Seven years.

Not since Jan. 14, 2000 had Blair Academy’s wrestling team tasted defeat in a dual meet competition.  The team that beat them on that day: Lakewood St. Edward.  Despite St. Edward’s great run of this decade- probably the greatest run of dominance the sport has seen in any division in any decade- they had lost six straight dual meets against Blair Academy- which had claimed the national title in each season since then.  St. Edward’s fans knew this could be the season that all changed, and had marked down the date February 3, 2007 on their calendars- the day Blair came to wrestle in their gym- since the start of the season.  Perhaps never have two teams been so far ahead of the rest of the field.  St. Edward demonstrated how large the gap really was by defeating the nation’s #3 team, St. Paris Graham, 41-17, and 33-18.  As a result, the meeting of these two great teams was probably the most anticipated event of the season, nationally speaking.

The match lived up to its billing- and then some.

The dual started at the 160 lb. weight class. Before the start of the match, Bob Preusse of Amateur Wrestling News claimed that they had drawn weights by placing fourteen pieces of paper in a hat……and all fourteen had said “160”.  Preusse was joking- I think!  But seriously, from a momentum standpoint, St. Edward could not ask for a better starting point than their senior leader, 2x state champion Sean Nemec.  More importantly, Nemec was the first in a string of weights in which St. Edward was heavily favored.

Nemec has seemingly stepped it up a notch since his loss to Colt Sponseller in the M.I.T. finals- and this night was no exception.  Pitted against the outmatched Carter Lorant of Blair Academy (normally the backup to Adam Hogue, who dropped to 152), Nemec scored nine unanswered takedowns- with everything from single legs, to double legs, to a barrel roll, in a 18-8 victory.  Yet, the Blair wrestler did his job- clearly, his “marching orders” were to stay off his back, and that’s exactly what he did.

The next bout, on paper was the marquee match of the night (along with 140).  Brian Roddy of St. Edward, possibly the hottest wrestler in Ohio right now, took on Cory Peltier of Blair Academy.  This was a rematch of their match at Ironman where Roddy nipped the Blair junior 8-7.  Since Ironman, both wrestlers have been on fire- Roddy defeating (and in most cases, dominating), Derek Foore, Dean Gaier, David Thompson, and Kurt Wolff, and out of state stars Rob Waltko and Anthony Trongone.  Peltier, meanwhile, won the Beast of the East with five falls (including one over nationally ranked Kyle Kiss) and a 7-0 victory against NHSCA Sophomore National Champ Vinnie Ranauto. 

While this looked to be a virtual toss-up, what followed was simply jaw-dropping.  Roddy fired in on a single almost from the get-go, came up with the leg and tripped Peltier to the mat hard.  You knew he had come to battle.  From there, Roddy cut Peltier and shot a single late in the first, which he maneuvered into two back points by maintaining his position while Peltier attempted to scramble.  This sequence built his lead to 6-1 at the end of the first and the rout was on.  Seemingly wrestling at an entirely different level of intensity than all the great competitors in the gym, Roddy got in on Peltier’s legs at will in the second period, adding three more leg-attack takedowns- usually with thunderous finishes- to build his lead to 12-4 at the end of the second period. 

In the third period, Roddy chose down, an odd choice it seemed given the success he was having on his feet.  Peltier immediately threw in the legs and sunk a tight power-half as I further questioned the wisdom of choosing down.  This proved to be the highlight of the match for Peliter, as Roddy managed to get out of the position and scored a reversal.  You would have thought he might be satisfied- but instead Roddy kicked the Beast champ out two more times and added two more takedowns for a mind-blowing 18-6 final.  All in all, the match was one of the three most impressive performances I have seen this year- the other two being Sponseller’s final with Nemec at M.I.T. and Jameson over Pelton at Brecksville.  Of course, Blair fans on the message boards immediately claimed Peltier was suffering from the flu- begging the question, in the “internet forum era” does anyone lose a big match who does not have the flu?

With all the great wrestlers on St. Edward’s team, only one is unbeaten this year, and that was the competitor who wrestled next- Chris Honeycutt.  Honeycutt was pitted against solid but unspectacular Reid Fleihr of Blair.  Fleihr is perhaps best known for being the son of former WWF superstar Rick Flair. 

What followed was one of the strangest matches I have ever seen.  Fleihr clearly had the same instructions as Blair’s 160 (Lorant)- to stay off his back at all costs.  The first period saw Fleihr maintain position and frustrate Honeycutt, as neither wrestler got anything going.  Fleihr then chose down in the second period.  Knowing Honeycutt had the devastating cradle, Fleihr wisely employed the best game plan a wrestler can use to avoid a cradle- simply flatten-out, and don’t come out of that position under any circumstances.  Fleihr utilized this strategy to stave off the cradle in what looked as much like a freestyle match as anything.  Honeycutt grew more and more frustrated as the score was a surprising 0-0 with 3:20 elapsed in the six minute match. 

At that point, it was as if Honeycutt, or perhaps Coach Urbas “flipped a switch” and it instantly was a completely different match.  After Fleihr was hit for stalling twice, Fleihr was forced to come up (out of the “flat on the mat” position) to avoid another stalling call, and that enabled Honeycutt to finally lock his cradle. It wasn’t pretty, but Honeycutt then hurtled Fleihr straight back in a decidedly non-textbook, but effective, cradle finish.  The funny thing about cradles- that every “cradler” knows- is that once you lock up one, all others will be easier to lock from that point forth.  The cradle-savvy Honeycutt, knowing he was not in proper position for the pin, released his lock, and after letting Fleihr back to his base, went right back to his cradle for three more back points.

The cradles seemed to have completely taken the life out of Fleihr.  Looking like he could wrestle another ten matches, Honeycutt attacked relentlessly, scoring six unanswered takedowns in the third period.  The last three came in roughly the final 20 seconds, including the last one right at the buzzer for the 20-5 technical fall.  Fleihr was so “gassed” that Honeycutt appeared to be drilling.

In summary, Honeycutt scored zero points in the first 3:20 of the match, and 20 points in the last 2:40 as what looked to a decision for three team points became a tech fall for five- a huge swing in a match where bonus points were the key.  The win made the score 13-0, and the crowd simply exploded with the unexpected turn of events.  The fact that there was about twice as many people in the gym as there should have probably been only made it that much louder.

The next match was where the first of Blair’s elite wrestlers took the mat- Jared Platt.  Platt is the 2nd ranked 215 lb. wrestler in the nation.  Ben Rios is currently ranked #8 in the state.  However, given that Platt pinned Rios last year- and pinned Ohio’s best 215, Justin Powell, this year- I thought there was no way that Rios wasn’t “going down for the dirt nap” (figuratively speaking) against the outstanding Platt.  It looked like my sentiments were correct in both the 2nd and 3rd periods, when Platt turned Rios to his back.  The third period was with a power half that was particularly brutal, and it seemed certain that the end was near.  On both occasions, Rios simply wouldn’t quit and held off the fall- against all odds really.  The 17-3 final score in favor of Platt meant only four team points for Blair- really, the best outcome that could have been expected.

ABOVE: The normally reserved Coach Greg Urbas face tells the story of how intense this dual was. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

Ben Kuhar held on for the win against the mammoth Kyle Hanson in the next bout, 3-2, giving St. Edward a 16-4 lead.   Jamie Clark took the mat next, against Tony Buxton of Blair.  Clark has been one of the great stories for St. Edward this year, and is ranked among the top five nationally at this weight.  As is his style, Clark got after Buxton from the get-go, scoring an immediate single leg takedown.  Another takedown followed, and then a third takedown in which Clark hit a beautiful trip to the mat.  Clark immediately went to an arm bundle and secured the fall right at the buzzer.   Clark’s pin brought the score to 22-4.  To this point, the results were basically “best case scenario” for the Eagles. 

But somehow, you knew a team this good was not simply going to roll over and die- and that’s when Blair went to work.   Nationally-ranked Chris Villalonga was simply too much for Nick Sulzer for the second time this year, as he controlled the bout in a 4-1 win.
That was expected, but the next bout (119) was the first truly disappointing result for St. Edward.  In a weight that is a relatively weak one for both teams, Garrett Frey shot in on a single, and appeared to be headed for the takedown.  It seemed that Cobos (perhaps feeling the effects of missing the entire season up until a week ago) fought it too long when he should have conceded the takedown- making his predicament worse as Frey locked up a near-side cradle.  Frey had the cradle very tight, and the inevitable came at the 1:52 mark, cutting St. Edward’s lead to 22-13 as momentum shifted to Blair for the first time. 

Fortunately for the Eagles, they had an answer to the momentum shift- one of the nation’s premier 125’s, Collin Palmer.  Once again, Joe Stanzione of Blair had the mission of staying off his back- and while Collin Palmer did “pancake” him to his back one time, he was never in danger.  Palmer did build a 15-4 lead through two periods, on the strength of five leg-attack takedowns and the aforementioned pancake.  At that point, the St. Edward sophomore seemed likely headed for a technical fall, if not a fall and got as close as a 19-5 advantage……but Stanzione quickly reversed the position and cut Palmer’s lead to 19-7, and rode him out as the score stood.   In the end, Stanzione scored a “victory” for his team despite the lopsided loss- just as Rios had done for St. Edward. 

Palmer’s win stretched St. Edward’s lead to 26-13.  A thirteen point lead has never seemed so small as at this point.  If a movie was made about the match, this would have been the point when ominous music was queued up.  The resume of Blair’s next four wrestlers (with five weights to go in the dual) was as follows:

130- Kellen Russell- #1 ranked in the nation. A cadet, junior, Ironman (dismantling Chase Skonieczny in the finals), and 2x Beast of the East Champion. 

135- Max Shanaman- 2x Junior National All-American, Ironman Champion (over Ben Jordan).

140- Mario Mason- #1 ranked in the nation. A cadet national champion, junior national all-american, Ironman and Beast Champion (in perhaps the toughest weights at both tournaments).  Quite possibly the wrestler of the year- not only was Mason ranked #1, but he just moved up a weight and beat the #1 guy at that weight (Luke Ashmore) by a 12-5 score.

145- Eric Medina- #3 Ranked in the nation (at 152). A cadet national champion, 2x Ironman Champion, Beast of the East Champion.

To put it in perspective, the “worst” wrestler of this group has beaten Ben Jordan, Ryan Cubberly, and Germaine Lindsey.  Only once ever, in my view, has a team fielded four consecutive wrestlers that good (that being Blair in 2002 with 140-160 being Ryan Davis, Mark Perry, Zach Esposito, and Matt Palmer- all ranked #1 in the nation either that year or the following). 

At 130, Kellen Russell showed why he is perhaps the best wrestler on the Blair squad.  For the second time this year, he completely dismantled one of the best 130’s in Ohio.  Russell scored with leg attacks, he scored with throws, he scored a reversal, he scored a turn.  You name it, he scored with it on #1 ranked (in Ohio, Division I) Neil Birt with it.  The final tally was 15-2, with Birt’s points being an escape and penalty point.  Russell was so impressive, you almost had to feel grateful that it was not worse.  Yet, like Rios, Birt was in a very serious predicament and showed great resolve to fight off the fall.

The next match one of the most interesting of the night- Shanaman versus Andrew Gasber.  Their first meeting, at Ironman, had Gasber put Shanaman on his back twice before Shanaman rallied with 18 unanswered points.   Clearly, throughout this match, Gasber was trying to set up his roll/throw from a single leg on numerous occasions.  Once he gets it- you’re done, period.  Yet, even though Shanaman knew it was coming, Gasber was always on the brink of nailing the move and ending the match, only for Shanaman to narrowly elude it.  On one occasion, Gasber did score with his signature move, and appeared to be in position for back points, but Shanaman showed great composure in staying off his back.  At the end of the day, the match went to the Blair senior, 12-3. 

Shanaman’s win cut the St. Edward lead to 26-21 as nationally-ranked Shawn Harris took the mat to face #1 ranked Mario Mason.  Harris came out with the same incredible level of intensity I saw from him when he faced (#1 ranked at that time) Zack Kemmerer at Ironman.   Mason quickly got in on Harris’s leg, but Harris somehow countered and came up with a beautiful single of his own, and through an incredible second effort, appeared to be in position to put Mason to his back.  However, the official ruled that he had just barely stepped on the line in the process, and Mason was off the hook.  Mason quickly escaped, and shot in on a single of his own.  A bad strategic decision in the scramble as he tried to avoid the takedown made things worse for Harris, and he gave up a two point near-fall, giving Mason a 5-2 lead.  At that point, you knew it would be an uphill battle- there may not be a better wrestler in the country at wrestling with a lead than the Mason, who is superb with counter-attacks.  For the remainder of the match, Harris battled hard and I felt, wrestled well, but was simply outmatched by a truly outstanding wrestler.  In the end, the score was 10-7 in a match that was not as close as the score indicated.  The lead was cut to 26-24. 

While Coach Buxton of Blair is known for his shrewd line-up shifts, it was in fact the St. Edward staff that had a twist of their own at this point.  Quite unexpectedly, the Eagles sent backup Connor Suba out on the mat to face Medina, rather than Gonsor.  Now, with Gonsor (bumping to 152) unlikely to major Hogue, my first thought was this was a very bad idea as Medina was likely to pin Suba, a quality backup but a backup nonetheless wrestling one of the nation’s best, and thus sink St. Edward’s chances.  To my surprise, Suba fulfilled his role to a “T”, not allowing any openings against Medina and staying off his back.  While a major would not have affected St. Edward’s chances in the dual, he even escaped at the buzzer to make it a regular decision, 10-3- setting the state for it to come down to one match for the national title.

ABOVE: Unlikely Hero:  St. Edward backup Connor Suba stepped up big-time, holding Eric Medina to a decision.  Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

At this point, the tension, and intensity was simply indescribable.  With the entire crowd on their feet- chanting “Gonsor”, you could feel the fans hanging on even the most minor motion by either wrestler.   When Gonsor scored a single, and cranked his power half- second only that of the Palmer brothers- it was simply deafening in the gym as the first period ended 5-0, Gonsor.  The second period saw Gonsor punish Hogue with the boots for an entire period, as that period also ended 5-0. 

But you knew, somehow, in such a great rivalry, it couldn’t be that easy.  Gonsor choose neutral in the third, and Hogue immediately went to work.  First, he scored with a single leg, cutting the lead to 5-2.  Though an escape when Hogue cut him gave Gonsor a 6-2 lead, a sense of unease seemed to come over the crowd as Hogue seemed to be gaining momentum.  Another Hogue single at about the minute mark cut the lead to 6-4. Now, there was officially cause for alarm.  

Hogue then cut Gonsor again, and the real drama ensued.  With his intensity running in high gear, and Gonsor slow to get up after being “cut”, Hogue decided to snap down Gonsor three times (sort of like Brands and Ironside of Iowa were famous for in the 1990’s), but caught up in the moment, with a little more force than is customary, banging Gonsor’s head off the mat all three times.  Gonsor- who recently suffered a concussion- appeared dazed.  Meanwhile, chaos ensued.  The mat was seemingly stormed by numerous people- some screaming at the officials, some at wrestlers, some at coaches.  It was impossible to sort out, but one man was being restrained, who seemed to bear a resemblance to Gonsor- ostensibly, his father.  The situation sound bad, but if you were there, none of these events really reflected negatively, in my view, on any of the participants- the dual was simply so intense, that many people got carried away and acted out of character..

When order was finally restored, Hogue was not penalized, and Gonsor resumed wrestling at this point, Hogue tried one last throw, and it looked for a second like he might convert it, but Gonsor dropped his hips and scored the clinching takedown as the gymnasium simply exploded in euphoria.   There was approximately 30 seconds left, and Gonsor just threw in the legs.  As the clock ran down, the wild cheering reached a crescendo as the fans of this great program realized that St. Edward was, for the first time since 2000, national champions.

ABOVE: Man of the Hour: Dan Gonsor moved up a weight to defeat Adam Hogue 9-4 in
the deciding bout.  Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

Officiating Controversy

Much has been made on various forums (see the following: http://www.thematforums.com/myforum/?show_topic=31809&forum_id=4) about the supposedly biased officiating for the dual. Allegation of bias seems to be as standard when an event is held in Ohio (see the Ironman) as claiming you had the flu after a loss.  Simply put, I didn’t see any problems.  Then again, the title “Ohio Admin” probably shows that there could be some bias on my end as well- as did the fact that Preusse had to remind me several times of the importance of showing“outward neutrality” from press row. 

Regardless, the day belonged to the St. Edward Eagles and their dedicated coaching staff. It truly took a monumental effort, from the stars like Nemec, Honeycutt, Roddy, Palmer, and Clark, the guys who fought so valiantly not to give up big points, like Suba, Rios, and Birt.

Best Ohio team ever?

The only questions that remain for St. Edward are:

1.How many individual state titles will they win (six or seven is the best guess).

2. Will this team break the state scoring record (it should); and

3. Is this the best Ohio team ever assembled?  (Ohio Wrestling Site will tackle that question at season’s end). 

In the end, despite the great win, the feeling I got from wrestlers that night was they would take the night to enjoy it, but the real prize for these great competitors would come in March.  

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OhioWrestlingSite.com 2005