Introduction to Division I Rankings 2006/2007

I want to start off the rankings with explaining the philosophy behind them.  The purpose of rankings is purely for fan interest.  For many years, wrestling rankings have been done in a rather unimaginative way.  The highest returning finisher gets ranked 1st, the next highest 2nd, and so forth.  In my view, such predictable rankings require zero insight are not worth reading.  Some would contend that ranking this way is the only fair way to do it.  For purposes of my rankings, what is “fair” is not the central question.  What I’m going for is accuracy- i.e. what you will see below is how I think things will turn out if I had to bet my house on the outcome.  Thus, you may see a guy who finished 3rd at state ranked below someone who failed to place at state, if looking at his total career, I believe the other wrestler to be the better of the two.

There will also be some guys ranked that you may not be familiar with yet.  You may ask yourself if the Ohio Admin is randomly plugging in names.  Far from it- these rankings were compiled through contact with more than 300 coaches, wrestlers, and parents.  In many cases, a guy you may not know is someone who a top coach has given me a “tip” on—for instance a wrestler did not make it to state last year because he was battling a serious injury, or out of weight class, etc.  I recognize that every coach is biased toward his own guys, but a guy that has coached numerous state champs can give me a pretty good indication of where his guys rate.  If I get a flyer on a guy- for example “you don’t know this guy, but he is definitely top four” I usually bump the wrestler down a few spots from that prediction to reflect inherent bias towards one’s own team.

As for the weights, about 70-80% of them were placed in there weights through a first-hand source- either their coach, their parent, or themselves. Another 10-20% were educated guesses based on where they compete in the off-season.  But about 5% were based on nothing more than a guess as there was no information available.  So yes, there are going to be a few glaring weight class errors.  There’s going to be the occasional situation where a guy grew from 119 to 140 over the summer and I just had no way to find out.  So bear in mind these are preseason rankings!  With no further ado………

103: PROJECTED CHAMP: SAM WHITE

1	Sam White	Massillon Perry	Sophomore
2	Jamie Clark/Gus Sako	Lakewood St. Edward	Freshmen
3	Jerome Robinson	Cleveland St. Ignatius	Freshman
4	Jimmy Millar	Hilliard Davidson	Junior
5	Kent Li	Reynoldsburg	Senior
6	Jacob Farber	Cincinnati St. Xavier	Sophomore
7	Dan Foore	Wadsworth	Sophomore
8	Zach Sherman	Milford	Junior
9	Tyler Giffin	Harrison	Freshman
10	David Bolger	Strongsvillle	Sophomore
11	Nick Lawrence/Connor Dempsey	Westlake	Freshman
12	Garrett Manley	Holland Springfield	Freshman

It's been said that the state title at this weight runs through the St.

Edward wrestling room, where cadet national champ Jamie Clark and Gus Sako will wrestle-off for the opening spot in the lineup of the #1 team in the nation.  Even though I have Sam White ranked first, I still agree with that statement. White has the edge for now because the cadet all-american fresh off winning Lock Haven at 112, will be a huge 103 compared to Clark and Sako, who both weigh around 103 lbs naturally.  I look for Clark or Sako to have the edge by March but for now White has to be the favorite. 

Another interesting possibility to knock off either is freshman Jerome Robinson of St. Ignatius.  Robinson comes into high school with a tremendous youth reputation and started off well at the Super 32, where he pushed Cadet National Runner-up Mark Rappo into overtime.  The top three are well ahead of the pack in my view, though this looks to be a much deeper field than either Division II or III.   The surprise return of Jimmy Millar to this weight has shaken things somewhat.  Miller was a state qualifier in 2005 but failed to qualify last year despite a high rankings. All in all, the field here is much deeper than Division II.

112- PROJECTED CHAMP: BO TOURIS

1	Bo Touris	Lakota West	Senior
2	Steve Mitcheff	Elyria	Junior
3	Kyle Lang	Brecksville	Sophomore
4	Dan Genetin	Massillon Perry	Junior
5	Nick Quinones	Perrysburg	Junior
6	Scott Mattingly	Uniontown Lake	Sophomore
7	Nick Sulzer	Lakewood St. Edward	Freshman
8	Kyle Ciccarello	Lyndhurst Brush	Junior
9	Kyle Sutter	Oregon Clay	Senior
10	Jack Lichtenberg	Strongsville	Senior
11	Tommy Pretty	Cincinnati Elder	Junior
12	Adam Wallander	Cincinnati Moeller	Junior

I have to confess, I switched the top two names here numerous times.  There are some who consider Mitcheff’s win over Touris last year at state to have been a fluke.  However, Mitcheff, on that day, was clearly the better wrestler.  The other match between Touris and Mitcheff had Touris winning by a single point.  Mitcheff opened this year in spectacular fashion, finishing 2nd at the Super 32 Challenge and defeating Zach Neibert of Graham 9-1 along the way.  In the end I could not ignore the spectacular season future Buckeye Bo Touris had last year.  Among his feats were a technical fall of state runnerup Dan Genetin, a win over junior national champ Ben Sergent, two major decisions over two-time state placer Alex Weaver, and wins over Kyle Lang and of course Mitcheff, and tech fall over Neibert.  The ever improving Kyle Lang nearly made the finals last year and could make it a three man race.  Genetin nearly won state last year and certainly cannot be counted out.  Sources close to him state that there is still a chance he will end up at 119, but he seems better suited for this class.

Further complicating things is the transfer of Nick Quinones to Perrysburg. Quinones was 3rd and 1st in Michigan at 103 the past two seasons.  Ranking Quinones is difficult as Michigan’s talented is somewhat diluted by the numerous divisions the state has.  I can’t find any indication of Quinones competing outside the state of Michigan.  In all honesty, the #5 ranking is simply a guess.  All in all, this is a very tough field.

119: PROJECTED CHAMP: RYAN FIELDS

1	Ryan Fields	Lakota West	Junior
2	Dante Rini	Massillon Jackson	Senior
3	Brad Squire	Wadsworth	Freshman
4	Seth Horner	Massillon Perry	Sophomore
5	Pat Zamaria	Brecksville	Senior
6	Aaron Reese	Shaker Heights	Senior
7	Justin McCoy	Cincinnati Elder	Senior
8	Chris Newberry	Milford	Junior
9	Scott Fuller	Toledo Waite	Junior
10	Vitaly Radsky	Thomas Worthington	Senior
11	Matt Stoll	Dublin Coffman	Junor
12	Bryan Smith	Holland Springfield	Junior

Old rivals Fields and Rini appear poised for one last go-around in what may appear to be a two-man showdown (and a virtual tossup).  More on the Fields/Rini rivalry will be coming soon. However, freshman Brad Squire may be ready to run with both following his superb performance at the Super 32, where, interestingly, he defeated the wrestlers who beat both Rini and the top ranked Divison II 125 (Brian Stephens). 

Seth Horner now appears to be leaning toward 119, making a solid weight even tougher.  Despite his 3rd place finish last year, in my view Horner is a half-step behind the top trio.  While the top four appear a step ahead of the rest, Pat Zamaria is a wrestler who should not be overlooked as a potential spoiler.  Zamaria actually pinned Squire at FILA Cadet Nationals last spring.

125: PROJECTED CHAMP: COLLIN PALMER

1	Collin Palmer	Lakewood St. Edward	Sophomore
2	Matt Dennis	Holland Springfield	Senior
3	Austin Sanders	Central Crossing	Sophomore
4	Jovan Highbaugh	Maple Heights	Senior
5	Jeff Liggitt	Youngstown Boardman	Junior
6	Andrew Dinda	Garfield Heights	Junior
7	DeRicheen Dukes	Cincinnati Princeton	Senior
8	Cortez McLaughlin	Sandusky	Sophomore
9	Frank Mercado	Lorain Southview	Senior
10	Alex Radsky	Thomas Worthington	Senior
11	Ryan Moore	Vandalia Butler	Sophomore
12	Dalton McHenry	Elyria	Junior

This appears to be one of the weakest weights in Division I.  Collin Palmer- possibly the best wrestler in the state though only a sophomore- has cleared the field as most top contenders will opt for 119.  Several experts in the Columbus Area have informed me that Austin Sanders is an incredible talent to keep an eye on in the future.  Many feel the move to Central Crossing will take him to the next level.  In this weight he is a potential finalist.  Liggitt wasn’t even close to qualifying for state last year but through hard work improved so dramatically he nearly made All-American at Cadet Nationals.  He may be rated too low.

130: PROJECTED CHAMP: NEIL BIRT

1	Neil Birt	Lakewood St. Edward	Junior
2	Josh Palivoda	Marysville	Senior
3	Jordan McGuire	Miamisburg	Senior
4	Adam Haas	Massillon Jackson	Senior
5	Thomas Graszl	Mansfield Madison	Senior
6	Tyler Green	Lakota West	Junior
7	Brett Potts	Kenston	Senior
8	Kevin Byers	Holland Springfield	Senior
9	Chad Channel	Central Crossing	Sophomore
10	Wes Price	Massillon Washington	Sophomore
11	Billy Osborne	Cleveland St. Ignatius	Sophomore
12	Matt Tuttle	Whetstone	Senior

Where did this weight class go?  An already thin weight class was further decimated when previous favorite Michael Lybarger certified at 135, #2 Roshawn Jones apparently had a cerficiation “snafu” and will be competing at either 140 or 145. 

What you have now is a weight with five contenders that stand a nearly equal chance at winning the title.  My choice is Neil Birt of St. Edward. Birt failed to place at state last year, but then became a junior national all-american in freestyle- so I have to think he will be vastly improved this season.  Birt also defeated #2 Josh Palivoda last year.  Another interesting possibility who has not yet placed is Adam Haas of Massillon Jackson.  Though he failed to place last year, Haas did defeat four state place-winners throughout the year, including Zach Mizer of Massillon Perry.  Thomas Graszl is another guy who did not place at state, but was outstanding in “Fargo”.  Coach Wineberg of Miamisburg informs me that McGuire is undecided between 125 and 130.  My bet is that he will like his chances at a state title much better here than going up against Palmer at 125.  

135: PROJECTED CHAMP: TONY JAMESON

1	Tony Jameson	Austintown-Fitch	Junior
2	Richie Spicel	Brunswick	Junior
3	Michael Lybarger	Mount Vernon	Senior
4	Andrew Gasber	Lakewood St. Edward	Sophomore
5	David Habat	Cleveland St. Ignatius	Freshman
6	Josh Speelman	Mansfield Madison	Junior
7	Kurt Wentink	Lodi Cloverleaf	Senior
8	Mike Mencini	Twinsburg	Junior
9	Justin Gooden	Toledo Waite	Junior
10	Joseph Parra	Barberton	Sophomore
11	Brock Cline	Uniontown Lake	Senior
12	Andrew Gaskins	Sheridan	Junior

The winner of this weight class will have earned his title.  Jameson has struggled somewhat since winning his second state title last March, losing to Chase Skonieczny and Matt Reedy among others.  However, he is a “gamer” who I anticipate stepping up when he needs to.  Possibly the most entertaining wrestler in the state to watch, the dangerous Jameson reminds me of a young Ryan Lang or Jeff Jaggers in that he is a threat to score a big move from all positions. 

The big surprise here is that St. Edward has shifted Harris and Gonsor up a weight and dropped Gasber from 145 to here.  Former state champion Richie Spicel will give Jameson all he can handle, as will state runner-up Michael Lybarger (though Lybarger may yet opt for 140).  Freshman David Habat is ready to run with all of the above in my view and a solid choice for the #5 spot following winning two junior high state titles in convincing fashion.

140: PROJECTED CHAMP: GERMAINE LINDSEY

1	Germaine Lindsey	Cincinnati Moeller	Senior
2	Sean Harris	Lakewood St. Edward	Senior
3	Jesse Dong	Westerville North	Junior
4	Adam Vaccari	Hilliard Davidson	Senior
5	Marcel Clopton	Shaker Heights	Senior
6	Tucker Guy	Miamisburg	Senior
7	Jess Stevens	Lakota West	Junior
8	Scott Lowe	Mentor	Senior
9	Roshawn Jones	Toledo Start	Senior
10	Jared Lijoi	Uniontown Lake	Junior
11	Caleb Messerall	Thomas Worthington	Junior
12	Marc Bryan	Cleveland St. Ignatius	Sophomore

As this weight class is presently situated, Germaine Lindsey is a very solid favorite in my view.  The “X” factor, however, is Thomas Straughn.  If Straughn goes to 145 (he’s expected to jump all the way to 152), I expect 2x state champion Kevin Hardy to drop to 140 (certifications permitting).  Reputable sources tell me that Straughn has clearly gotten the better of Hardy during fall workouts, so Hardy would be unlikely to want to face him on his pursuit of a third state title.  If Hardy is at 140, in my view Lindsey will beat him though it would hardly be a surprise to see Hardy prevail- especially given his history of rising to the occasion in Columbus.  Wrestlers #3-#6 are almost completely interchangeable.  It may be a surprise to see Jesse Dong ahead of Vaccari and Clopton, but every time I see this kid I wrestle I am more impressed.  

I have no idea what to do with Roshawn Jones, who will be moving up from 140 and competing here to the best of my knowledge.  A name to watch will be Jared Lijoi.  Lijoi struggled with injury last year but actually defeated Adam Koballa in a freestyle tournament. This is a very deep weight in which several deserving competitors had to be left off.

145: PROJECTED CHAMP: KEVIN HARDY

1	Kevin Hardy	Solon	Senior
2	Errol Young	Avon Lake	Senior
3	Dan Gonsor	Lakewood St. Edward	Senior
4	Zach Goins	Elyria	Sophomore
5	Chris Kline	Westerville North	Junior
6	J.T. Rice	Hilliard Davidson	Sophomore
7	Ryan Brownlee	Western Brown	Senior
8	Eric Gobin	Cincinnati Moeller	Junior
9	Devin Marrone	Parma	Senior
10	Lou Greco	Austintown-Fitch	Sophomore
11	TJ Rigel	Tecumseh	Sophomore
12	Ryan Andreas	Hilliard Darby	Senior

 This is a weight where I would not be surprised at all to see a young gun make a name for themselves.  This weight returns cadet All-Americans Chris Kline and J.T. Rice.  The best sophomore of the group, however, could turn out to be Zach Goins- who beat Andrew Gasber last year and placed this fall at the rugged Super 32. Former state place-winners Brownlee and Gobin could most certainly be in the finals.  Errol Young’s status remains somewhat of a mystery to me.  The best information I have right now is that he will be wrestling for Avon Lake at 145.  Youth legend Eddie Warren is at Shaker Heights but is not eligible to compete at this time.

152: PROJECTED CHAMPION:  THOMAS STRAUGHN

1	Thomas Straughn	Massillon Perry	Senior
2	Muhammad Abdur-Rahman	Cincinnati Princeton	Senior
3	Mazin Shalash	Reynoldsburg	Senior
4	Tommy Weinkam	Cincinnati Moeller	Senior
5	Evan Lovell	Westerville North	Senior
6	Scott Elliot	Lakewood St. Edward	Senior
7	Tyler Mickley	Hilliard Davidson	Senior
8	Nick Rees	Miamisburg	Senior
9	Andy MacNamara	North Olmsted	Senior
10	Kevin Brochetti	Parma	Senior
11	Ross Ambrose	Strongsville	Senior
12	Justin Wharton	Oregon Clay	Sophomore

This could be one of the most interesting weights in Division I.  You have four returning top four finishers:  one from 135, one from 140, one from 145, and one from 152.  Shalash could very well end up at 160, but the best bet, in my view, is that he will seek to maximize his state title chances by returning to this weight.  You also have a very tough Evan Lovell, perhaps one of the best wrestlers in the state who did not place last year.  Lovell is a transfer from Columbus Desales and lost to Straughn by a single point last year. Finally, Scott Elliot of St. Edward’s will see his first Varsity action.  Elliot actually defeated 2x state runner-up Derek Foore at state duals last year.

160: PROJECTED CHAMPION: SEAN NEMEC

1	Sean Nemec	Lakewood St. Edward	Senior
2	Derek Foore	Wadsworth	Senior
3	Mike Mahon	Cincinnati Moeller	Senior
4	Brett Ewing	Miamisburg	Junior
5	Jeff Green	Westlake	Senior
6	Angelo Mauro	Centerville	Senior
7	JJ Pankewicz	Austintown Fitch	Senior
8	Nick Sasfy	Reynoldsburg	Senior
9	Greer Bivenour	Olentangy	Senior
10	Nick Rees	Miamisburg	Senior
11	Nick Demarinis	Youngstown Boardman	Junior
12	Matt Findley	Lorain Southview	Senior

Nemec and Foore appear to be on a collision course for a third straight state meeting.  Should that come to pass I believe it will be the first time two wrestlers have met in the state finals three consecutive years.  Unless Foore goes to 171 (where his chances at a title appear more slim in my view), all others in this group appear quite a distance behind the top duo.  Look for history to repeat itself as Nemec becomes a 3x state champion and 4x state finalist.

171: PROJECTED CHAMPION: DUSTIN KILGORE

1	Dustin Kilgore	Berea	Senior
2	Brian Roddy	Lakewood St. Edward	Junior
3	Dean Gaier	Cincinnati Moeller	Senior
4	Dru Jones	Wadsworth	Junior
5	John Harasyn	Mentor	Junior
6	Jeremy Sanders	Columbus St. Charles	Senior
7	Corey Welch	Green	Senior
8	Paul Kordich	North Royalton	Senior
9	Briad McKInely	Hilliard Davidson	Senior
10	Ryan Saks	Kenston	Senior
11	Clayton Brown	Pickerington North	Senior
12	Nick Harpel	Toledo St. John's Jesuit	Senior

Here we have another weight with two wrestlers that are almost certain to have a state finals rematch.  Brian Roddy may have closed the gap this summer, given that he finished 5th at Junior National Freestyle in a strong weight class.  Roddy and Kilgore met at the Disney Duals, and although Kilgore ultimately got the fall, Roddy scored two takedowns prior to that. Dean Gaier is a very solid #3 choice and his funk could possibly frustrate the top duo.  Gaier was about as close to knocking off 2x state champion Anthony Ciraky at state as one can come without actually doing it.  The #5 choice, John Harasyn is one of those names you may not know yet but soon will.  Harasyn put together a 35 win season last year despite being a drastically undersized 171.  Now the junior will be a full 171 and should end up on the podium.

189: PROJECTED CHAMPION: CHRIS HONEYCUTT

1	Chris Honeycutt	Lakewood St. Edward	Senior
2	Chris Iammarino	Lyndhurst Brush	Senior
3	Dan Canfield	Lakota East	Senior
4	Adam Cogar	Barberton	Junior
5	Morgan Snyder	North Royalton	Senior
6	Nathan Jones	Sydney	Junior
7	Alex Denman	Painesville Riverside	Junior
8	Matt Kuti	Austintown-Fitch	Senior
9	Ryan Nelisse	Elyria	Sophomore
10	Mike Pushpak	Senior	Senior
11	Rick Weatherholt	Lakota West	Senior
12	Jim Masterson	Cleveland St. Ignatius	Senior

With the defection of Erique Robertson to 215, Honeycutt becomes one of the most solid favorites in the entire state.   This weigh classs is one of the proverbial “battles for 2nd”, with any of 6-7 wrestlers standing a legitimate chance to make the finals opposite Honeycutt.  Look for Alex Denman of Painesville Riverside to be one of the most improved wrestlers in the state this year.

215: PROJECTED CHAMPION: JUSTIN POWELL

1	Justin Powell	Youngstown Boardman	Senior
2	Erique Robertson	Maple Heights	Senior
3	Tyler Rasho	Uniontown Lake	Junior
4	Andrew Tumlin	Harrison	Sophomore
5	Orlando Scales	Cincinnati Elder	Junior
6	Cody Beatty	Central Crossing	Junior
7	Jim Neumanitis	Brecksville	Senior
8	Fred Hale	Mentor	Senior
9	Matt Alexander	Findlay	Senior
10	Justin Fletcher	Greenville	Senior
11	Shane Sato	Hilliard Darby	Senior
12	George Emmons	Milford	Senior

Here we have yet another two man upperweight battle.  In truth, Justin Powell was probably the best 215 in Ohio last year and will be tough to unseat.  A rare true 215, Powell is as powerful through his hips as any big man in the state and will have to cut to make 215.  However, he remains the slimmest of favorites (if a favorite at all) against Erique Robertson.  Robertson of course is the defending state champion at 189 lbs. and one of the most entertaining wrestlers in the state when he turns it on.  The only question I have is whether he will have trouble with Powell’s height and overall size.  Rumors persist that Robertson will not be competing but his coach tells me otherwise as of a few weeks prior to this article.  There is some great young talent at this weight in Rasho, Tumlin, and Scales.

275: PROJECTED CHAMPION: BRENDAN BARLOW

1	Brendon Barlow	Westerville Central	Senior
2	Ben Kuhar	Lakewood St. Edward	Senior
3	Andy Hartshorn	Reynoldsburg	Senior
4	Frank Becker	Cincinnati Moeller	Senior
5	Caleb Lipsey	Cincinnati Sycamore	Senior
6	Antonio Jeremiah	Hilliard Darby	Senior
7	Nick Piccirillo	Mayfield	Senior
8	Zach Stolarsky	Solon	Senior
9	Zach Crum	Westerville South	Senior
10	Kevin Kinder	Lakewood	Senior
11	Chris Holland	Holland Springfield	Senior
12	Dan Robinson	Wadsworth	Senior

With three retuning finalist and seven placers, this has to be one of the toughest heavyweight fields ever assembled.  The big question mark, of course, will be Ben Kuhar’s recovery.  Should Kuhar regain the form that made him a 2x Cadet National Champion he would be the favorite in my view.  For now, defending champ Barlow has to be #1.  Hartshorn and Lipsey are two extremely dangerous competitors that could upset either. Frank Becker is much better than his 7th place finish, and actually defeated 2x state champ/Jr. National Runner-up Cameron Wade twice last year.  The 6’6 Antonio Jeremiah and Nick Piccirillo could also prove spoilers.  State place-winner Zach Stolarsky of Solon will be moving up from 215. Kevin Kinder returns to Lakewood after a year at University School and has a good chance at placement.

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