Division II Rankings and Analysis

103: PROJECTED CHAMPION: DAVID TAYLOR

1	David Taylor	Graham	Sophomore
2	Alex Minnard	Fairfield Union	Sophomore
3	James Ingraham	University School	Sophomore
4	Kyle Ditcher	Uhrichsville Claymont	Junior
5	John Worthington	Shelby	Sophomore
6	Cody Neff	Miami Trace	Freshman
7	Zak Vargo	Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary	Freshman
8	Erik McLaughlin	Canal Fulton Northwest	Freshman
9	Bo Maggard	Eaton	Freshman
10	Brandon Voss	Canal Winchester	Junior
11	Chase McCune	West Geauga	Junior
12	Ty Mitch	Aurora	Freshman

I’m not certain there has ever been as prohibitive of a favorite as David Taylor is at this weight this year. Taylor was considered one of the top two 103 lb. wrestlers in the nation last year despite being about ten pounds lighter than his opponents by match time- a tremendous size difference, proportionately speaking. This year he will be a “big 103.” There won’t be anyone in Division II that looks to be as good as the guys David Taylor teched and pinned on his way to the finals last year (Cribari and Papesh) as an undersized 103. In fact, This looks to be possibly the worst weight class ever assembled in Division II in terms of depth. The top six are all pretty solid, but after that, I feel far less confident in this weight than any of the 28 I’ve done thus far.

The one name on here that I’m not sure about is Kyle Ditcher. I’m getting conflicting reports on whether he will be at this weight. Look for John Worthington to be vastly improved as he grows into a full 103. He placed 2nd at the preseason “Border Brawl” in Michigan. But outside of Taylor never going the “full six” at state, what will happen at this weight remains largely a mystery.

112: PROJECTED CHAMPION: KYLE GILCHREST

1	Kyle Gilchrest	Jefferson Area	Junior
2	Johnny Papesh	Aurora	Junior
3	Zach Neibert	St. Paris Graham	Sophomore
4	Dominic Cribari	West Geauga	Senior
5	Nate Westfall	Mentor Lake Catholic	Sophomore
6	Josh Cisco	St. Mary's Memorial	Senior
7	Kevin Nycz	Holy Name	Senior
8	Jacob Garringer	Miami Trace	Sophomore
9	Cody Garbrandt	Uhrichsville Claymont	Freshman
10	Kyle Keller	Dayton Carroll	Senior
11	Bart Young	Medina Highland	Junior
12	Jacob Weisman	Columbus Bexley	Senior

There are four contenders here who would seem to have separated themselves from the field. Kyle Gilchrest and Johnny Papesh both entered Districts unbeaten last year, but their expected match-up never occurred as Papesh was beaten by Cribari of West Geauga. Gilchrest then won a very entertaining bout with Cribari for the Firestone title. Cribari of course was injured in his match against David Taylor and had to default out at state. Though he was only 6th in Division I last year, I look for Zach Neibert of Graham to be right there with the Firestone trio for several reasons. First, he was an undersized 103 last year and has now grown into a decent-sized 112. Second, he wrestles year round and made a very respectable showing in Fargo (close to All-American status). Finally, he will now have David Taylor, Cordell Longstreath, and Brian Stephens to work out with every day. First he must win his wrestle-off with Longstreath however.

In the end, the underrated Gilchrest is a solid favorite in my view- and could be considered the best 112 in any division when the season ends. Freshman Cody Garbrandt of Claymont is one to watch for the future- he could end up being much better than his current #9 ranking though in this weight class he will have his work cut out for him.

119: PROJECTED CHAMPION: RICKY KING

1	Ricky King	Benedictine	Junior
2	Justin Flores	Eastwood	Junior
3	Paul Rose	Cambridge	Junior
4	Cordell Longstreath	Graham	Junior
5	Spencer Campbell	Sandusky Perkins	Senior
6	Theo Hildebrand	Franklin	Senior
7	Ryan Nakama	Big Walnut	Sophomore
8	Richie Knotek	Walsh Jesuit	Sophomore
9	Isiah Chapman	Akron Kenmore	Junior
10	Tyler Powers	CVCA	Sophomore
11	Nick LeForce	Franklin	Freshman
12	Charlie Palladino	Padua	Senior

Would a favorite please step forward? While there is decent depth in this weight, there isn’t a wrestler in here as presently compiled that would have a chance to win state in most years. The #1 ranked wrestler, Ricky King, is only a returning 8th place state finisher. King showed me great tenacity and poise in knocking off Chris Romeo of Lake Catholic in the “match to qualify” last year. Frankly, any of the top four at the weight 112 or 125 would be the favorite if they were here. There is a possibility that Jacob Vaughn may yet surface at this weight- though his coach tells me at this time 125 is more likely.

Justin Flores is a transfer from Oregon Clay where he qualified for state last year in Division I. Though he made a quick exit at Columbus last year, he stands as a virtual co-favorite at this weight. He should make great strides in a far more competitive Eastwood wrestling room. It’s very possible that one of the talented underclassmen at this weight could develop into the man to beat here- Nakama, Knotek, Powers, or Leforce. Powers is a former junior high state runner-up to Collin Palmer who has transferred to CVCA from Ravenna. Leforce was a junior high state champion last year.

125: PROJECTED CHAMPION: BRIAN STEPHENS

1	Brian Stephens	Graham	Sophomore
2	Brian Dean	Akron St.Vincent-St.Mary	Senior
3	Jan Ulinski	Eastwood	Senior
4	Jacob Vaughan	Columbus Desales	Sophomore
5	Chris Romeo	Mentor Lake Catholic	Senior
6	Scott Meyer	Ravenna	Junior
7	Nevin Brown	Walsh Jesuit	Senior
8	Tucker Armstrong	Springfield Kenton Ridge	Freshman
9	John Kidd	Bellevue	Senior
10	Tim Silvers	Eaton	Junior
11	Kyle Von Neumann	Dayton Carroll	Senior
12	Mike Mitchell	Padua	Senior

This is one of the toughest weights in Division II. And yet, I look for a wrestler who finished only 6th at state last year to be the favorite. Brian Stephens was probably only the fifth-best freshman 112 in the state last season (behind Palmer, Horner, Toal, and Vaughn). However, at this point he appears to me to have surpassed all but Palmer. Stephens finished 5th at Cadet National Freestyle in perhaps the toughest weight of the tournament, losing in what was a virtual draw to a 2x undefeated Wisconsin State Champion and posting a win over the Utah wrestler (Matt Brown) who defeated Ryan Fields earlier in the spring. The move to Graham will provide a plethora of outstanding workout partners- so he should only get better. Ulinski- who also had a good showing in Fargo- is much better than is 7th place state finish indicates and will push Stephens hard in what should be another classic Graham-Eastwood rivalry. Brian Dean and Jacob Vaughn are right there with the top duo and in fact placed 4th and 5th at state last year respectively. Two wrestlers that could prove spoilers here are Chris Romeo (perhaps the best wrestler in Ohio who has not yet made state) and highly-acclaimed freshman Tucker Armstrong, a junior high state champion. Former state qualifier Nevin Brown returns to the Walsh Jesuit lineup two weight classes lower than he competed last year. A knowledge source within the program tells me Brown is focused and ready to run with anybody here.

It should definitely be noted that though at this time I believe 2x state runner-up Jeffrey Pelton will be at 130, should he end up here he would be ranked #1.

130: PROJECTED CHAMPION: CHASE SKONIECZNY

1	Chase Skonieczny	Walsh Jesuit	Junior
2	Jeffrey Pelton	Bellevue	Senior
3	Aaron Sulzer	Parma Heights Holy Name	Junior
4	Ryan King	Minerva	Senior
5	Marcus Nakama	Big Walnut	Senior
6	Anthony Mellillo	Padua	Junior
7	Justin Cartwright	Newark Licking Valley	Senior
8	Dusty Osterloh	Greenfield McClain	Junior
9	Dustin Fraley	Miami Trace	Junior
10	Brendon Johnson	Milton-Union	Junior
11	Tony Owen	Geneva	Senior
12	Sam Delpra	West Geauga	Junior

The big question is whether Jeffrey Pelton will go here or at 125. As it currently stands, one of Ohio’s top juniors, Chase Skonieczny, is a slight favorite over Pelton. 2x state place-winner Skonieczny put together a solid offseason, including defeating Tony Jameson and coming within a match of All-American status at Junior Nationals. Aaron Sulzer was also very impressive in Fargo, posting a 4-2 record in Junior Freestyle. Sulzer is fairly close to the top duo in my view. Sulzer actually finished only 7th in the state meet last year, but surely that can be forgiven since his two losses were both to state champions (one of whom he defeated at Districts). After Sulzer there is a big drop-off. #4 Ryan King actually finished higher than Sulzer at state despite losing to him 11-4 in the first round.

135: PROJECTD CHAMPION: BEN JORDAN

1	Ben Jordan	Graham	Junior
2	Jeremy Espinoza	Rossford	Senior
3	Ben Fondale	New Lexington	Senior
4	Zip Zimmer	Warsaw River View	Senior
5	Shawn Gayheart	Willard	Senior
6	Kyle Taylor	Eastwood	Senior
7	Isaac Dukes	Ravenna	Junior
8	Chris Canty	Columbus Desales	Junior
9	Ryan Sigurdson	Oak Harbor	Senior
10	Dawson Riedy	Bellevue	Senior
11	Terry Stevenson	Chaminade-Julienne	Senor
12	Jeremy Regula	Uhrichsville Claymont	Senior

“Loaded” is the best word to describe this weight class. Right off the bat you’ve got 2x state champion Ben Jordan of Graham, one of the finest takedown artists in the state. Jordan actually owns a 9-3 win over Kellen Russell of Blair Academy, a wrestler ranked #1 in the nation by www.amateurwrestlingnews.com and #2 by www.revwrestling.com. However, he could face a legitimate challenge from Jeremy Espinoza of Rossford, who just may be the state’s most underrated wrestler. Espinoza entered the state tournament undefeated, where he scored a fall and outscored his opponents in his other three victories 41-4. Included in that run was a 14-1 triumph over defending state champion Ben Llanas. While he was overwhelmed by Quentin Keyes at state last year, don’t look for anyone to have an easy time with him this year in “the Schott”, Jordan included. In the spring, Espinoza beat 2x Pennsylvania state champion Troy Dolan quite easily. Ben Fondale placed 4th in the toughest weight in Division II last year, so he will be right there with the top duo.

Chris Canty and Isaac Dukes both showed in the off-season that they had made great strides. Both are leaning toward 135 but could end up at 130 per their coaches. Either would be ranked #4 should they so move. All in all, this may be the toughest of the 42 weights.

140: PROJECTED CHAMPION: CHRIS ANDREWS

1	Chris Andrews	New Albany	Senior
2	Matt Reedy	Ravenna	Senior
3	Joe Newland	Graham	Senior
4	Lawrence Cavello	Willard	Senior
5	Brian Teter	Wooster Triway	Senior
6	Sean Mahley	Cambridge	Senior
7	Andrew Long	Eastwood	Junior
8	Seamus Szucs	Parma Heights Holy Name	Junior
9	Adam Walters	West Geauga	Sophomore
10	Matt Cunningham	Miami Trace	Senior
11	Pat Suggett	Norton	Senior
12	David Hurley	Walsh Jesuit	Junior

It will undoubtedly be a surprise that I have two non-state placewinners in Joe Newland and Matt Reedy ahead of state 3rd place finisher Cavello. However, Reedy has had some great performances in the off-season, including wins over 2x state champion Tony Jameson and a win over 2x North Carolina state champ Kanaga. Last year, he was a hair away from knocking off state finalist (and former state champion/high school All-American) Adam Kriwinsky at Districts. Losing that overtime heartbreaker may have had an effect as he squandered a 4-0 lead in the third period against the tough Milner and didn’t qualify. Do not look for a repeat of history.

The favorite, however, has to be Chris Andrews of New Albany. Outside of Espinoza, Andrews is the most underrated wrestler in Division II in my view. Very difficult to score on, this two-time state finalist showed he was right there with Ryan Cubberly (who he split with) and Pat McLemore (3rd at Senior Nationals) last year (losing 3-1). Both Cubberly and McLemore have continued to excel in college this year, further raising the “stock” of Andrews. Newland showed he could “hang” with anyone last year and has had a brilliant preseason. Look for him to have a breakout year, though he will turn back a stiff challenge in the Graham wrestling room from Junior High state champion Joe Martinez first.

145: PROJECTED CHAMPION: COBY BOYD

1	Coby Boyd	Graham	Junior
2	Kirk Tank	Oak Harbor	Junior
3	Thomas Windom	CVCA	Senior
4	Danny Michaels	Clyde	Junior
5	Seth Gayheart	Willard	Junior
6	Matt McGovern	Columbus Desales	Senior
7	Jerry Boso	Akron Springfield	Junior
8	Tyler Hoover	Millersburg West Holmes	Junior
9	Josey Neff	Miami Trace	Junior
10	Brett Mellor	Warsaw River View	Sophomore
11	Shawn Kramer	Ravenna	Senior
12	Jeb Pencil	Springfield Northwest	Senior

The big surprise here is Boyd moving all the way up to 145 after two seasons at 130. However, Coach Jordan has assured me that after a tough cut last year, Boyd will be here this season. With a little luck, Boyd could be a two-time state champion right now. His freshman year, he was forced to compete up a weight due to teammate Cameron Doggett being at 125, but would have been a likely co-favorite with Ryan Cubberly at 125. Even up a weight he pulled the big upset of Jordan Lipp before losing a number of close bouts and finishing 6th. Last year Boyd was certainly good enough to win either of the other two divisions but had the misfortune of being caught up in the stacked 130 Division II weight. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts to such a large jump in weight but he has to be the favorite.

The “X” factor here, and throughout pretty much of all Division II is Oak Harbor’s lineup. Coach Scherf tells me it has not yet been determined due to Oak Harbor’s run in the football playoffs pushing things back. The best information I have at this point is that Kirk Tank will try to make 145- a move that would be tremendously beneficial for Oak Harbor’s lineup. Should Tank not go 145, Oak Harbor will have four wrestlers good enough to place at state packed into two weights (152 and 160). Tank is, in my view, the one wrestler who stands a good chance to beat Boyd. With Boyd moving up three weights and Tank staying at the same weight, this would be one of the most intriguing match-ups of the season. Tank has shown he can run with nearly anyone, wrestling a one-point match with Nemec last year and actually defeating Eric Cubberly at Districts (before Cubberly avenged the loss at state).

Obviously, the big surprise here is the fact that a wrestler who has seen almost no competitive action in the past two years is ranked #5. However, an excellent source within the program tells me that of the tough Willard middleweights (Shawn Gayheart, St. 3rd place finisher Cavello, and Tyler Wagers) Seth Gayheart is hands-down the best of the group. Gayheart has not competed for personal reasons but is ready to go this year. Bear in mind also, that although he is unproven, this is the weakest weight in Division II other than, of course, the virtual “ghost town” that is 103. Thomas Windom is a solid choice for #2 but after that it is very wide-open. McGovern placed at 119 as a sophomore but missed much of last year with an injury, it’s very difficult to ascertain how he fits up five weights two years later. Look for one of the three tough sophomores ranked here (Greco, Mellor, or Lee) to have a breakout year and possibly place top three. Danny Michaels of Clyde is a real wild card here. A state placewinner at 112 as a freshman, his sophomore season was hampered by injury.

152: PROJECTED CHAMPION: ERIC CUBBERLY

1	Eric Cubberly	Pemberville Eastwood	Junior
2	Jarrod Kusar	CVCA	Junior
3	Keith Witt	Oak Harbor	Junior
4	James Myers	Wintersville Indian Creek	Senior
5	Colton Collett	West Holmes	Senior
6	Travis Erdman	University School	Senior
7	James Mannier/Josh Luster	Graham	So./Sr.
8	Alex Croasman	Columbus Desales	Senior
9	Brett Horne	Hillsboro	Senior
10	Kenny Coleman	Ravenna Southeast	Senior
11	Adam Harris	Akron Kenmore	Senior
12	Tyler Wagers	Willard	Senior

This weight class appears to be, on paper, a three-man battle between three of Ohio’s finest juniors- returning third place finishers Cubberly and Kusar and 4th place finisher Tank. And yet, I feel very confident that the final outcome will be the rapidly improving Cubberly prevailing in convincing fashion. Cubberly overcame a slow start last year to show he could run with anyone from mid-season on- the sophomore lost to state champions Nemec, Lamancusa, and Frier by a single point each. After giving Lamancusa his toughest match of the tournament, Cubberly dominated both Zach Schuller and Kirk Tank to take 3rd at the state meet. Cubberly carried that momentum into the off-season, finishing 2nd at Cadet Nationals in Freestyle. Among his off-season wins was a victory over Division I runner-up Jedd Moore. This fall it’s been more of the same, with a win at the very tough Super 32 over a handful of nationally ranked competitors. Aggressive, strong, and fast- look for Cubberly to become a dominant force at this weight in Ohio this season.

Despite Cubberly’s immense talents, it would be foolish to count out the powerful Jarrod Kusar. Kusar seemed to step up to a new level in pushing Josh Rohler hard twice last year and will be a huge 152. He was initially headed for 160 but elected to go this weight once Sponseller surprised many by announcing he would be at 160. State finalist Myers and state 4th place finisher Colton Collett cannot be counted out, though they are a step behind the top duo in my view. Kirk Tank will be very close to the top duo if here, though my belief is Oak Harbor will go with Keith Witt at this weight.

160: PROJECTED CHAMPION: COLT SPONSELLER

1	Colt Sponseller	West Holmes	Senior
2	Nick Mills	University School	Sophomore
3	Phil Dukes	Ravenna	Senior
4	David Fisher	Columbus Desales	Senior
5	Aaron McCune/Tom Baker	Oak Harbor	Senior/Junior
6	Jeremy Alfani	Louisville	Senior
7	Erik Schott	Alliance Marlington	Junior
8	Thomas Schwartz	Clyde	Senior
9	Kyle Haddox	Canal Fulton Northweset	Senior
10	Zach Thomosseit	Graham	Junior
11	Riley Kilroy	Padua	Freshman
12	Kyle Raber	Wooster Triway	Junior

It’s no secret to any regular visitors of Ohio Wrestling Site that Colt Sponseller is the my favorite current Ohio wrestler. Sponseller never stops attacking and meets head-on every challenge presented. A true takedown artist, anyone hoping to beat him had better be prepared to go the full six minutes as Sponseller gives “no quarter” to the opposition. There is no one here that can hold his pace. Generally when you have a wrestler of Sponseller’s caliber the rest of the field will “clear out”, however, this remains a strong weight class. Expect a name or two near the top to head for the greener pastures of 152 or 171. To paraphrase Alan Fried, you can put a stake down on the night of the M.I.T. finals this year- when Sponseller meets Sean Nemec of St. Edward in the battle for the unofficial title of Ohio’s best wrestler.

The choice of Nick Mills as #2 will be surprising to many since Mills failed to qualify for state. However, the freshman showed flashes of brilliance last year but simply lacked the physicality of the upperclassmen. This year in the preseason Mills has been brilliant, including a second-place finish at Lock Haven. In truth, the #2-#5 spots are almost completely interchangeable. Schott impressed me last year and may also be rated too low at #7.

171: PROJECTED CHAMPION: CODY MAGRUM

1	Cody Magrum	Oak Harbor	Junior
2	Jeremy Foster	Eastwood	Junior
3	David Thompson	St. Paris Graham	Senior
4	Cody Cheatham	Walsh Jesuit	Junior
5	Greg Rhoads	Hillsboro	Junior
6	Kasey McCurdy	Fairfield Union	Senior
7	Kyle Stygler	Desales	Junior
8	Tristan Stoll	Milan Edison	Senior
9	Mike Gorman	Alliance Marlington	Senior
10	John Sinchok	CVCA	Senior
11	Aric Thurn	Clyde	Junior
12	Cody Hamilton	Franklin	Senior

Yet, again, the big “question mark” is an Oak Harbor wrestler- defending state champion Cody Magrum. At this point, credible reports have him at 171 where he becomes a clear favorite. Magrum is just keeps getting better and better. Over the summer he had very solid showings at both Junior Duals and Junior National Freestyle (falling just short of All-American status) despite being a very undersized 189. Outside of Foster, there does not appear (on paper) to be anyone in this very solid weight (probably the deepest in Division II) that is a serious threat to Magrum repeating.

Some wrestlers have an innate, almost “sixth sense” of how to win scrambles- a certain “mat sense” that can’t be taught enables them to consistently turn a chaotic situation into five points or a fall. Jeremy Foster, in my view, exemplifies that. As dangerous a wrestler as this state has to offer, the counter he orchestrated to pin Dustin Kilgore last year was a thing of beauty. Foster also scored lopsided wins against 3x state place-winner David Thompson and 2x state runner-up Travis Popham- despite being between weights. However, there is the other Foster- the one who showed up at Beast of the East (1-2), Brecksville (5th place) and state (“two and barbeque”). The bet here is that Foster regains the form that earned him a rare 4th place medal as a freshman 152 (with very respectable losses to Dave Rella and Josh Rohler) and advances to the finals. While Magrum got the better of Foster last year at Districts and has to be the favorite, a wrestler as dangerous as Foster simply can’t be counted out.

David Thompson has now accumulated three state medals at 171, but has not seemed to progress as some might have expected after placing at state and reaching the finals of cadet nationals as a freshman in high school. If Foster is “off” however, he would quickly become the favorite. This is a weight where I anticipate three wrestlers who have never been to the “big dance” to make names for themselves. The pick of Cody Cheatham of Walsh Jesuit at #4 in this stacked weight class will raise eyebrows- but at Super 32 he pushed Dustin Kilgore to the wire and took Jeremy Foster into overtime. Stygler has had some brilliant off-season performances as well while Sinchok, one of the state’s best throwers, should improve greatly despite moving all the way up from 145.

189: PROJECTED CHAMPION: JOHN WEAKLEY

1	John Weakley	CVCA	Senior
2	Matt Fisher	Sandusky Perkins	Junior
3	Mitch Knapp	Mogan	Senior
4	Kirk Weatherell	Cambridge	Junior
5	Jared Brankamp	Columbus Desales	Senior
6	Corey Hershman	Perry	Senior
7	Derek Dencer	Clyde	Senior
8	Mark Akam	Millersburg West Holmes	Senior
9	Bruce Griffin	Canal Fulton Northwest	Junior
10	Kyle Reeder	Beaver	Senior
11	Milton Hershberger	Alliance Marlington	Senior
12	Luke Eschenbrenner	Pemberville Eastwood	Sophomore

There’s not a whole lot to say about Weakley that has not been said already. There isn’t a wrestler in the field, state champ Magrum included, who can touch Big John. Essentially, only Weakley can beat Weakley. The only suspense to his season will be to see if he can prevail at nationals over a brilliant group of national 189 lb. wrestlers, and of course his rematch(es) with Chris Honeycutt should be epic. The real story here is 171 lb. state champ Magrum. Magrum faces a “Hobson’s choice” of sorts. He can almost certainly make 171, as he made it (with a five lb. allowance) at Disney Duals last summer. However, presuming that teammate Kirk Tank goes 152, Magrum going 171 would create a huge problem with Oak Harbor’s lineup. Specifically, it would leave them with three wrestlers good enough to place at state- Keith Witt, Tom Baker, and Aaron McCune- all vying for a single spot at 160 lbs. Magrum wrestling 189 (where he competed well at Fargo) would allow them to get two of the three in the lineup. However, it would reduce his chances of repeating as state champion from favorite status to nearly zero. Magrum and Weakley met at freestyle state in a match that saw Weakley completely dominate. At this point, it appears that Magrum will be at 171. With Srock moving to 189, NHSCA Sophomores National Champ Matt Fisher is a very solid #2 choice.

215: PROJECTED CHAMPION: JAMEY SROCK

1	Jamey Srock	Akron St.Vincent- SM	Senior
2	Matt Clum	Galion	Senior
3	Oney Snyder	Hillsboro	Junior
4	Ryan Oddo	CVCA	Senior
5	Aaron Schecter	Olmsted Falls	Senior
6	Joey Whitehead	Columbus Desales	Junior
7	Robbie Weisenberger	Urbana	Senior
8	Derrick McCluggage	Millersburg West Holmes	Senior
9	Nate Gilgenbach	Napoleon	Senior
10	Harlan Reichard	New Albany	Senior
11	Brent Scherf	Oak Harbor	Senior
12	Chris Anderson	Hubbard	Junior

Though he will be a light 215, I will go with Srock here because there isn’t another competitor at this weight who is at his level. Srock is a returning state runner-up who finished 3rd at the rugged Beast of the East last season, winning nine straight consolation bouts in the process. Srock has had no success in solving John Weakley over the past year, however, and will compete here for his senior year. Matt Clum of Galion looks to be Srock’s top challenger after finishing 6th at state last year and opening with a runner-up finish at Lock Haven.

However, I think it just may be Ryan Oddo who provides Srock with his stiffest challenge here. While Oddo has yet to make it to state, he came on enough by the end of the year to defeat state place-winner Matt Walker and come within a controversial call of beating him again in the “go to state” match. Oddo will come back a bigger, stronger, and more seasoned 215 following a summer of lifting and wrestling, including some brilliant performances at the Disney Duals. Another interesting possibility is Whitehead of Desales. Whitehead is one of the state’s best heavyweights- only with John Hiles there, he has no future at Desales at that weight and will try to get to 215. Whitehead making 215 moves Desales from a virtual deadlock with Eastwood, CVCA, and Oak Harbor for the #2 spot into the clear front-runner for 2nd place.

285: PROJECTED CHAMPION: JOHN HILES

1	John Hiles	Columbus Desales	Junior
2	Nathan Sharp	West Branch	Senior
3	John Nicolozakes	Cambridge	Senior
4	Adam Walls	Graham	Sophomore
5	Thomas Taylor	Indian Lake	Junior
6	Matt Walker	Alliance	Senior
7	Shane Van Voorhis	Elida	Senior
8	Cory Davis	Circleville	Senior
9	Aaron Sims	Parma Heights Holy Name	Senior
10	Zach Fraley	Lexington	Senior
11	Matt Betz	Alliance Marlington	Junior
12	Markie Brooks	Bellevue	Sophomore

This choice will undoubtedly surprise many, but there are three reasons I’m picking John Hiles. First, he had a better off-season than Sharp, winning NHSCA Sophomore Nationals and placing at Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman. Second, I think the junior is on the steeper end of his “learning curve” as Brakeman might say. Finally, Hiles pinned state champion Nathan Sharp at freestyle state last spring. Yes, if was off-season, and yes it was a freestyle match, but when you take a man down and plant his shoulders on the mat that result can perhaps carrying over, from a mental standpoint, to the next match. State Champ Sharp is certainly a co-favorite (favorite in the eyes of most) after pulling the big upset over returning champ Matt Guhn last year with a stunning takedown in the last five seconds. I would not discount John Nicolozakes either, for that matter. Nicolozakes actually defeated Hiles at Districts and took Sharp into double overtime at state.

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