TAYLOR Driven: Sponseller’s Passion to Compete Prevails in the Battle of Ohio

Perhaps now, the “nay-sayers” have been silenced. 

Somehow, Colt Sponseller has never quite gotten his due.  Despite being inexorably headed toward his third state title (extremely rare for a  middleweight), and despite having dominated  (in the wrestling, if not on the scoreboard) the “match of the year” last year against Josh Rohler, there have always been doubters.  We’ve heard about how he didn’t place at Fargo two of the last three years, and how he “backed into” his placement the year he did.  We’ve heard about the one blot on his record over the past three years, the inexplicable loss to Brent Weisenstein.  We’ve heard that he wasn’t on the “same level” as, first, Rohler- and this year, as Sean Nemec. 

All of that has now been put to rest. Like David Taylor at Ironman, Colt Sponseller reminded us all that folkstyle and freestyle are very different animals, and left no doubt as to whom the best scholastic wrestler in this state is.  He certainly left no doubt as to whom the most clutch wrestler is in this state.  And with the score of this year’s “match of the year”- he truly left no doubt. 

After finishing third in a superb junior national freestyle weight last year, Sean Nemec appeared to be ready to dominate and place his name among the all-time middleweight greats this season.  Like Sponseller, Nemec is headed toward 3x state champion status - which would also make him a four-time finalists (only the second of wrestlers who began their career above 119 lbs); to go along with his brilliant Fargo credentials (Cadet National Champion, 2x Junior National Frestyle All-American).  Nemec has also been an Ironman and Beast of the East Champion.  While Nemec will certainly go down as one of the great middleweights of the decade- he will also be remembered for something he’d just as soon not be- as one of the great wins that established the “legacy” of Colt Sponseller.

As the wrestlers took the mat, you could feel an energy, a pure electricity, in the gym that I have not felt for a regular season match-up since the incomparable Dustin Schlatter- Brent Metcalf M.I.T. showdown.  It was clear from the opening whistle that both wrestlers- who ironically, will be teammates next year at Ohio State- had come to battle.  The usually methodical Nemec shot in the first five seconds, and blew through his opponent with a beautiful double, dumping Sponseller to the mat immediately.  However, before he could secure the takedown the West Holmes grappler scrambled out of the position so control was never established.  Sponseller answered back with a single roughly halfway through the first, but could not finish on the stronger Nemec.  The first stanza ended scoreless.

The second period began with Sponseller trying to ride Nemec briefly but Nemec breaking free.  About halfway through the period Nemec shot a single leg and appeared to be in a great position to finish.  Perhaps anticipating the takedown- the official awarded two, though even as the points were awarded Sponseller was scrambling out of the position.  Nonetheless, the score stood 3-0 in favor of Nemec.  The crowd and the West Holmes coaching staff vigorously protested the call to no avail.  Reality seemed to be setting.  Perhaps the West Holmes senior- a non-placer in Fargo in the same weight Nemec took 3rd in- was simply outmatched by the battle-hardened St. Edward senior, as many believed. At this point, against a wrestler of Nemec’s caliber, many tough wrestlers would have simply thrown in the proverbial towel.

But Colt Sponseller did not come to the M.I.T. finals to lose…..not on this night.  It was at this point that Ohio wrestling fans saw- once and for all- Sponseller’s mettle.  The first half of the match not only left Nemec with a solid lead- but clearly showed him to be the physically stronger wrestler.  While many a good wrestler might have folded- Sponseller’s reaction was just the opposite- he ratcheted up the intensity level about ten notches.  Quickly breaking free, Sponseller pressed the attack and with about :15 hit his “arm drag to low single” and appeared to be close to finishing.  Nemec- knowing how important it was not to give up this takedown (as he would not have time to escape so near the end of the period, and a likely Sponseller third period escape would put him in a 4-3 hole), furiously fought off the takedown and appeared to have thwarted Sponseller for a moment, but a second, or perhaps third effort saw Colt dump Nemec to the mat to tie the match at 3-3 at the close of the second period.   The crowd exploded- and moreover, all match momentum shifted to the West Holmes senior.

As expected, Colt Sponseller quick escaped to take a 4-3 lead.  Once again, 99% of wrestlers, with a third period lead on one of the nation’s best- would have started to “play defense.”  That is precisely the opposite of what Sponseller did.  With constant motion and relentless attacking, Sponseller seemed to have the powerful Nemec off-balance, and immediately went back to his low single from an arm-drag and converted another takedown for a 6-3 lead.  Sponseller quickly cut Nemec and once again, went back to the arm drag-to-low single maneuver and scored, stretching his lead to 8-4.  Jeff Woods, the usually stoic coach of West Holmes- nearly jumped through the roof.  Clearly, the pace set by Sponseller was more than Nemec could maintain on this night- and two more arm drag-to-low single takedowns followed by- each time, the crowd exploding in applause- made it a stunning 12-6 final. 

I spoke with Sponseller after the match (briefly as he was running sprints through the hallway).  He was decidedly low-key about the win.  “Nemec gassed a little bit, I just took advantage of it.”   That would be an understatement. 

Sponseller: The Ultimate Big Match Wrestler?

The main thing I noted in both the Sponseller/Rohler and Sponseller/Nemec matches is that there may be no wrestler I have ever seen who seems to thrive on the pressure of a big showdown quite the way Colt Sponseller does.  Where other wrestlers might dread and/or “tighten up” in high-pressure situations, there is no mistaking the fact that the West Holmes senior relishes every minute of  a match-up like this.  Colt Sponseller doesn’t want the easy road- he wants to take on the best guy, and he wants all eyes on him when he takes apart his opponent in a big showdown he isn’t supposed to win.  

The other thing that separates Sponseller is that he has the “gas tank” of a Cael Sanderson or Dan Gable.  The pace this kid wrestles is something to behold- a level of intensity that most good wrestlers could maintain for about thirty seconds, he maintains the entire match.  For Sponseller, there is never a break, not for an instant- and he’s as fresh at the end of the match as he was the beginning. 

Look for the national rankings at this point to continue to have Michael Chaires (a very tough New York wrestler who placed 4th at Fargo) ranked #1.  Look for Colt Sponseller to set that straight at nationals- just as he set straight who Ohio’s top senior is. 

Thomas Straughn Avenges Loss to Jared Kusar

While Thomas Straughn looked practically invincible in running the table last year at 135, he has looked much more human in the early going at 152- starting with a stunning early-season loss to the explosive Jared Kusar by a 13- 8 margin.  However, after finishing 2nd (and wrestling Eric Medina of Blair tough in the finals) and now winning M.I.T., Straughn has shown he can get it done at this weight too.  Straughn appeared to let his guard down a bit with a 5-3 lead late in the third- and that was all Jared Kusar needed to double leg him and tie the score at 5-5 as the buzzer sounded.  In overtime, Kusar seemed to possibly have a momentary lapse of concentration as Straughn got in on a very deep shot and finished easily to win the bout 7-5 in overtime. 

Straughn still looks like he would be better suited to the 145 lb. class.  I talked to Straughn about his decision to go 152 after the match. Straughn acknowledged that he could easily make 145 and offered this explanation for why he didn’t go to that weight:  “I’ve won a state title.  I figure I’m already going to Edinboro, and I’ve got a real good shot to win state at 152, and I just want to wrestle my senior year, without having to worry about cutting weight.”  When I asked him what the difference was between his first match with Kusar and this one he said “In the first match, I got sloppy trying to force things, and trying to throw him.  This time, I wrestled a lot more solid.  Against a guy as strong as Kusar, you can’t get out of position.”

Sam White defeats Jamie Clark

The big upset of course was Sam White over Jamie Clark.  Several observations- I noted that Clark looked uncharacteristically “flat” from the moment the match started- at least by his standards  (the St. Edward freshman is one of the most intense wrestlers in the state).  Sam White I think is better than he showed at Ironman (remember he beat 2x state placer Weaver last year in limited varsity action and beats some great wrestlers in Fargo) and is much, much bigger than Clark.  On the winning takedown, Clark took a great single shot, and while White made a technically solid counter- he really just sort of “out-horsed” him so to speak.  The parent of a member of St. Edward’s varsity told me in the stands that Clark weighs about 98 lbs naturally- It is a safe bet that White (a cadet All-American at 105) is close to 112 by the time finals of a tournament come around.  Indeed, seeing Clark and White wrestling sort of looks like a 103 wrestling a 112 or even a 119.  As the season progresses, look for Clark to grow into the weight a bit (as David Taylor did last year) and for the edge to go to him in this rivalry.  Their next match-up could very well be at state duals this weekend.  Be sure to tune in to Ohio Wrestling Site for live updates from the Division I state duals on Saturday!

For the second straight year, Collin Palmer (shown here against surprise finalist Ricky Garrett of Cloverleaf) did not go the distance in winning the M.I.T.. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News.



Chris Honeycutt won his second M.I.T. by defeating Division III state
champion Nick Perdue for the second time this season.  Photo Credit:  Bob
Tuneberg, Villager News.

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