | Hood (Columbia Sta.) |
| 12 | D. Sowers (Mohawk) | 26 | Brown (Lakota) |
| 13 | Eilerman (Versailles) | 27 | Day (Clinton Massie) |
| 14 | Schnittger (Lutheran West) | 28 | Beeghley (Waynedale) |
| 15 | Queen (Bluffton) | 29 | Bumgardner (Waynesville) |
This is probably the weakest weight class in the tournament this year. However, it may be one of the most competitive given the variety of styles that will be exhibited. I think there are at least five wrestlers with a 10% probability or better of winning, but none that edge above the 30% mark. In addition, nagging injuries have contributed to some unexpected results and, in some cases, absence from major tourneys that help define a weight class. My choice, Alex Picazo, has missed some time this year, but has manufactured a track record that is impressive. He was 3rd last year, losing only to Ohl, but had several narrow escapes in other rounds. He will not be a dominating choice, and he must be prepared to succeed against a wide range of styles.
Picazo exits one of the best districts. Samsa placed at 145# last year, winning his first two bouts by a single point in two very different ways – 1-0 in the first round and 9-8 in the second. Up three weight classes now, he shut out Yoder to win at Bellaire St. John and also won at Shadyside and St. Clairsville. State qualifiers Yoder and Barker also return although the latter has not wrestled in some time. Yoder’s big win last year at Columbus was a first round triumph over Dye, but then eventual champ Roppel and Ross beat him. Selfsick may actually move ahead of both of them. He was an impressive 3rd at the D-3 Classic. Dimmerling and Eichorn are also very strong, but it’s Bates who could be the upset-maker here. Dimmerling is another name that hasn’t shown up lately, but he was 2nd at Barnesville ahead of some top contenders.
The other good district is at Elyria Catholic. I think Oxford, Dye, and Morgan all have winning chances. Of this group Oxford might have the best opportunity based on his consistency. He has won at the D-3, Dies, and Northwest events, and had horrible bracketing luck at Medina, drawing Grogan in the very first round and only losing 3-1. He seems to be wrestling a good tournament every time out, and that may be enough to win here. Dye is the most dangerous wrestler in this weight class. An exceptional pinner, this sophomore is just starting to get real strong. A state qualifier last year, he was 4th at Brecksville, losing to Knapp in the semifinals. His father, Joe, was the first Division III state champion at this (equivalent) weight class in 1976, and also St. Mary’s first of 17 state winners. Morgan also comes from an excellent wrestling family and is a transfer from Cuyahoga Heights. He’s already won at Solon and Kenston, and should do very well here. Only a junior, he has made rapid strides. The last spot is up for grabs. I think Yoakum has looked good this year, but state qualifier Schnittger, who has battled injuries all year, Fox, and Hood also have hopes. Factor in D-3 winner Beeghly, Lewis, and the powerful Churn, and it should be quite a competition.
There doesn’t seem to be much at Waite. I had state alternate Weaver rated at the top, but then Hausch beat him 19-6 at Van Buren. State qualifier Queen has missed the entire year, but did certify at this weight class. It’s difficult to know what we can expect from him. Dustin Sowers – aka the little Sowers – won the A Classic and was 6th at the GMVWA, and could also figure prominently in the resolution of this weight class. In the far west Flowers has had successes and Alig will be returning to this district after time at Xenia. All in all this is not likely to be a set of qualifiers that have much success at Columbus.
I’m intrigued by Wright at Goshen. A state alternate last year, he was 2nd at GMVWA, losing only to Merkle and finishing ahead of Combs, Sanders, and Sowers. He should have placement chances. State qualifiers Simmons and Eilerman are also back and should return to the Schott. However, the trio of Parrish, Day, and Bumgardner may be better than just one qualifying berth. Smith (Waterford) might also play a role here.
189#
Projected Champion: LARRY REICHARD (NEW ALBANY)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Smith (Columbus Academy) | 15 | Simonds (Tri-County North) |
| 3 | Blackwell (Beachwood) | 16 | Urso (Cardinal) |
| 4 | DeWeese (Berkshire) | 17 | Martin (Clear Fork) |
| 5 | S. Studer (Mohawk) | 18 | Trimble (Northridge) |
| 6 | Bergman (Versailles) | 19 | Dress (Nelsonville York) |
| 7 | Lee (Tusky Valley) | 20 | Van Sickle (Liberty Center) |
| 8 | Schlack (Carey) | 21 | Antonik (Bellaire) |
| 9 | Ayers (Loudonville) | 22 | Miller (New London) |
| 10 | Marion (Bethel Tate) | 23 | Mello (Jonathan Alder) |
| 11 | Mehling (Grandview Hts.) | 24 | Goff (Oakwood) |
| 12 | Poweski (Warren JFK) | 25 | Lambert (Clinton Massie) |
| 13 | J. Gracia (Archbold) | 26 | Powers (Lakota) |
| 14 | Joseph (Licking Hts.) |
This is a weight class that lost some of its focus when state champion Chad Sowers decided to compete at 215#. What that means is that in all likelihood the final will be the last bout in a long high school rivalry between Scott Smith and Larry Reichard. Reichard, a junior, was 5th last year, losing to Sowers in the semifinals. He had beaten the other finalist, Barte, 10-2, at the districts. This year he has been outstanding, finishing 2nd at both the GMVWA (to Clinger) and the Gorman (to Ohl) while winning at Bishop Ready. Smith has been at 215# much of the year, but dropped to 189# at the beginning of the month. He comes from a family of big people and good wrestlers — two older brothers were state qualifiers. He was 6th last year at Columbus. He has lost to Reichard the last four times they met including a dual meet this year. As you might guess there is less scoring in each successive bout, the last one ending at 1-0 (I guess you can’t get any lower than that). I favor Reichard because he is somewhat more mobile and he still has lots of upside. However, when we’re talking about boys who have wrestled a great number of close bouts, anything can happen.
State qualifier Lee is also at Coshocton with Reichard and Smith, and he won a state bout last year. He’s had a second straight excellent season at Tusky Valley, but he’ll struggle against the top duo. Smith defeated him 11-5 last year. The rest of the district is also good, but there is only one state berth left. I think the Central District pair of Mehling and Joseph have the best shot with Antonik and Mello also possibilities. Oldfield, Brickles (Coshocton) and Horn (Shenendoah) have little chance here, but would do well at other districts.
None of the other districts are remotely as strong at Coshocton. It’s a tightly bunched field at Elyria Catholic. Blackwell has had a quantum leap in performance with a 4th at Solon and a 3rd at Kenston. He and state qualifier DeWeese have split two bouts this year. DeWeese won at Jackson-Milton and split consolation final bouts, with Blackwell at Solon and Kenston. He struggled at Columbus last year. Ayers was a district semifinalist last year, crushing Blackwell in the process. I don’t think he’ll be able to do that this year. The results I have for him this year have not been as strong as I anticipated. Poweski was also a district semifinalist and, along with Urso and Martin, will be the principal challengers to the aforementioned trio. Urso was only 4th at Jackson Milton, but then matched that placement at the far tougher Perrysburg Tourney. Go figure.
The Northwest District is not strong at most of the upper weights, apparently saving all of their firepower for 215#. I’ve struggled to put together a comprehensive list of good 189’s and find some consistency in their results. This I have failed to accomplish. In the end I have placed an A classic champ, Studer at the top of the list, but there is no great surety involved in that selection. I do like Schlack to qualify with Gracia probably somewhere near the top of the list as well. Frankly, I thought 2001 Junior High State Champion Van Sickle would be further along at this juncture, but that pivot point could happen at any time.
There is a 189-pound Bergman leading the way at the Goshen District, but no, it’s not J.D. Instead it’s Kyle Bergman who was 3rd at the GMVWA after jumping up two weight classes this year. He will be challenged by a whole boatload of potential qualifiers in a weight class that is surprisingly deep. This district has had, over the past two years, the second poorest state results of all 12 districts. That seems to be changing as one begins to identify greater depth at many weight classes. Both Simonds and Trimble also placed at the tough GMVWA, while Goff was 2nd at Bishop Ready. Marion was a state alternate in Division II last year and will be a major threat at this weight class. Lambert was 3rd at West Jefferson and he’s down from 215# where he won two district bouts. This suggests that state qualifier Dress will have to move it up a notch to qualify, and three or four notches if he wants to be a factor in Columbus.
215#
Projected Champion: MARK NAGEL (DELTA)
Top Contenders
| 2 | C. Sowers (Mohawk) | 14 | Cotterman (Grandview Hts.) |
| 3 | Stookey (Sandusky St. Mary) | 15 | Randolph (Belpre) |
| 4 | Monroe (Waynesville) | 16 | Kraft (Tuslaw) |
| 5 | Wilson (Reading) | 17 | Bachna (Elyria Catholic) |
| 6 | Wellert (Northwestern) | 18 | Kirchner (North Baltimore) |
| 7 | Phile (Cardinal) | 19 | Nuzum (Bluffton) |
| 8 | Slepko (Berkshire) | 20 | Whitt (New Albany) |
| 9 | Thobaden (Clinton Massie) | 21 | Huck (Waterford) |
| 10 | Turnbull (CVCA) | 22 | Keiser (Versailles) |
| 11 | Leach (Shenendoah) | 23 | Compston (Union Local) |
| 12 | Girlie (Ayersville) | 24 | Lewis (Johnstown Monroe) |
| 13 | Schlosser (Montpelier) | 25 | Donovan (Licking Hts.) |
This is an absolutely fantastic weight class – absolutely the best in Division III and nearly on par with 171# in Division II. I don’t remember a better assemblage of wrestlers at the heavier weights in Division III history. We have a pair of state champions and a two-time state runner-up, and a deep weight class surrounding them. Somehow I thought Stookey, Sowers, and Nagel would work this all out. You know – “Chad you go to 189#, and Mark you head up to 275#, and I’ll stay here.” Didn’t happen. So now we’re in for a tremendous treat as three of the best upper weights in Division III history square off for the state championship.
Sower was 3rd at 189# as a sophomore and then captured the state title last year in relatively easy fashion, with only the final with Barte ever in doubt. He is quick and very strong, with excellent balance for a big man. This year he has not tasted defeat and beat Stookey 8-4 in the St. Mary’s duals, but Stookey was clearly not (as we shall soon see) 100% at that time. He has had absolutely no trouble moving up one weight, although he has not wrestled a difficult schedule.
Nagel was a state runner-up as a sophomore, losing to two-time champ Grewell, in a tense, nail biting overtime battle decided on a takedown. He had defeated Sowers in the district final. Then last year Nagel moved up to 215# and again was a finalist (after a titanic struggle with Zaranec). His finals opponent was Stookey, who he had beaten 7-6 at districts. This time it was no contest, as Stookey controlled early and thumped the demoralized Nagel 11-3. It was a victory margin that no one could have predicted. This year Nagel has won at Brecksville, Perrysburg, and Waite, but I sense that he is wrestling more conservatively now, and I don’t think that’s an unalloyed positive.
Stookey was 3rd at 215# as a sophomore and then won 56 bouts last year on his way to the state title. Interestingly, he was at heavyweight as a freshman, but his quickness and technique pay off far better at this weight class. He has wrestled only during the first week of the season and will not return until the week before sectionals. How that will impact him is unclear. He certainly will be fresh, but timing and conditioning could be a factor.
I favor Nagel. He is bigger and stronger than Sowers, and Stookey may still not be 100% at tourney time. The Waite District winner should be away from the other two and that will surely be a positive. Whoever the winner is in Columbus should automatically be awarded the Outstanding Wrestler Award.
Nagel and Sowers will totally dominate at Waite. However, the next big star, freshman, Nick Girlie, could well qualify. A state junior high place winner, he will be the next terrific big man to emerge out of the Northwest District. The rest of the district is a pretty pedestrian lot, but one or two of them will quality.
Stookey will face far fiercer competition at Elyria Catholic. State qualifiers Wellert, Phile, and Turnbull will all be competing with the trio of state alternate Slepko, Kraft, and Bachna right behind them. Wellert would give a perfectly healthy Stookey a competitive match, and certainly has strong placement potential. He was the champion at the Wayne Invitational where he defeated Division II state placer Kuhn, and was a solid 3rd at Wadsworth. Turnbull has missed the entire year to this point, but should be ready to go soon. Phile won at Jackson-Milton and was 3rd at Waite, but did not wrestle Nagel. Bachna was a district semifinalist at heavyweight, and I wonder if qualification might be easier there this year.
There is some strong wrestling at this weight class at the Xenia District. In a normal year a couple could expect state placement, but it will be very tough in 2003. Monroe was a district runner-up last year and drew Stookey in the first round. He gave the eventual state champ by far his biggest scare losing a thriller 14-11. Stookey was never challenged again, and Monroe ended losing in the second consolation round to his nemesis Dusty Johns. Wilson was a state semifinalist, pinning twice, including Wellert, before getting blown out by Stookey 11-1, and falling all the way to 6th place. Thobaden was a district champ at 189# and came one victory short of placement. All three of this trio have had excellent seasons and will be important factors in the hunt for low places at Columbus. Add in Randolph, Huck and Keiser, and this is a district with excellent quality.
The Coshocton District is outmanned and outgunned at this weight class. State qualifier Leach is the lone returnee, but he was pinned in both his state bouts. After him the well has gone dry and there just isn’t much. Song (Coshocton) might have been a factor, but he is out with a torn ACL.
Hvy.
Projected Champion: TONY CAROTHERS (HARRISON CENTRAL)
Top Contenders
| 2 | Bartholomew (Grandview Hts.) | 15 | Taylor (Swanton) |
| 3 | Davia (Union Local) | 16 | Ewing (Northwestern) |
| 4 | Daniels (Madison Plains) | 17 | Brewer (Carlisle) |
| 5 | Highlander(Margaretta) | 18 | Wojtasik (Cardinal) |
| 6 | Hanenkrath (Ayersville) | 19 | Scifers (Fostoria St. Wendelin) |
| 7 | Miller (Crooksville) | 20 | Rohe (Madeira) |
| 8 | Borer (Calvert) | 21 | Snelling (Lockland) |
| 9 | Howell (Sandusky St. Mary) | 22 | McIntire (Newcomerstown) |
| 10 | Ivins (Clinton Massie) | 23 | Catone (Jackson Milton) |
| 11 | Slaughterbeck (Bluffton) | 24 | White (National Trail) |
| 12 | French (Columbia Sta.) | 25 | Jones (Hicksville) |
| 13 | LouAllen (Deer Park) | 26 | Baker (Tuslaw) |
| 14 | Duvall (Bellaire) |
As was certainly convincingly demonstrated last year just about anything can happen in the heavyweight classification. There were upsets galore, overtime thrillers, sudden pins, and an unexpected winner. I think you can expect more of the same this year, as there are no dominating figures at this weight class. In fact, the overall quality at heavyweight is far less than it has been in the past few years. It also is an unbalanced distribution, with one district far superior to the other three. This is all bad news for forecasting types, but should provide plenty of entertainment for the wrestling fan.
It all happens at Coshocton. I would not be surprised to find all four semifinalists from this district. And because they vary widely in size and style, the bracketing at the district level may be a key factor in the order of finish. A natural consequence is that we may not have consistency from week to week. Do not be shocked that the eventual state champ will not have won the district. That is, in fact, what happened last year when Davia was the state titleholder, but failed to win at the OVAC, his sectional or his district. My choice is the stocky senior, Tony Carothers, from Harrison Central. Short, blocky, with quick feet, Carothers is very difficult to score against and is great at attacking opponent’s mistakes. He was a state semifinalist last year before getting pinned by Mariast and falling to 6th. This year he has won everything and his performance at the D-3 Classic was awesome. He checks in at right about the heavyweight limit, and he is the defending district champion. Bartholomew is the lightest of these four heavyweights, but he has exceptional speed and guile. He was a state quarter-finalist, pinned also by Mariast, and fell an overtime loss short of placement. He was injured at Medina after winning two bouts and had to forfeit his remaining contests. He did win handily at Hamilton Township. Daniels has won at Madison Plains, but does not wrestle an overly ambitious schedule. He is slightly larger than Bartholomew. That leaves defending champ Davia, who is right at the heavyweight limit. He had the hot hand last year at Columbus, winning the coin toss to escape in the 30-second overtime in the first round against Miller, and winning 4-3 in the next round. Then suddenly he racked up falls in the last two rounds to take home the title. It was a bravura performance. I would have bet the mortgage on Mariast. In fact, we were telecasting the Division I final, and when I heard the scream for a quick fall I just assumed it was Mariast winning. This year Davia won at Barnesville, but has lost at least once this year. Hopefully each of this quartet gets a full shot at qualification, and I believe that they will since it is likely that they will all be at a different sectionals. Duvall, equal in size to Carothers and Davia, and Givens, who missed last year, have some upset potential, as does McIntire.
For virtually the only time, I can report that there are not many placement possibilities at Elyria Catholic. I liked what I saw of Highlander and, except for the Coshocton heavyweights, he’s probably as good as it gets. He missed state qualification by three points last year, and should have placement chances here. Howell looked good at Medina and could well be second best here. Wojtasik is a light, mobile heavyweight, while French is about the same size as Howell. Nobody here has state experience, and no one here has the size and strength we saw at Coshocton.
The heavyweight picture is no brighter at Waite. Hanenkrath has good size and good results, but lacks district experience. He pinned Borer to win the A Classic, and majored Jones, but was 2nd at Lincolnview to Kaverman. Fluke pin or important fact? Borer has been a consistent placer and he has the size to match up with anyone. I saw Slaughterbeck at the first junior high state tourney, and I’ve been waiting for him to blossom every since. This is his last chance, and he finally is beginning to win. Taylor, Scifers, Jones, and Harrington (Stryker) are all other possibilities, but it really is wide-open right up to the championship position. Other possibilities could be Kaverman (Delphos Jefferson) or Ruhlen (Hopewell-Loudon).
Xenia might turn out to be the second best district at this weight class. Miller, Ivins, and LouAllen all have state experience, although none of them have won a bout there last year. Ivins won easily at West Jefferson, but neither Bartholomew nor Daniels were there to be challenged. Snelling has won at Reading, Norwood, and Lockland and, perhaps, should be rated more highly. LouAllen won at Deer Park, but was upset by Rohe at Madeira. Brewer took the title at Waynesville so there is a lot of give and take at this district. It’ll be interesting to see how the four qualifiers do at Columbus.
TEAMS
1. Sandusky St. Mary – A team that was supposed to dominate this year and have no trouble repeating may just be vulnerable after all. Injuries, weight issues, and performance questions could give Chanel a chance. They need to get Shearer, Young and Baum at the right weight classes for optimum team performance, and for whelan and Dye to put points on the board. A critical component is to have a healthy Stookey and Bolanis in Columbus. Given all that Jude Roth will sleep at night and they’ll run away with it
2. Chanel – A re-building year, which means they’ll only be in line for runner-up trophy. However, this is the one team that could really challenge St. Mary if they falter. It all happens in the first nine weight classes because they are very inexperienced after that. Jaggers is, of course, unstoppable and Wright and Paparone can score at the state level. Gardella has made amazing strides while Roppel continues to improve. The freshmen Koballa and Tomasone have undeniable talent, but are question marks at the state level.
3. Beachwood – State champion Jordan Lipp and younger brother Kevin will score heavily at 119# and 112#. Not only that they still have a combined five more years of eligibility after this. They should also have some heavy lifting done by the big guys Morgan and Blackwell. The key component, though, is the senior, Caruso, who must not only get to Columbus, but must score there as well.
4. Grandview Hts. – This is a team that proved it could do it on center stage last year, and now has a shot at the runner-up trophy. The big four of state champion Vogel, state placers Hardy and Picazo, and state qualifier Bartholomew have to score and score and score. Extra points will be difficult, but, perhaps, Sutter, Mehling or Long can help.
5. Tuslaw – Another team that has built a solid program and is now ready to stand up and be recognized. Aeshlimann and Marthey are their big guns and are potential finalists. Oxford is the secret weapon who could score big at 171# while Kraft and some of the three Eicher should help out.
6. Cuyahoga Hts. – Meyers, Scaletta, and Lint are just about everything there is but they are an excellent trio capable of top Four results. If Kostel can get through that murderous Elyria Catholic District he could be a helper in Columbus.
7. Delta – This may be a stretch, but Nagel and Moss are a great 1-2 punch and should score in the vicinity of forty points. The inconsistent Burkholder has also got to be on form if they are to reach this level, because there is no help on the way.
8. CVCA – Smilek and Sammons are an awesome duo who could be finalists. Turnbull is back, but at the crushingly strong 215# class where he’ll have to be in top form to score much. There is no depth, no margin for error, and no next year for this team.
9. Archbold – My analysis shows that their stars are just on the periphery of scoring at the state level. Still, they have so many possibilities starting with Merillat, S. Gracia, Stuckey, and Rufenacht that they should do well. Add in somebody like a Mignin or J. Gracia and a Top Ten Finish is possible.
10. Harrison Central – Carothers can score big points at 275# and Emery can do the same at 119#. That leaves Sefsick, Bologna, Myers, and, maybe, Baker to help.
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