Part II (weights 145-275) of Ohio Wrestling Site’s projections for a mythical 2006 “Single Division” state wrestling tournament

There was a time (ending in the early 1970’s) where the Ohio state wrestling tournament featured only a single division of competition.  Multiple-time state champions were virtually unheard-of in that era, and in fact, not a single wrestler claimed four state titles.  Going back and looking at the results from recent years, it is astonishing how difficult the Ohio State Tournament would be to place at, much less win, if there were only one division as back then.  Many of the match-ups that would have taken place would have been an Ohio Wrestling fan’s dream.

The following is Part II (weights 145-275) of Ohio Wrestling Site’s projections for a mythical 2006 “Single Division” state wrestling tournament.  The purpose is solely for fan interest and debate.  It should be noted that the entire season will be taken into account- rather than focusing solely on the state tournament results, which would require much less analysis.  Therefore, in many cases wrestlers may have had poor state tournaments and still received a high ranking, and vice-versa. 

145
1. Sean Nemec
2. Andrew Lamancusa
3. Robbie Michaels
4. Shane Friery
5. Marc Hoff
6. Matt Lerer
7. Eric Cubberly
8. Derek Foore
9. Mike Haxton
10. Mick Nicola
11. Muhammad Abdur-Rahman
12. Kirk Tank
13. Zach Schuller
14. Phil Dukes
15. Steve Wilson
16. Marcus Thomas
17. Travis Erdman
18. Andy Hill
19. Tyler Mickley
20. Collin Heasley

A relatively easy choice here in 2x state champion/3x finalist Sean Nemec.  Nemec defeated Foore in the state finals for the 2nd straight year and hasn’t lost to an Ohio wrestler in two years.

However, the most interesting wrestling to follow here was in the highly competitive Division II and Division III fields.  Division II state champion Andy Lamancusa used a high-octane style and picturesque leg attacks as he ran the table, finishing 40-0.  Another highly entertaining wrestler was state runner-up Robbie Michaels of Clyde.  Michaels also entered the state finals unbeaten, only to fall to LaMancusa in an 11-9 barnburner.  Both Lamancusa and Michaels came within a match of All-American status at Senior Nationals.  Defending state champion Shane Friery was brilliant this year until a shoulder injury combined with a loaded weight class ended his season at Districts.  Sophomore Eric Cubberly finished 3rd in this loaded field, and pushed state champions Nemec, Lamancusa, and Friery to the wire this season.

In Division III, 3x state placer Marc Hoff and 4x state placewinner Matt Lerer seemed to be on a collision course- as both were “overdue” for a state title.  However, Lerer fell 4-3 to Mick Nicola in a mild upset, and Hoff then handled Nicola 7-0 in the finals.

152
1. Colt Sponseller
2. Josh Rohler
3. John Pycraft
4. Brent Weisenstein
5. Jarod Kusar
6. Kyle Bertin
7. Mazin Shalash
8. Dan Holtztrager
9. Adam Phillips
10. Mike Mahon
11. Bret Terry
12. Sli Bostelman
13. Tony Petrella
14. Andrew Welfle
15. Ross Tice
16. Josh Kassil
17. Keith Witt
18. Kurt Shroyer
19. Thomas Schwartz
20. Will Gilson

The biggest matchup of 2006 did not disappoint, as Colt Sponseller took the fight to Josh Rohler for the entire six minutes to capture his second state title.  Though the final score was 5-4, most felt it was perhaps the most one-sided one-point bout they had ever witnessed- as Sponseller seemed to have Rohler on the defensive nearly the entire match, and completely “gassed” by the end.  In fairness to Rohler (who completed his career as one of the best wrestlers in Ohio wrestling history that did not capture a state title), he missed nearly the entire season with a knee injury and looked to be still feeling the effects.  Rohler gained a measure of redemption with a brilliant 3rd place effort at Senior Nationals.  Sponseller used a white-hot “pace” to established himself as a dominant force this season- and looks to be the #1 wrestler in the state his senior season.

The #3 ranking goes to the underrated John Pycraft.  Pycraft was a clear step ahead of the rest of the field in Division I- and unbeaten against Ohio competitors.

 

160
1. Dave Rella
2. Anthony Ciraky
3. Travis Popham
4. Nick McMullen
5. Dean Gaier
6. Tony Bradberry
7. Cory Nelson
8. Dylan Ray
9. Derek Tomasone
10. TJ Blanton
11. Kyle Henry
12. Greg Rhoads
13. Greg Heinz
14. Ken Sanger
15. Jeremy Alfani
16. Tyler Thornton
17. Kurt Wolff
18. Kasey McCurdey
19. Jeff Green
20. Kyle Baker

An easy choice here in the superb Dave Rella of Walsh Jesuit.  Rella has a nearly unstoppable combination of power, slickness, and physicality on his feet. At state, Rella opened with two technical falls, followed by wins of 22-8 and 18-6- with all points yielded being escapes.  At senior nationals, Rella dominated the field up to the finals, where he edged highly-regarded Ryan Patrovich of New York in double-overtime.

Anthony Ciraky might be described as the Rodney Dangerfield of Ohio wrestling stars-  getting no respect despite two Division I state titles and three finals appearances- the exact same state finishes as Rella.  However, Ciraky had a dismal showing at Senior Nationals- he was not even close to All-American status. 

After these two, the next 5-6 names are virtually interchangeable, but 2x state runner-up Travis Popham gets the nod for the #3 spot.

171
1. Dustin Kilgore
2. Brian Roddy
3. Cody Magrum
4. Jeremy Foster
5. Louis Miller
6. Eric Cameron
7. Todd Neptune
8. Nick Perdue
9. Mike Marrero
10. Justin Tripp
11. David Thompson
12. Tony Santos
13. Chris Estep
14. Cody Van Buskirk
15. Adam Cogar
16. William Poyser
17. Hunter Reed
18. Mike Pushpak
19. Nathan Jones
20. Tristan Stoll

This weight was perhaps one of the most controversial on the forums this season- as pundits debated who was Ohio’s best among as many as ten competitors.  In the end, however, there was little doubt that Dustin Kilgore deserved the #1 spot and Brian Roddy the #2 spot.  Simply put, Kilgore is a machine, and could not have looked more impressive in the state finals versus Roddy.  Kilgore then followed that up by winning NHSCA junior nationals, with decisive wins over two tough PA stars. 

Only a sophomore, Brian Roddy defeated all comers outside of Kilgore- and is a solid choice for the #2 spot.  Roddy handled #3 ranked Division II state champ Magrum at Ironman, and came back from a 5-0 deficit to beat #4 Jeremy Foster of Eastwood in their dual.  Roddy’s only other loss in the state was to Eric Cameron in Ironman finals -avenged by a fall at state duals.  Roddy also shellacked 3rd and 4th place state finishers Santos (7-1) and Marrero (10-4).

The hot-and-cold Jeremy Foster started the year in a funk- and then emerged as one of Ohio’s best upperweights mid-season with a big fall over Kilgore in the Top Gun finals and dominating wins over Travis Popham and David Thompson.  However, the wheels came off at state as he finished 1-2.  Only a sophomore, look for Foster to rebound and make his first state finals appearance next season.
 
189
1. John Weakley
2. Erique Robertson
3. Chris Honeycutt
4. Logan Brown
5. Jamey Srock
6. Bill Schindel
7. Vince Dattilo
8. Joe Knopick
9. Myron Andrews
10. Chris Iammarino
11. Matt Fisher
12. Zach McGrain
13. Mitch Knapp
14. Brian Porter
15. Kyle Rooney
16. Brooks Keefer
17. Ryan Legg
18. Jeremy Stevens
19. Dan Canfield
20. Ernie Porko

John Weakley is the choice here by the slimmest of margins over Robertson.  Weakley virtually exploded into the collective consciousness of Ohio wrestling fans as he crushed a tough field at Ironman- with some of the most impressive blast doubles this writer has ever seen.  The only blemish on his season was an overtime loss to the outstanding Chris Honeycutt in the M.I.T. finals- in what may have been the most memorable match of the season.  However, even in that match Weakley scored three of the four takedowns in regulation and essentially beat himself with mental errors. 

Robertson is just a half-step behind.  Robertson defeated Honeycutt in  overtime what may have been the best match of the state tournament, and then put on a takedown clinic in winning 14-5 in the state finals. 

Honeycutt is just a hair behind the first two.  It would seem to say a lot for Honeycutt that he was involved in what may have been the two most memorable matches of the year.  Weakley, Robertson, and Honeycutt are all juniors- though rumor has it Robertson may forgo wrestling next season to concentrate on his upcoming college football career.  Hopefully, this rumor turns out to be false or he has a change of heart.

Division III state champion Logan Brown of Covington, our #4 choice, capped off an unbeaten season by dominating the field at state.  Brown has a win over Division I state runner-up Vince Dattilo to his credit and came within a match of All-American status at Senior Nationals.

 

215
1. Joe Tymoszczuk
2. Justin Powell
3. Jarred Rodriguez
4. Aaron Griffin
5. Ryan Nachtrab
6. Sean Jameson
7. Dave Crowley
8. Nick Girlie
9. Manju Jabbie
10. Eric Schwartz
11. Kyle Gantz
12. Anthony Watson
13. Tyler Rasho
14. Matt Clum
15. Kyle Meyer
16. Cory Swinderman
17. Chad Davis
18. Matt Walker
19. John Horn
20. Nick Hess

This is by far the most confusing weight.  Consider: Sophomore Tyler Rasho lost ten times this year, yet defeated two of the state champions (Rodriguez and Davis) and one of the runner-ups (Griffin).  Manju Jabbie came into the state tournament with a brilliant 45-0 record and the #1 or #2 ranking in every service, only to go “two and barbeque.” The always-quotable Bob Preusse of Amateur Wrestling News quipped at the Schottenstein Arena “Manju Jabbie was here for a cup of coffee.”  The Division I state champion, Dave Crowley, was a wrestler with seven in-state losses, making his first state tournament appearance.

Perhaps it is fitting then, that the choice is a wrestler who did not even compete this year.  Joe Tymoszczuk was sidelined for the entire season by injury, after missing the state tournament with an injury last year.  However, Tymoszczuk was rehabilitated by high school nationals, and finished an impressive 4th in the nation in one of the best stories of the season.  Along the way he posted a solid 7-4 win over the wrestler from Missouri who beat Division II state finalists Aaron Griffin (5-1) and Jarred Rodriguez (6-2). 

275
1. Matt Guhn
2. Nathan Sharp
3. Brendan Barlow
4. Cameron Wade
5. Lance Wagner
6. John Hiles
7. David Wade
8. Andy Harshorn
9. Antonio Jeremiah
10. Brian Parker
11. Frank Becker
12. Jesse Campbell
13. Cody Ruffer
14. John Nicolozakes
15. Adam Salyers
16. Caleb Lipsey
17. Jimmy Bowersock
18. Nick Piccirillo
19. Nick Terifaj
20. Xavier Taylor

Though he was upset in the closing seconds of the state finals, Matt Guhn of Clyde gets the nod here after totaling more than 100 wins with only a single loss in the past two seasons.  A NHSCA Juniors national champion last year, Guhn was hampered by a bad shoulder much of this season.  Look for the highly-mobile Guhn to accomplish big things at the University of Michigan.

All three champions this year were juniors- in fact, a highly unusual eight of the top 12 here will be returning next year, plus 2005 state runner-up Ben Kuhar of Lakewood St. Edward’s- sidelined this year with a football injury.  Cameron Wade showed again that he knows how to win when it counts in capturing his second state title, and Nathan Sharp electrified the crowd by avenging his loss to the ever-controversial Guhn.

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OhioWrestlingSite.com 2005