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2001

HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING

FORECAST

(30th Annual Edition)

Written By:
Brian Brakeman

Copyright 2001, Reproduction of this material for profit without written consent is prohibited.

DIVISION III

103 #

Projected Champion:  Andy Wade (CVCA)

Top Contenders 

A trend that had been growing probably reached its peak this year –and that is the influx of Division I and II wrestlers into the small school classification.  For example, we have Buzek, Beers and the two Caponi boys transferring to Akron St. Vincent,.  Paparone, moving over to Chanel and the Lichty brothers competing at Ayersville.  All of this will have significant impact on the team competition as will the move of Division I state qualifier Andy Wade to CVCA.

This weight class may well be the weakest of all 42 that will be contested in Columbus. Only two wrestlers return from last year’s state bracket sheet and they won a total of two bouts.  Wade won that many himself as a Division I state qualifier.  In November he seemed a strong favorite, but constant battles with injuries and weight have slowed him down.  He did not place at the Ironman, but was 2^nd  at Medina and the Top Gun.  If he is healthy and reasonably comfortable with the weight, he should still have too much firepower for the rest of this field.

Most of what firepower that does exist would seem to be at the Elyria Catholic District.  A contented Wade is the best, but state qualifier Monsman knows how to win the close bouts.  He was 2-2 at Columbus and missed placing by one win.  This year he has been a consistently high placer at strong tournaments.  Both Ward and McCahan are a bit of mystery at this point.  Ward, a senior, missed state action by one bout last year at 112#.  He has wrestled little this year so it is difficult to judge his status at this time.  However, history, suggests that if he can perform at this weight he will do very well.  McCahan, only a freshman, has been up and down.  He lost to Monsman 6-5, but has crushed Cavalier and Kagey in this field.  He’s a wild card.  Burrer upset Scott last year at the district almost derailing his state title express, but then lost twice (one of them to Monsman) and was eliminated.  He, obviously has upset potential.  Keyes, Cavalier and Mosher would be likely qualifiers at the other districts, but will have to work miracles to make it here.  Hunt, a brilliant youth wrestler, has adjusted well to high school competition, but may be too small to beat the best.

State qualifier McIntyre has finalist potential –especially if Wade is not up to par.  Monsman beat him by two points last year, but I believe that was his last loss.  Wickline is the other one to watch at the Marion district.  McIntyre beat him 6-1 in their go-to-state bout, but those two tower over the rest of this district.  Wickline’s only loss this year was at 112#, and he pinned in the finals at West Jefferson – in fact, he has had all falls when at 103#.  The last two spots are wide open with Emery, Ellis, and Kagey slight favorites for those last two berths.  Besides those listed, Ewing (Bloom Carroll) and Smith (Fisher Catholic) are other possibilities.

The Northwest District is generally loaded at the lower weights, but that is not true this year.  In fact, the entire district is far weaker than usual.  The one standout so far is the freshman Schaeffer, who won at Van Buren, Bucyrus, Sandusky St. Mary Duals, and the Panther Classic.  He has placement potential.  After that its pretty much “by guess and by golly” with results changing from week to week.  Clemans, Weller and LeJeune are next in line, but they will have plenty of competition.  The sectional lineup is unbalanced with the Sandusky-St. Mary sectional featuring Schaeffer, Weller, LeJeune, Grosswiler, Noel (Arcadia) and Renwand (Sandusky-St. Mary).  Also watch for Amburgey (New London) who has upset potential in this evenly balanced competition.

Another freshman heads the Xenia district.  Levi Wyant is a very successful and experienced youth wrestler who will have a big impact in the Southwest.  He pinned McCahan in the consolation round while placing at Wadsworth and won a number of smaller tournaments including the “A” classic.  He should be a district champ out of Xenia and have excellent bracket position at Columbus.  I also like Bey in that district while Kill and Niswonger are nominal favorites for the last two spots.  Only Wyant, I believe, has real placement potential.

112 #

Projected Champion:  Adam Buzek (Akron St. Vincent)

Top Contenders 

Sometimes at a district venue the finals seem almost anti-climactic since state qualification has already been attained.  And, yet, there continues to be a consistent pattern that wrestlers who lose at the district level do not often win state titles.  Last year, for example, all 14 Division II state champions were also district champs.  Looking at the last three years:

Thus 4 out of every 5 state champions were also district winners

An exception to that general rule was Tyler Scott who lost (for the first time) in the district quarter-finals.  Until just a few years ago he would have been eliminated from competition (his vanquisher lost in the semis) , but instead he won four consolation bouts to finish 3^rd and then four more to win his state title.  With three of the top contenders emerging from the Elyria Catholic District, this could be a weight class where a district champion does not prevail.  I’ve been correct for eight consecutive years at the class, but this year, I believe, may be my biggest challenge.

With the three top teams – Akron-St. Vincent, Chanel and CVCA – competing at Elyria Catholic, this district is loaded at many weight classes – and 112# is no exception.  Buzek was an excellent 103-pounder at Green last year finishing 4^th in a district that qualified but three for state action.  This year he won at Solon and the CIT and was a strong runner-up to state champion Stoffer at the Dies.  He was 3^rd at Medina and 5^th at Wadsworth where he lost a couple of strange bouts – including one to Lutz.  He is a battle hardened junior well suited for the rigors of this weight class.

State champion Scott has had another strong season losing only to Hurley of Kenston and Paparone.  He showed excellent match management at Columbus last year winning his four bouts by one, two, three and four points respectively.  Paparone, a transfer from Kenston, has been a godsend plugging a huge gap for Chanel  I was impressed with him at Solon, and he has placed well in all five of their tourneys.  This trio is very close. Paparone defeated Scott, 2-1, while Buzek beat Paparone 5-3 in overtime.

The battle for the fourth qualifying spot is wide open.  With the top three all exiting from different sectionals the pairings will be uneven with two of them in the same half.  The fourth qualifier will, at least, in part, be determined by where wrestlers fall in the bracket sheet.  Besides those listed, McClelland (Berkshire), Saal (Aquinas) and Morris (West Salem Northwest) are possibilities.

A wrestler who could inject himself into the midst of this battleground is Ranzie Gambill.  I barely mentioned him last year, but he proved to be sensational.  After losing an overtime bout to Kuykendall in the district finals he crushed McIntyre and Aring in the first two state rounds.  Then in the semi-finals trailing late in the bout he beat Smilek with a fall only 12 seconds from the end.  Scott won a hard fought finale, but Gambill has certainly opened a lot of eyes.  This year he has hardly missed a beat at 112# and this time will come to the state meet known to everyone.  State quarter-finalist Henry is at this district as is the excellent Lutz – a 1-0 winner over Buzek at Wadsworth.  Wittenberg qualified at 119# last year, but with Burroughs and Kuykendall laying claim to his normal choices he has made the cut to 112# in order to compete.  That is a strong quartet, but leaves out Rhodes, Ekhardt and Frances all of whom might have strong qualification possibilities in other years.  Shields (North College Hill), Schierloh (Lockland) and Mitchell (Dixie) are a second trio of long-shot contenders.

State qualifiers Rossiter, Wyse, Jones and Jack head up a strong Marion district.  While they were only a combined 2-8 at Columbus they should perform much better this year.  Rossiter, in particular, has had a solid year winning at Richmond Hts. and Union Local and finishing 2^nd only to Kendjursky at the OVAC,.  However,  the other three will be challenged by the fast improving Huffman and by Gantz.  Huffman defeated Jack at Shadyside and won the Red Rider Classic.

Again, the Northwest District qualifiers look a little less intimidating then in the past.  Derr, a major exception, was 5^th last year at 103# after reaching the semi-finals.  He has won several tournaments this year, but was 5^th at the CIT as Buzek majored him 16-7.  State qualifier Chapa and Slachta have done well and certainly a low place is  a possibility.  Slachta was the champ at Tiffin and could be a surprise here.  Also, competing will be state qualifier Buckingham, Resendez, Ollon and Roth (Sandusky St. Mary).

119 #

Projected Champion:  Jeff Jaggers (Chanel)

Top Contenders 

This weight class will test the hypothesis that a truly superior freshman can vanquish a very strong and experienced field.  Jeff Jaggers is a two-time state junior high school champ with outstanding credentials.  He was one of the finest junior high wrestlers I  have ever seen, and he has moved into high school competition with a vengeance.  He was a champion at Solon, Wadsworth and Doylestown pinning in the finals each time. His only losses were to Protz (a winner over Kyle Ott) 4-2 at North Canton and an upset defeat by Agozzino 4-2 at Mayfield.  To win he’ll have to surmount a field that includes state placers Smilek, Cavalier, Tierney and Bedford along with six other state qualifiers.

Smilek was a district champion at 103#, and was ahead late in the state semi-finals before getting caught and pinned by Gambill.  He ended up beating Schmidt for 3^rd.  This year he has had some difficulty settling in at 119# capturing low places at the tough tournaments CVCA schedules.  Cavalier was 4^th at 112# last year and has wrestled well all season.  He defeated Smilek at Medina by a point where he finished 2^nd and was also runner-up at Toledo Waite.  He was the champion at Hawken, Cardinal and Clearview.  Add in state qualifier Smith and that is a very formidable quartet (including Jaggers) that will match up at Elyria Catholic.  But that’s not all. Bernath was a district qualifier at Mentor last year for Elyria as a 9^th grader.  This year, competing for Keystone, he has, I believe moved ahead of Smith.  Since Smilek, Jaggers, and Bernath all exit the same sectional, there is a danger of asymmetrical pairings at the district level.  That could open the door for , Ford (Hillsdale), or Caruso (Beachwood) to grab a qualifying spot.

There will be a wave of solid contenders exiting the Waite district at this weight class.  Bedford is a mercurial up and down wrestler with lots of ability.  Last year he won the district title against tough competition.  After reaching the state semi-finals he lost three straight bouts to finish 6^th - - three wrestlers from the district where he was champion finished ahead of him at Columbus.  Incidentally the championship bout between Meiring and Pressler was a unique event.  It was the only time in history where a district 5^th placer wrestled a district 4^th for a championship.  Ford was very impressive at Brecksville reaching the finals and he certainly has placement potential.  State qualifier Ogg, and the powerful Estrada make my Top Ten so that four of that group will compete at ‘Waite.  I have also listed Stines and Dean, but they need bracketing breaks to get into the hunt.

As a freshman, John Tierney finished a strong 4^th at 103# besting Bedford among others.  Then last year he was a district 4^th barely squeaking into the state meet.  However, he went 2-2 at Columbus losing a one-pointer to Cavalier in the quarter-finals.  This year he has won at Bellaire St. John and Barnesville, and was 3^rd at the OVAC losing an overtime tie breaker to Maple.  The Tierney brothers seem to alternate placement years so it is John’s turn.  I like both Vaughn and Anderson out of that district, but not enough to pick them to place.  Napier is the best bet for the fourth state berth, but he’ll have a host of challengers – including one of my favorite e-mail correspondents, Bubba Larew.  He, along with  Dornan, Kinzy and Aberegg are leading a regeneration of Beallsville wrestling --- witnessed by 2^nd place in the OVAC small school division.

There’s lots of state experience at the Xenia district.  LaCure is a two-time qualifier while Burroughs and Bodey went last year.  Only LaCure has won a state bout and this group will face tough competition this year, too.  Franz, only a freshman could be the fourth qualifier, but Beach, Mages and Smith (Versailles) will be tough challengers.  This group needs to get just a little better for placement.  I mean, Tierney only beat LaCure by three points last year while Burrough lost in the first round by the same margin.

125 #

Projected Champion:  Drew Opfer (Sandusky St. Mary)

Top Contenders 

The deciding game of the 1912 World Series went into extra innings with the Giants and Red Sox tied at one run.  When the Giants scored a single tally in the top of the 10^th they were only three outs away from the World Championship.  Even better they had, arguably, the greatest pitcher in National League history on the mound in the person of the incomparable Christy Mathewson.  But the Red Sox fought back and had men on first and third with one out and the 24-year old Tris Speaker at the plate.  To the fans’ chagrin Speaker lifted a high harmless pop fly into foul territory between home plate and first base.  However, confusion reigned among the Giants as Mathewson made no call and the ball dropped uncaught  into foul territory.  The confident Speaker turned to Mathewson, a winner of 373 games, and said, “Matty, that just cost you the winners’ share” and, true to his word, he rifled the next pitch into deep right field for a long single to tie the game.  Moments later a sacrifice fly gave Boston the title, which Mathewson said, was the biggest disappointment in his brilliant career.

That’s the level of confidence that Drew Opfer exhibits as he competes.  Already a two-time state champ (and three-time placer) Opfer has lost only two bouts since the beginning of his sophomore year.  He wrestles with an air of utter confidence and is not one to diminish his own performance.  Last year he had three relatively easy state wins, but was pushed to the limit in the quarter-finals by Jim Stanek winning a heart-stopping 11-10 decision.

This year he is undefeated including a title at Medina where he beat former state champion Wooten (who defeated Lang 14-3) by a 6-5 tally in the finals.  It was another squeaker with Opfer starting in the down position with 11 seconds left and getting the winning reversal at the buzzer.  Still he did not look sharp on his feet, and his conditioning could have been better.  Nonetheless, he is still a heavy favorite to take his third title.  Incidentally should he win it would mean six consecutive years of state titles for the Opfer brothers (Jared 96-99, Drew 99-01).  The state record is seven years held by the Dernlans (Jeff 85-86, Steve 87-88, and Matt 89-91).

In fact, if anyone is to challenge Opfer it may well come from his own district.  That wouldn’t be a surprise since in both state title years Opfer has had to defeat first Jesse and then Justi to take the crown.  Last year Lopez lost to Opfer in the district semi-finals, 7-2 and barely qualified at Columbus.  He won 3 bouts (including a win over Stanek), but lost twice to two-time state runner-up Parsons 2-1 and 3-0.  State  qualifiers Frye, Cook and Solarik all return to make for a real district battle.  However there may be questions about whether Solarik will be competing.  Also, at this weight are Bloom and Neilson – which means seven of my top thirteen are at this district.  With 130# looking substantially easier we may see some strategic moves.

None of the other districts come close to matching this kind of firepower.  Tierney was 3^rd last year losing only to Lester, 8-4 and is a potential finalist.  His only defeats this year were an overtime loss in the OVAC semi-finals and a 10-3 mauling by Opfer.   However, he should still be a major factor at this weight.  Wenger, a returning state qualifier, also could place out of this district, in this his last opportunity.  The rest of this field is a fairly major step down although Daniels is a possible exception.

The Xenia district would seem to have only Kuykendall as a possible placer.  A two-time state qualifier at 103#, he has wrestled at 130# much of the year before dropping to 125#.  He missed placement by one bout last year and is the linch-pin of a solid Madeira squad.  I struggled to find other people to put into this grid from this district and that’s usually a bad sign.

This is one of the few weight classes where there is not a lot of strength emerging from Elyria Catholic.  State qualifier Ralph returns and he has placement potential.  He is excellent at keeping himself in a bout no matter the opponent. His only win was at Doylestown but he was 2^nd at Solon and Wadsworth and 3^rd at Mayfield and North Canton.  The freshman Blunk is very good.  A little small for this weight class he makes up for it with superb wrestling.  He won five bouts at Medina losing only to state

Division I.  3^rd place finisher Enright by scores of 4-2 and 4-3.  He was 4^th at the Top Gun losing only to Wooten and Bowersock, the latter loss in overtime.  Don’t overlook him.  After that its anybody’s guess who will get the last two spots.  Steiner was MVP at Hillsdale defeating Perry (Smithville) in the final.  He’s so very tough you’ll barely notice he has but one arm.

130 #

Projected Champion:  Harry Lester (CVCA)

Top Contenders

Ohio has had nine four-time state champions and they tend to show a strikingly similar pattern.  They tend to be at the very lowest weights (McGhee the only exception) compete outside of Division I (Wineberg the only exception) and fail to win an NCAA title (Jim Jordan the only exception).  Harry Lester fits that pattern with one exception – I will be very surprised if he fail to win that elusive NCAA championship.

There are wonderful wrestlers every year in Ohio, but only a very select few have the style and charisma that transcends the sport.  Wrestlers like Alan Fried, Tommy Milkovich and Mike DeAnna transform a simple wrestling bout into an event that people will remember for decades.  Lester has the speed and incredible balance that seems to make the word winning inadequate to describe the end result.  Last year Lester came back from a broken leg to win his third state title, but we didn’t see the total package.  This year nobody has challenged him and a very fine wrestler like T. J. Tepley, always tough to score on, lost 17-4.  There are some outstanding 130’s in Ohio and this is one time you’d like to see a one classification event.  Imagine a bracket sheet with Pflug, Schlatter and Lester, but you know what, you can only imagine Lester as the winner.  Unfortunately in Division III, there is no one to challenge him and it is unlikely any of his bouts will extend much into the third period.  And even that may be critical should the team race be as close as anticipated.

Zimmerman and Cimino, are both returning state qualifiers who have won at Columbus.  In fact Zimmerman missed placement by a single point.  Zimmerman won at Hillsdale and was a strong 3^rd at Smithville – losing his only bout of the year to Henry.   Cimino, on the other hand, started strong with a 2^nd at Solon and a 4^th at Wadsworth.  But then he lost two early bouts at the CIT and did not place, got beat at the Ohio Duals by the freshmen, Whelan and Wright, and did not place at the Dies.  Qualification could be in real jeopardy.  Johnson missed qualification on a 3-0 loss to Cimino while Wright, Hunt, Tripp and Anthony (Columbia Station) are possibilities.  Peltz out most of the year with injury is an intriguing thought.  He can be very good though he may be at the wrong weight class.

Finneran has moved down to 130# and he could be a finalist.  There would be kind of a capstone feeling if he were to meet Lester in the finals.  Already a three time state qualifier, his very first state bout was against Lester who pinned him in the 3rd period.  As a sophomore he was away from Lester, but lost to runner-up Fazio in the first round.  Then as a junior he met Lester in the quarterfinals and avoided the fall, but not the loss.  So he and Lester will both be four-time qualifiers at the same weight classes.  Not the best way for Finneran to win a state title.  By the way, he finished 4^th last year.  The reminder of the Waite district is not strong and only Lohman would seem to have placement chances.  He was a semi-finalist at Brecksville before losing to Schlatter.  The only dark-horse I have identified here is Szozda (Swanton).

It’s much the same story at Marion where Borders and Walker look to be strongest.  However, it is a wide open competition with little to choose from among the  primary contenders.  It would not be surprising if a couple of “unknowns” walked away with a tickets to Columbus.

There are some solid placement possibilities at Xenia.  Seta was 6^th at this weight last year after reaching the semi-finals.  After a rapid fire loss by fall to Linsker, he lost a very tough overtime tiebreaker to Schultz – the same score but the opposite result of their district final.  Merle was an early district loser, but fought back for a 3^rd at this weight.  He lost a couple of close bouts to end his year.  This year he has won several tournaments mostly at 135#.  State alternate Fox also returns at this class and he should get through this year.  The last berth could go in any direction with those listed plus Bladen (Lincolnview) and Rader (Lima CC) in the mix.

135 #

 Projected Champion:  Mike Hurley (Akron St. Vincent)

Top Contenders

Suppose one day you’re pondering the mysteries of mathematics and you come up with the expression 29 + 2x².  You calculate x=0 and get 29 and then keep increasing x by one and you get 31 (for x=1) and then 37 (for x=2) and then 47,61, and 79 (for x=5).  Quickly you realize that each number you generated is a prime number evenly divisible by only one).  Suddenly fame and fortune beckon, you may have discovered a simple formula for generating primes that has up to now, eluded every great mathematician.  You go to x=6 and generate 101 – yet get another prime.  You keep increasing x by one and still it works and works and works.  By x=28 (where you get 1597 which you instantly recognize as prime) the formula seems foolproof.  You decide to try one more increment, x=29 and generate 1711.  That certainly looks prime, but , oh no, its evenly divisible by 29.   Your dreams of glory, that moments before had seemed well within reach, have vanished.

I’m guessing that was how Mike Hurley felt last year – maybe even worse.  He entered the state meet with a 45-1 record after defeating Linsker 10-6, in the district finals.  At Columbus he crushed his first three opponents including a win by fall over state runner-up, Borjas.  Waiting again at the championship mat, was Linsker – someone he knew from his earliest days of wrestling at Longwood Y.  Again, Hurley had a comfortable lead when with little more than a minute remaining disaster (in the form of a spladle) struck and Hurley lost on a fall.  One of the most incredible turnarounds in a state finals bout had doomed his chances less than 60 seconds from the title.

That is not likely to happen this year.  Hurley has been sensational winning at Solon, Medina, Wadsworth and the Dies.  In doing so he has decisively defeated defending state champ Tom Smith. (who beat brother Ryan in the finals last year) three times and has done the same to Stanek, too.  His only loss was to Ryan West - - one of two bouts which they split.  Unless some rare misfortune occurs Hurley should win handily this year.

He comes out of a dynamite district.  Smilek is very tough and he, too, knows about sudden misfortune.  Ahead 8-0 in his district semi-final bout, he was pinned by Peyton and he couldn’t make it back in the consolations.  Stanek was 4^th two years ago, but after losing 11-10 to Opfer last year at 125# he failed to place.  That eats up three qualifying spots leaving only one to be contested by Kosa, Bower, Hamman, and Alexander – who may opt to compete at 130#.  Hamman is young while Kosa and Bower wrestle in distant parts of the district.  My choice is Kosa.

Smith exits the Marion District to defend his title.  While he may have lost three times to Hurley – he only has to beat once to take the title.  They will be seeded apart assuming each wins his district) so Smith could conceivably have to defeat Smilek, Stanek, and Hurley to repeat.  Last year he came to Columbus as a district runner-up with 10 losses, but after surviving a 10-9 first round thriller, he easily won his next three bouts.  As the only member of the Cardington team, he won’t have to worry about the team title.  Almost all the good 135’s in this district come from the Columbus area.  State qualifier Anderson,  Courtad, Nutbrown, Long and Springer (Licking Hts) all come from that region.  Only Peddicord and Samsa have a chance from the Eastern District.

State qualifier Harris and state alternate Rhoades head the cast at Xenia.  Harris was at 140^# last year and it was a quick “two- and out” at Columbus.  Rhoades seems to get better as the year progresses and he could be a factor in state placement.  It’s a step down after that with Hazlett Tamaki and Higginbotham leading the remainder of the Southwest contingent.  Gratz, Kimmet (Delphos St John) and Mack (Allan East) will challenge from up north.  Watch out for Gratz – he was an overtime loser in the “A” Classic final and won decisively at Van Buren.

State qualifier Malott was originally higher on my grid, but he has struggled lately – possibly because of injuries.  At full speed he’s easily the best at Waite.  Someone to watch for is the freshman twin Joe Whelan.  Wrestling up a weight class he still has the firepower to qualify.  He defeated Cimino at the Ohio Duals, and should be a huge factor next year.   With Fedak moving to 130#, people like Bugner, Foster, Bogdan and Burkholder suddenly have twice the probability of qualifying.  Also note Frankart (Fostoria St Wendelin), Suffel (Edgerton) and Garner (Elmwood).

140 #

Projected Champion:  Ryan Hurley (Akron St. Vincent) 

Top Contenders

I’m a big movie fan, but, in general, I stay away from sequels.  After Jurassic Park –part two and Speed 2 you realize that they’re generally a pale imitation of the original.  But there are exceptions - - Terminator2 and quite possibly here at 140#.  Again we have a sensational, once beaten Hurley, in this case Ryan- - whose biggest obstacle to a state title may once again be the seemingly ubiquitous Linsker.

Last year Hurley won a trio of two-point bouts only to fall to Smith in the finals.  I’ve often wondered whether he was still in shock after watching his brother lose only minutes earlier.  Still he had 42 wins and a state runner-up trophy after his freshman year.  This year he has been even better wrestling  a very tough schedule he has lost only to Division I champ, Jason Bake, 3-1, and has been labeled as “unrideable” by his coach.  His titles at the CIT, Medina, and Solon indicate that this former junior high state champ is ready to become the first wrestler (though there are others with a similar opportunity) to win both state titles.

Linsker, however, is a formidable obstacle.  He is undefeated this year, including a big win at Kenston where none of his bouts went the distance.  While he has not wrestled the exhausting and difficult schedule that Hurley has, he should be well prepared to spring another possible upset this year.  Linsker, only a junior, had three falls at last year’s state meet, minimizing his mat time and reducing uncertainty.  Exiting the same district these two should be apart at the state level.

There are strong contenders for the last two state berths at Elyria Catholic.  There are strong contenders for the last two state berths at Elyria Catholic, but by far the best is Scarl.  A state qualifier at 112# last year, he gave everyone (even Foster) a tremendous match.  He won at Richmond Hts. and is a devastating rider.  He keeps matches close and is very tough to score against.  If he gets a lead on Hurley or Linsker they are in  very serious peril.  Look out for him in the bracket sheet.  Kirtley, a state qualifier as a sophomore, has had a couple of up and down seasons.  Last year he went into district action with a 10-10 record, but reached the semis beore losing two close battles.  He beat Orlosky in that run.  Orlosky is very good and could help Chanel mightily at the state meet, if he can get there.  His unorthodox style might score well at Columbus.  He has been a consistent placer this year.  Sanderson is a wild card here.  He has had some excellent results this year shuffling between `135# and 140#.  He was 6^th at the Top Gun in an excellent field.  Olney, Coy, Fryman (West Salem Northwest), and Taylor (Loudonville) are solid, but that may not be enough here.

While not as strong as the Elyria Catholic District, each of the other three can boast a serious contender - - although to win you’d have to beat both Hurley and Linsker.  At Xenia, Engel will be the top contender and will try to emulate his brother’s state title in 1997.  He was 3^rd last year at 135# losing a close bout to Ryan Hurley in the first round, and then winning five consolation bouts.  He could definitely compete on a nearly even basis with Hurley last year, whether he can do so against the new and improved version is problematical.  State qualifier Short is a strong second choice here, and he needs better luck at Columbus.  He was twice a loser by scores of 10-9 and 7-6 (to Vogel).  The rest of this district is well below the top duo, and you’ll want to draw into their 3^rd and 4^th place finishers.

Mayhugh will have to make a decision as to whether he’ll compete at140# or 145#.  He and Roth  (rated at the next weight) have flip flopped at these two weights with great success.  Mayhugh has won at Bellaire St. John, Barnesville and the OVAC, but competed in the latter at145#.  He was 5^th at Columbus last year losing a 3-1 bout to Ryan Hurley and a consolation one to Engel.  His district is definitely easier at 145#, but a high place might come easier at 140#.  State qualifier Vogel also returns and he has rebounded from a slow start to get the runner-up nod here.  Wilson also was a state qualifier last year, and had been outstanding until OVAC.  He was 2^nd, but I was disappointed by a 10-4 less in the final to Roth.  Kinzy is strong, but Belfrage, Bender and Jefferies (Barnesville) will not go away.

The undefeated state qualifier Stacklin is best in the Northwest.  He has swept to four tourney titles without having many tight bouts.  Young and Grime are in the exact same situation as Roth and Mayhugh.  Both have certified at 140# so again, a decision will have to be made.  Dotson and Madden can win at the state level, but may be pushed by the freshman Lichty.  Frye, Gibson, S. Mack (Tinora) and  Gerber are other thoughts.

Incidentally, if both Hurleys win, they’ll become the first brothers to win in the same year since the Opfers in 1999.  Interesting it took 18 state tournaments before the first brother combination won in the same year.  That  was in 1955 when Darryl and Jim Hoppel both won.  They were two of the five brothers who won more than a half dozen state titles for little Beaver Local.

145 #

Projected Champion:  Michael Parsons (Loudonville)

Top Contenders