High Noon at Brecksville:  Ohio’s Best Seek Holiday Glory
2005 Brecksville Invitational Preview by Dan Ransick

        Brecksville.  For many years, that name has been associate by Ohio wrestling fans with the treacherous holiday tournament held at that school- in much the same way the word “Mentor” is associated with “Meatgrinder.”  In the 1970’s and 80’s Brecksville was considered Ohio’s toughest tournament, until Medina claimed that title.  However, in the past 5-10 years, Brecksville has surpassed all other tournaments in the Buckeye state (including Medina) in terms of depth, with the obvious exception of the incomparable Walsh Ironman.  While much great wrestling has already taken place this season, it is at Brecksville that the state title contenders will truly separate themselves from the mere pretenders.  The oldest Holiday tournament in the nation, Brecksville has 43 returning state placers and 14 state finalists from 2005 alone.  The following is a preview of what to expect this weekend:

103- We start off the tournament with one of the toughest weights, as you have two Cadet All-Americans on the same side of the bracket.  Ben Sergent of Troy Christian is the #1 seed, after having placed 4th last year in Division III at state, followed by a very impressive 2nd place finish at Cadet Nationals this past summer.  Perhaps even more impressively, the sophomore ace has split with superfrosh David Taylor of St. Paris Graham- the champion of the Ironman and Beast of the East super-tournaments. The other Cadet All-American is Bo Touris of Lakota West.  Forced to 112 because of teammate Ryan Fields last year, Touris has now settled into the right weight and is considered by many the favorite to bring the Division I state title back to Lakota West High School at this weight.  In the other bracket, returning state placewinner and Ironman placer 4th place finisher Steve Mitcheff of Elyria should breeze to the finals set up a showdown with Touris or Sergent.. Returning state qualifiers Jimmy Millar and BJ Boosz are the best of the rest- but there is a large gap between them and the top three.  Look for Touris to win a close match against Sergent and dominate all others- just as he did at the SWOWCA.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Bo Touris dec. Steve Mitcheff

112- Once again, there is no shortage of top wrestlers at this weight.  There are two returning state finalists at this weight in Adam Tinnel of Pemberville Eastwood and Ryan Fields of Lakota West.  Throw in returning Division II state placer Dennis Roche of University School- who took 3rd  at 103- and you have another stacked weight class. Tinnel a transfer into Eastwood this year- last year he took 2nd at 119 in Division III losing to Cory Opfer in the finals. He will certainly be huge at 112.  Fields looks to continue his red-hot start- as he is coming off winning the toughest preseason tournament in the nation- the Super 32.   At that tournament, he beat Roche 8-4 along with several other top national lightweights.  Adding depth are John Kidd of Bellevue and Scott Meyer of Ravenna- both returning Division II state placers who should square off in a solid quarterfinal match. When all is said and done Ryan Fields should be standing on top of the podium again- showing why many feel he is the one wrestler in Ohio who can knock off St.Ed’s freshman phenom Collin Palmer.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction:  Ryan Fields dec. Adam Tinnel

119- WOW!!! That’s all you need to say about this weight class. First, you have two returning state champions here in Ben Llanas of Eastwood and Tony Jameson of Austintown-Fitch respectively. Throw in returning Division II state runner-up Jeff Pelton of Bellevue and returning Division I state 3rd place finisher Dante Rini and you have yourself a lethal quartet. Darren Boing of Chanel, a 2x Division III state place finisher (3rd and 4th) managed only a #5 seed- and finally Josh Palivoda of Marysville (8th last year at 112 in Division I) is seeded #6. This by far is the toughest weight class- - the winner will have definitely earned his title!  The big question is how will Jameson, Pelton, and Rini handle this jump from 103 to 119 in the face of such tough competition?  The bet here is that they will all handle the transition well and make it a dogfight for the top of the podium.  Choosing among this group is nearly impossible- but I would look for Ben Llanas to redeem his sub-par (for him) performance of last year- and move from 5th to 1st on the podium.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Llanas dec. Pelton

125- This looks like on the surface to be a two-man race between Adam Koballa of Chanel and Casey Thome of Troy Christian- both of Division III schools- in what could very well be a preview of the state finals match come March.  Koballa, who has just dropped from 130, looks to win another state title to go along with his 2004 title at 112 lbs.  However, Thome is coming off an impressive 7th place at the loaded Ironman, and wants to hold Koballa to a single title.  He will be looking to set the tone for their almost inevitable final this weekend.  One wrestler that could throw a monkey wrench into the Koballa-Thome showdown is state placer Matt McGovern of Colombus DeSales.  McGovern has a hard-nosed style and was 5th last year in Division II.  He has the potential to upset anyone on a given day and will face off with Koballa in what will be a very exciting semifinal.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Thome dec. Koballa

130- Look for Adam Kriwinsky of University School to win the Brecksville title this year in style over his competitors.  Kriwinsky already placed 4th at the prestigious Ironman- beating the very tough Coby Boyd of St. Paris Graham along the way.  However, he was most impressive, ironically, in defeat- as he pushed the #1 wrestler in the nation, Billy Murphy of California, to the wire in a 10-9 loss.  Division III state placer Adam Gardella of Bedford Chanel is the #2 seed in this weight with Division I State Qualifier Michael Lybarger of Mt. Vernon the 3rd seed. However the wild-card of this weight may end up being the 2x state qualifier from Lakota West, #6 seed Alex Flake.  Look for Flake to outwrestle his seed and make a run to the finals. Flake’s only one loss on the year is a 6-5 decision to Lybarger- which he will have the chance to avenge in the quarterfinals. 

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Kriwinsky dec. Flake

135- The match-up of the night will likely take place here between two of the finest wrestlers in Ohio- Ryan Cubberly of Eastwood and Kevin Lipp of Beachwood.  Cubberly is a 2x Division II state runner-up at 125 behind since-graduated 3x State Champion Cameron Doggett.  Kevin Lipp is a 3x State Placer who finished 3rd in Division II last year and was Division III State Champ as a freshman.  Lipp finished 2nd at the Ironman this year. This match should be a preview of the state finals.  However, tough former Division II state placer Ryan Brownlee of Western Brown looks to throw a wrench into the finals plan- both here and at state.  State Placers Ryan Hopkins and Jim Chmura will also be in contention in this loaded field.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Lipp dec. Cubberly

140- There are three returning state placers at this weight:  Matt Lerer of Beachwood, Nick Bodnar of Austintown-Fitch, and Nick Bohl of Lakota West. However, 2003 State Champion Pat McLemore of Padua is back from injury this year and on fire after taking 3rd at Ironman at 135.  The big question mark is now he will handle the move to 140.  McLemore and 3x State Placer Lerer should be the best semifinal of the tournament.  Look for McLemore to be the 2nd Padua Bruin (along with teammate Shane Friery) to best the tough Lerer in a battle of superb mat wrestlers.  However, the wildcard of the tournament is unseeded Jedd Moore of Mt. Vernon.  Moore was unable to wrestle the post-season due to injury last year, but was a Cadet National All-American- placing 5th in the nation.  Interestingly, Moore defeated Richie Spicel in 2004 to win the Junior High State Title; Spicel would go on to win the Division I state title at the highest weight ever for a freshman.  If Moore is on the opposite side of McLemore, look for him to make a big statement this weekend.  

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: McLemore dec. Moore

145- Returning state champ Shane Friery of Padua looks to be the top dog at this weight and should skate into the finals with ease. Like McLemore, the big question for Friery is how he will handle the move to 145.  Look for Friery to make the transition just fine with his aggressive style.  On the other side of the bracket outstanding sophomore state placers Eric Cubberly of Eastwood and Steve Wilson of Marion Pleasant are projected to meet in the semis.  However, watch for the 6th seed Brandon Beech of Mentor, who has been on a roll this year- beating state placer Mike Haxton on his way to a runner-up finish at Solon.  Beech followed up that performance up by winning at the Midwest Classic in impressive fashion.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction:  Friery over Beech

152- With prohibitive favorite Josh Rohler out with a knee injury this weight class is truly up for grabs.  With three returning state placers plus a very tough #5 seed, this weight is truly anyone’s guess. State 3rd Place finisher Mike Haxton, the #1 seed, will be looking to rebound from some disappointing losses earlier in the year. Haxton faces a stiff challenge in the semis in much-improved John Pycraft.  Though not a state placer, Pycraft looked tough at Ironman with a 3-2 record(an excellent showing at that tournament).  On the bottom part of the bracket you have state placers Shalash of Reynoldsburg and Shroyer looking to duke it out for the other spot in the finals.  Shalash is very powerful while Shroyer is up four weights from last year.  Tough sophomore Jared Kusar of Revere could also be factor here despite being seeded 6th.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Pycraft dec. Shalash

160- Two of Ohio’s best 160 lb. grapplers should meet here as Travis Popham of Mt. Vernon and Tony Bradberry of Lakota West appear to be on a collision course.  The contrast in styles make this bout particularly interesting.  Bradberry is funky, whereas Popham is a control wrestler who is very powerful.  Look for Bradberry to be hungry to redeem last week’s disappointing loss to Gaier in the SWOWCA finals and pull the upset.

 Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Bradberry dec. Popham

171- Jeremy Foster of Eastwood looks right now to be the slightest of favorites here over returning state placer Lou Miller of St. Xavier.  One of the finest sophomores in Ohio, Foster was an extremely rare freshman state placer at 152 lbs.  Even more impressive, his only losses were competitive matches with David Rella and Josh Rohler as he finished 4th.  The only real issue with Foster is whether he is big enough as he has previously been competing at 160.  State Placer Miller is coming off an impressive win at the SWOWCA in which he dominated the field.  Look for this final to be a barnburner!  Returning Brecksville runner-up Matt Marrero of Reynoldsburg will be looking to play the role of spoiler and upset Foster in the semifinals.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Foster dec. Miller

189- “Consolation Warrior” Jamey Srock of St. Vincent-St. Mary is a huge favorite here, coming off a very impressive 3rd place finish at Beast of the East.  At that tournament, Srock showed his mettle- rebounding from an early loss to the eventual champion by dispatching eight straight opponents to take third.  Don’t look for him in the consolation bracket this weekend! Brooks Keefer of Reynoldsburg should be Srock’s most serious challenger.  Keefer was a state qualifier at 215 last year but has dropped to 189.  This match could get ugly- as Srock has been on fire of late, and Keefer needs to regroup after failing to place at North Canton.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Srock pin Keefer

215- Ryan Nachtrab of Eastwood will be heavily favored as he looks to move up two spots from last year’s 3rd place Brecksville finish.  Nachtrab’s most significant challenge could come in the semifinals in the form of ever-improving Marco Caponi of St. Vincent- St. Mary’s.  Caponi has finished finished 8th at the Beast of the East and 4th at Ironman thus far this season- two impressive showing at the nation’s two toughest tournaments.  2nd seeded Sean Jameson of Cincinnati Elder looks to add a Brecksville title to his SWOWCA championship- but beating Nachtrab will be a tall order.

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Nachtrab pin Jameson

275- Division III State Champion and Cadet National runner-up Cameron Wade of Bedford Chanel will likely face his stiffest competition in the semi-finals in sophomore John Hiles of  Columbus Desales.  Hiles eliminated Wade at the Ironman on his way to a 3rd place finish. However, since then Wade has rebounded by defeating Division I favorite Lance Wagner of Centerville 6-2 at North Canton.  Look for Wade to turn the tables on Hiles in a great semi-final bout. State Qualifier Nick Terifaj of Strongsville is seeded 2nd and is likely to be the finalist,- but an apparently rejuvenated Wade will be a formidable obstacle. 

Ohio Wrestling Site Prediction: Wade dec. Terifaj

        Regardless of how many of these predictions turn out to be correct, it is a safe prediction that there will be a lot of great wrestling at Brecksville this weekend as up and comers seek to make a name for themselves.  Hope to see you there! 

Editor’s Note:  Ohio Wrestling Site will provide complete coverage of Brecksville on Saturday, Dec. 31st. 

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OhioWrestlingSite.com 2005