The Best of the Best: Handicapping a Mythical Dual between St. Paris Graham and the Vaunted 1995 Walsh Jesuit Warriors. Part II of a two-part series

(above): Zach Neibert would battle Adam Plouse in a battle of two-time state champions with markedly different styles. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager New.

Back in 2007, the St. Edward Eagles swept to a national title, defeating Blair Academy both at the Ironman and in an epic dual meet. At that time, this site looked closely at whether that team was the greatest of all time by forecasting a mythical dual meet between them and the team widely considered to be the best, the 1995 Walsh Jesuit Warriors (should be acknowledged that a case can be made for several other teams, notably the 1998 and 2000 St. Edward Eagles squads).  This site had Walsh’s 1995 team coming out a bit ahead.  See http://www.ohiowrestlingsite.com/articles/article71.php
With Graham obliterating the state scoring record this year, the question of whom the greatest team of all-time is has been raised once again in my view.  Most recently this site forecasted a mythical dual between Graham and 2007 St. Edward, with a final result of a 24-24 tie.  Now, we look at a dual between Graham and the 1995 Walsh Jesuit Warriors. 

The colorful nature of this Walsh Jesuit team was undeniable (see once again, http://www.ohiowrestlingsite.com/articles/article71.php).  The one thing that we can be sure of it they’d put on a hell of a show.  From top to bottom, these guys wore their attitude on their sleeve- they were the best, and they knew it, and made sure you knew it. But were they better than this year’s Graham Squad?  With no further Ado, we start the match at 125 lbs.

125: Zach Neibert (Graham) vs. Adam Plouse (Walsh Jesuit)

This is the first of the three straight bouts that would be simply unbelievable.
If any one wrestler exemplified the Walsh team of this era, it would be Adam Plouse.  A true free spirit, this two-time champ and three-time finalist thrived on being the “bad boy” of the sport- he was the wrestler fans loved to hate, and he relished that role.  As Chris DeShon- a long-time teammate of Plouse at North Akron Wrestling Club and himself a state runner-up- put it: “the bigger the match and the more people that booed against him the tougher he became.  Adam always said that he would rather wrestle anywhere than at Walsh because too many people were rooting for him at Walsh- he thrived on people rooting against him.”
People sometimes forget how tough Plouse was because his collegiate career at Ohio State was brief and undistinguished (according to wrestling lore, the ever-colorful Plouse once reportedly informed Coach Hellickson that since he was on a half-scholarship, he would be at practice half of the time).  Nevertheless- Plouse was arguably one of the best to compete at this weight in the past 20 years.

2x state champion Zach Neibert of course was the guru of “funk” in this state this year (ok, co-guru with Kyle Lang).  He was a threat to put anybody on their back at any time.  Perhaps due to having teammates like Felipe Martinez and David Taylor, I felt like Neibert never really got his due, and in my view, he was possibly the nation’s 3rd best 125 (behind Stieber and White). 
This one is too close to call but I am picking Neibert in a barnburner.   Style-wise, I see the ever-cocky Plouse attacking Neibert for all six minutes and getting some early takedowns, but eventually getting caught in a big move that turns the tide of the bout.  I consulted Bob Preusse of Amateur Wrestling News (who followed both teams very closely) to get his take, and he had Neibert winning here as well on the grounds that the physicality of Plouse would not faze the more skilled Neibert.

OWS PICK: Neibert dec. Plouse 9-7.

Graham Leads 3-0

130: Felipe Martinez (Graham) vs. Sonny Marchette (Walsh Jesuit)

Wow.  That’s really all you can say about this battle of two of the most talented pure athletes this state has ever seen.   Before there was CP Schlatter, Dustin Schlatter, Felipe Martinez, or Chris Phillips- there was Sonny Marchette- a wrestler who swept into the collective conscious of Ohio wrestling fans as a freshman and achieved near rock-star status from the very beginning of his career. As explosive of a takedown artist as you could possibly imagine- Marchette was, in a sense, the first wrestler who came in as a freshman at a weight above 103 that was able to completely dominate virtually everyone. At the time, his success was virtually unheard of.  This was Marchette’s sophomore year- in which he certainly would have been a huge favorite for a state title but suffered a season ending injury.

And yet, I really feel like this match would go to the Graham frosh Felipe Martinez nine out of ten times.  Martinez can match Marchette’s best qualities- lightning speed and agility- but is more of a complete wrestler.  It might be a draw in terms of ability to execute leg attacks- but Martinez has a little more ability to scramble and is significantly better on top in my view. I also feel like he might be a bit stronger than Marchette.  Preusse disagreed, picking Marchette.

OWS Pick: Martinez dec. Marchette 9-8

Graham leads 6-0

135: David Taylor (Graham) vs. Joe Heskett (Walsh Jesuit)

The Walsh fans reading this must be livid, but not only do I see their third straight superstar going down here, I see him going down by a lot.  Heskett (the current Ohio State Assistant Coach), of course, was a sophomore for whom this season was a springboard to amazing achievements which included winning three state titles, Junior National Freestyle and NHSCA Senior Nationals Titles (back when winning  those tournaments still meant you had to beat EVERYBODY), an NCAA Championship, becoming a four-time All-American (never lower than 3rd, incredibly) and making a World Team (he would finish 5th) before a heart condition cut short his career.  David Taylor would be facing the toughest wrestler from the top position this state has ever seen in my view- that is, until Taylor came along and surpassed the standard Heskett set for mat wrestling.

Heskett matched up with two outstanding opponents that year who were very comparable to Taylor.  The first of these was Eric Guerrero (a future 3x NCAA Champion and Olympian).  Guerrero beat Heskett by a very respectable 8-4.  The second was Mark Angle- who was a 3x Junior National Freestyle Champ and considered basically the co-best wrestler in the nation along with Guerrero (kind of like Taylor and Grajales are today).  Angle moved up two weights and actually technical falled the sophomore Heskett in what has to be the only lopsided loss that I can ever recall him suffering.  It should be noted that Angle has a style that is very reminiscent of Taylor’s- relying on mat wrestling and a high level of technical precision rather than athleticism.  As anyone who follows the sport knows, once Taylor gets a turn once, he tends to get it numerous times.  I look for the wheels to come off in this senior versus sophomore battle. Bob Preusse agreed with my prediction of a major decision due to Taylor being two grades older.

OWS Pick: Taylor major decisions Heskett 12-2

Graham leads 10-0

140: Matt Stephens (Graham) vs. Joe Klakulak (Walsh Jesuit)

Klakulak was better suited for the 130 lb. class but wrestled here due to Marchette and Heskett.  At 130, he probably would have been a state qualifier or low state placer, but he was not at that level at 140 lbs. As a result, he was the 2nd weak weight for the Warriors. 
Matt Stephens is a two-time state placer (4th and 2nd) for whom the best has yet to come.  The only question is whether he will have a break through year and emerge as one of the true superstars in this state for the next two years.  I’m not certain whether that will happen, but he is too big and too good for Klakulak here.

Stephens major decisions Klakulak 14-4

Graham leads 14-0

145: Brian Stephens (Graham) vs. Keith Rawlings (Walsh Jesuit)

Yet again in this dual, Graham seems to have someone who is just a bit better than the Walsh wrestler.  Rawlings was somewhat of a surprise state runner-up, but placed ahead of some outstanding competition to do it.  He may have been somewhat underrated due to just how outstanding many of his teammates were. 
That said, Brian Stephens was simply awesome this year.  Following several years of heartbreak where he was arguably the state’s best wrestler in his weight but came up short in Columbus- he left no doubt this year, and was in my view one of the best 145’s in the entire nation.  I cannot see him losing this match.

Stephens dec. Rawlings 7-4

Graham leads 17-0

152: Houston Evans (Graham) dec. Brent Zupanic (Walsh Jesuit)
Freshman against a senior battle here.  Zupanic was a quality wrestler, but perhaps a bit light for the weight and he did not place at state.  Evans finished 2nd at state but in a weight that was significantly weaker in my view than the weight that Zupanic failed to place in.  That said, you’ve got to go with the state runner-up over the non-placer.

Evans dec. Zupanic 6-4

Graham leads 20-0

A truly great team will always rally with their backs to the wall, and expect nothing different from Walsh at this point as we would now enter the most lethal upperweight combination this state has ever seen……

160: Kyle Ryan (Graham) vs. Scott Overholt (Walsh Jesuit)

Scott Overholt was one of the top six seniors of 1995 in my view (along with Drew Pariano, Joey O’Neill, Ross Thatcher, Plouse, and Brad Clement).  A defending state champion, Overholt was very strong, hard to score on, and had his back pocket one of the nicest lateral drops you will ever see.  His senior season was spectacular, piling up four wins over State and National High School Champion Kevin Welsh, two wins over two-time state champion Neal Bailey, a win over two-time state champion Sean Ebbert, and a win over the outstanding Division III champ, Josh Schroeder.  Only a stunning loss to Kevin Welsh in the state finals (his first loss to the eventual national champ in five meeting) marred a superb season- but that loss did not look so bad three weeks later when Welsh won nationals.

In Kyle Ryan, he would face a sophomore who seemingly underperformed all year long, only to step up and perform brilliantly at state.  Regardless of which Kyle Ryan showed up for this match, the sophomore is in over his head here.

OWS Pick: Overholt dec. Ryan 11-6

Graham leads 20-3

171: James Mannier (Graham) vs. Jamie Groudle (Walsh Jesuit)

Most observers would probably pick Jamie Groudle, as a dominant state champion and Senior National Runner-up, to win easily in this one. I’m not so sure.

Groudle did roll through the state tournament that year, but his weight class was very weak. Groudle was a national-caliber competitor in my view, just not at 171.  He wrestled at 152 the prior year, and in fact, went to high school nationals at that weight class his senior year (five lb. allowance meant he had to make 157).   Groudle couldn’t beat Overholt at 160 so he was pushed to 171.  Groudle did face one elite 171 in Ohio that year- the excellent 2x Division III state champion Ross Thatcher- and was beaten by a major decision. 
Mannier, meanwhile, finished with back-to-back bronze medals but in my view was the best 171 in Ohio other than of course Phillips and Heflin, but was just unable to put it all together when he needed to against a red-hot Zach Garbrandt.  Mannier is bigger than Groudle and very tough to take down.  His size would make it difficult to Groudle to unleash his lethal cradle.  In the end, I do see Groudle finding a way to win, but this is by no means a given in my opinion.

OWS Pick: Groudle dec. Mannier 5-4

Graham leads 20-6

189: Max Thomusseit (Graham) vs. Joe O’Neill (Walsh Jesuit)

Like Adam Plouse, Joey O’Neill was a very colorful character.  A youth wrestling legend as a lightweight/middleweight, O’Neill actually hated wrestling, preferring football (he went on to play football in the NFL for the Detroit Lions), but continued to wrestle out of respect for Coach Barger and his teammates.  Because he did not care about wrestling, he simply wrestled wherever the team needed him.  Had wrestling been his passion there is no limit to what he might have accomplished.  Then again, the lack of pressure O’Neill put on himself seemed to be a major key to his success.  Reports of how light O’Neill was for his weight class were not exaggerated- the fact is that he weighed in the low 170’s naturally and probably could have made 160 if he really wanted to push it.  However, being light did not stop him from dominating.  Two-time Illinois state runner-up Ryan Root moved in to West Chester Lakota his senior year and looked to pose a serious challenge to O’Neill.  Instead, O’Neill dismantled him at the Medina Invitational Tournament, pinning Root with a huge lead.  O’Neill repeated his win over Root at state- Root would then make the finals of Senior Nationals back when that actually meant something (and was within a controversial call of victory). 

Max Thomusseit put together an outstanding season this year, losing only to Max Huntley of Blair and Nick Mills (once in three matches).  Extremely powerful and difficult to score on, he will be one of Ohio’s best seniors in 2010.  That said, I think in this bout he matches up very poorly with O’Neill.  This is EXACTLY the sort of wrestler that O’Neill would post an inexplicable blowout over- someone who is very strong with solid but perhaps not overly sophisticated technique.  O’Neill’s “Achilles Heel” was his gas tank, but that is not really a weakness the more conservative Thomusseit would be able to exploit. Given his penchant for performing best with the lights shining brightly, I think that O’Neill not only wins here but gets the fall.

OWS Pick: O’Neill pins Thomusseit

Graham leads 20-12

215: Logan White (Graham) vs. Jeff Knupp (Walsh Jesuit)

Logan White emerged as one of the most improved Graham wrestlers, finishing 3rd in the state and seldom having a bad match.  However, Jeff Knupp, while only a sophomore, was already the state’s best 215, defeating future NCAA All-Americans Zach Thompson and Bandele Adenyi-Bada in a season in which he would capture his first state title.  White has the edge in terms of strength, but Knupp killed opponents with speed and would have the better of this match-up I believe.

OWS Pick:  Knupp dec. White 8-4

Graham leads 20-15

285: Lucas Williams (Graham) vs. Matt Tyla (Walsh Jesuit)

An uncharacteristically weak weight for both teams.  However, Matt Tyla did surprise many and qualify for state.  He has to be the favorite here. 

OWS Pick: Tyla dec. Williams 7-3

Graham leads 20-18

(above): Nick Brascetta: #1 in the nation Nick Brascetta would almost certainly be good for a tech or a pin in this dual.

103 LBS: Nick Brascetta (Graham)  vs. Adam Davis (Walsh)

Davis was the weak link in Walsh’s lineup.  Brascetta, as an undefeated state champion ranked #1 in the nation, wins by fall or technical fall.  

OWS Pick: Brascetta by fall.

Graham leads 26-18

112: Isaac Jordan (Graham) vs. Brent Thompson (Walsh)

A state runner-up to Tomazz Wilson the year before, Brent Thompson struggled early in this season before turning it up the second half.  At state, Thompson would finish third in a loaded weight- among the wrestlers not placing were future Division II national champions Quantres Bates and Jimmy Sanfillipo.  Thompson won easily the next year and was an All-American at Senior Nationals.  He went on to be an NCAA Qualifier for Kent State University.  Like so many Walsh wrestlers on this team- he was just a tough kid, a scrapper.  I recall at least one occasion in the Walsh room where Thompson responded to being on the wrong end of a beating by Plouse by challenging him to a bare-knuckles showdown.   
As discussed in part I of this series, Jordan is a wrestler who can go with almost anybody in the nation and what impressed me the most about him was his consistent dominance against state placer-level wrestlers- he was good for bonus points in almost every case.  I am so tempted to pick Jordan, but on balance, I am inclined to think that the veteran Thompson rises to the occasion for a big dual.

OWS Pick: Thompson dec. Jordan 6-5

Graham leads 26-21

119: Sheldon Kegley (Graham) vs. Frank Favaro (Walsh)

Favaro was the “funk” guy on the 1995 Walsh squad (along with O’Neill).  On a team full of exciting wrestlers, Favaro was perhaps most entertaining to watch compete, seeming to wrestle on raw instinct more than anything.  Favaro would finish second at state that season ahead of two excellent wrestlers in Mark Balog and Jesse Clark.
After two years behind some guy named Taylor, Kegley stepped in and was a quality performer.  While the junior finished just 7th in the state, he was almost always very close to all but the most elite competitors. 

Favaro was very dangerous and there is no question he wins, the only question is whether he can get the fall for the win for Walsh.  I think Kegley stays off his back for the  team and holds Favaro to a decision.

OWS Pick: Favaro dec. Kegley 9-4

Graham wins 26-24

Analysis
At the end of the day, Graham’s 2009 team has staked a very strong claim to being the best team Ohio has ever seen.  The edge that they would have in a dual with the 1995 Walsh Jesuit team is that they have less true “weak” weight classes. Walsh had four weights where their wrestler failed to place at state, whereas Graham had just one such weight, and in fact they had only two weights where their wrestler did not place top three.  That balance would almost certainly mean a clear edge in bonus points if the teams split the bouts 7-7.  In fact, I think the result of this dual could be worse as O’Neill by fall over Thomusseit may be a stretch.  O’Neill was somewhat inconsistent, and an upset win for Thomusseit is even possible- unlikely, but possible.  Moreover, I see four true “tossup” bouts in this one- 112, 125, 130, and 171.  I had two going each way- but in truth, I think that Graham is more likely to pick up the ones that I picked Walsh (112 and 171) for than the other way around.

So is Graham’s 2009 team the best ever? If forced to choose I would say yes.  In the mythical duals, Graham beat Walsh 1995 and tied St. Edward 2007.  Walsh 1995 beat St. Edward 2007.  So Graham has the best record in there three match series. I think the Graham combo of superstars (Taylor, Martinez, Neibert, Brascetta, Brian Stephens, and Thomusseit) and balance is very difficult to compete with- which is probably why they destroyed the state scoring record.

(above): A win by James Mannier over Jamie Groudle(shown here against the outstanding Ed Ruth of Blair Academy) would probably seal the deal for Graham. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News.

Even Better Next Year?
Perhaps the most startling part of this is that next year’s Graham team could surpass this one.  That may be a surprising viewpoint considering the team is graduating nationally ranked David Taylor, Zach Neibert, and Brian Stephens plus James Mannier.  However, the team returns ten starters, and will add Bo Jordan- widely considered the best junior high wrestler in the nation and likely to be almost as impressive as Felipe Martinez was this year according to knowledgeable observers.   In addition, reports swirl that Denzel Washington (yes, his real name) will be transferring in from Colorado where he was a state champion in 2008 as a freshman at 152.  The 6’4” Washington would reportedly be competing somewhere in the 189 through 285 range and is expected to be an immediate contender, if not the favorite, to win state.  Third, former junior high state champ Ryan Taylor- stuck behind #1 Brascetta this year- will almost certainly be the favorite in Division II next year at 103.  Finally, there are highly capable wrestlers such as former junior high state champ Joe Martinez and 2007 state place-winner Mark Meyer waiting in the wings.

103- Ryan Taylor
112- Nick Brascetta
119- Isaac Jordan
125- Bo Jordan
130- Sheldon Kegley
135- Felipe Martinez
140- Mark Meyer
145- Matt Stephens
152- Joe Martinez
160- Huston Evans
171- Kyle Ryan
189- Max Thomusseit
215- Denzel Washington
285- Logan White

Let me say that this lineup projection has a LOT of guesswork and speculation on my part at this point.  But quite frankly, it’s a lineup on paper that could have as many as 12 legitimate state title contenders (depending in part on who in the lineup matches up with Mitch, DiJulius, Hightower and Wukie) and most likely 14 state place-winners (probably all placing in the top four). 

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