20-20 Hindsight: OWS Projections for a Mythical Single-Division 2007 State Tournament (103-140-)Part I of a two-part series

(above): "We've Only Just Begun". It would not be a surprise to see Jamie Clark and Sam White meet in the state finals the next two years. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

The purpose of this article, the first of a two-part series, is to examine how a mythical “single division” state tournament would likely play out.  As you will see below, the match-ups that would take place would be simply staggering. 

Last year, single-division rankings were also compiled by Ohio Wrestling Site.  What is different this year is there is a clear #1 in far fewer weight, as the “transitives” are all over the map, and in many cases, the state tournament results were vastly different from what took place during the season.  I can’t imagine how it could be more muddled than at weights like 130 and 285.  Also very debatable are 119, 140, 145, 152, 215, and 285. 

For newer readers of this site, a bit of an explanation as to how these rankings are compiled is in order, by first discussing how rankings have traditionally been performed.    For many years, wrestling rankings have been compiled by listing the highest place finishers from the most recent major competition in order of their placement.  Ohio Wrestling Site could have done that, and saved a great deal of time.  However, my thoughts on such an approach is “why bother?” Such predictable rankings have approximately the interest of watching paint dry. 

Rather, the rankings I compile consider all results of the season equally.  Many will not like that approach, and in fact, typically only those who are ranked #1 are pleased with any set of rankings!  Please remember these are for fan interest only- so if your reaction is to type an angry message, you’ve missed the point, there is nothing personal at work here.

With no further ado:

103 lbs: OWS Pick: David Taylor (St. Paris Graham)

1. David Taylor                       
2. Logan Stieber
3. Jamie Clark
4. Sam White
5. Jerome Robinson
6. Gus Sako
7. James Ingraham
8. Alex Minnard
9. Wayne Garabrandt
10. Bart Young
11. Nick Lawrence
12. Danny Foore
13. Korey Mines
14. David Bolger
15. Jacob Farber
16. Kent Li
17. Jimmy Householder
18. Jimmy Millar
19. Tyler Riegle
20. Jake Strasbaugh
21. Jerry Pasquale
22. Justin Hall
23. Cody Neff
24. Ty Mitch
25. Dakota Hayes

The only sure thing at this weight is that a finer group of 103’s will never be assembled in this state again.  Ohio wrestlers comprise no less than 50% of the top ten in the final national rankings at www.revwrestling.com.

To be honest, I want to pick Logan Stieber here.  Cadet National Champs Taylor and Stieber are so dominant, when they wrestler a state place-winner, it’s a virtual automatic technical fall.  And yet, when I watch Stieber wrestle, his dominance is a bit different than Taylor’s.  I feel like Taylor is working a lot harder (at least on his feet, not so much on the mat)  to dominate while Stieber makes it looks effortless.  But the fact is, they wrestled and Taylor won.  It’s true that Stieber was fresh out of football, and that may have had an impact on his conditioning as the match wore on.  But Stieber’s one (relative) weakness was exposed in that match, an inability to get off the bottom (that had a lot more to do with Taylor’s amazing riding skills than being a true “weakness”).  It may be a match-up, but until Logan Stieber can get off the bottom against David Taylor he won’t beat him.  Stieber’s long-time coach, Eric Burnett, was quick to point out that Stieber had not spent a lot of time in the bottom position in his incomparable youth career, nor had he ever had the need to “rally” from behind, whereas Taylor was battle-hardened by comparison by a full high-school season of wrestling much larger 103’s the year before.   Hopefully, this will be the beginning of a great rivalry, though the word from knowledgeable sources is to expect Logan Stieber to move to 119 to make way for brilliant incoming freshman junior high state champs Hunter Stieber (his brother) and Cam Tessari.

Jamie Clark is my #3 choice here.  Clark reminds me of a young Colt Sponseller, always attacking, wearing down opponents with his “pace.” He may be the most intense of the group.  It may raise eyebrows that I chose him over Sammy White, and very knowledgeable observers have advised me otherwise.  Several observations here:  first, while White did lead the series 2-1, bear in mind that the final match was essentially decided by a coin flip in double overtime.  Second, Clark has the only “decisive” win of the series, 4-0 at Ironman.  Third, Clark does have a win over #1 in the nation David Taylor, in which he scored four out of the five takedowns, and was very close to winning the other match between the two- as well as close to beating Stieber at Ironman.  Clark achieved his success despite being a small 103 this year.

It would be very helpful to have seen #4 White against #1 Taylor or #2 Stieber.  In my view, either would have won handily over him.  I’ve often invoked the fact that one can’t necessarily translate folkstyle and freestyle results, but here is a statistic that jumps out at me: the two wrestlers who outscored White at Fargo 18-2 (Villalonga and Gordon) were outscored by Stieber 24-1. 

Seeing how the careers of these three freshman 103’s unfold, as well as White and fellow freshman aces Jerome Robinson and Gus Sako, will be interesting to say the least.  I suspect that at least one of them could become to lightweights in this state what Alan Fried and Dustin Schlatter are to middleweights, and that more than one will reach the Kyle Ottt/Shawn Nelson/Eric Burnett level of skill.  

112 lbs: OWS Pick: Bo Touris (West Chester Lakota)

1. Bo Touris
2. Kyle Lang
3. Dan Genetin
4. Cody Garbrandt
5. Steve Mitcheff
6. Zach Neibert
7. Ben Sergent
8. Troy Opfer
9. Nick Sulzer
10. Scott Mattingly
11. Johnny Papesh
12. Kyle Gilchrist
13. Kyle Ciccarello
14. Jacob Garringer
15. Nathan Westfall
16. Zach Pope
17. Josh Cisco
18. Kevin Nycz
19. Cody Schilling
20. Chandler Jones
21. Mike Hillock
22. Justin Guerra
23. Shelton Morris
24. Travis Harbert
25. Robert Shepherd

In a very deep weight where the difference between the #3 and #12 wrestlers is almost non-existent, the choice here is an easy one.  Bo Touris was defeated by just one Ohio wrestlers all season, and he avenged that loss twice throughout the season before winning his first state title and finishing fourth at Senior Nationals.  The OSU-bound Touris wrestles a style that I believe will translate well in the collegiate ranks.  He maintains very solid positioning on his feet yet can create his offense against almost anyone.  I think he could be the “sleeper” of the Buckeyes recruiting class.

#2 Kyle Lang is one of the most tremendous pure wrestling talents in this state.  Bo Touris had to breathe a sigh of relief when the dangerous Lang went down versus Steve Mitcheff (not that Mitcheff was a walk in the park).  Lang rebounded from that with one of the most dominant consolation runs of all-time. The only issue for Lang is consistency. Lang’s older brother Ryan won a few matches in his day and battled the same consistency issues early in his career.  It would hardly be a surprise to see Lang step up to a much higher level for the next two years- the talent is certainly there.

(above): Genetin scored a fall over (unconscious) state champion Bo Touris in this bout at state duals. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

Dan Genetin at #3 may raise eyebrows.  However, keep in mind that these rankings are based on the entire season, not just the state tournament.  The fact is that Genetin has wins in the past year over every wrestler in the top ten except Opfer, whom he has never wrestled.  One inexplicable loss (to Shepherd) does not wipe that out.  His wins over Sulzer, Garbrandt, and Mattingly (he lost to him once as well) were decisive, and I would look for Genetin to rebound with a second finals appearance next year, probably at 125 however.   

#4 Cody Garbrandt, I think, is headed for greatness.  In today’s era of freshmen with the “polish” of collegiate wrestlers, Garbrandt is a “throwback”- he actually seems like a freshman; still rough around the edges, but with a tremendous desire to win and very physical.  He reminds me somewhat of 3x state champion and NCAA Runner-up Clint Musser when he was a freshman. 
 
#5 Steve Mitcheff, again, may raise eyebrows.  I just know that at the Schott, he was the one guy (besides possibly Lang) who had a chance to beat Touris- a completely different wrestler than the one I saw during the season.  Mitcheff may post a few “duds” during the season, but he is what you might call a “gamer.”

Arguments have been made that both Sulzer and Mattingly deserved to be higher than they were previously rated.  Upon consideration, I simply agreed.  NHSCA Freshman Champ Sulzer did not have a bad loss all year and made the state finals, plus he had two wins over both Mitcheff and #13 Ciccarello, and wins over Mattingly and Hillock. With Mattingly, though the top 12 are all very, very close, I just couldn’t see him at #12 when he has wins over #2, #3, and #4 this year.  I still have a tough time seeing Kyle Gilchrist at #12, but the fact is that he doesn’t have a win this season over a wrestler rated above him.  Look for Gilchrist to rebound next year.
 
119 lbs: OWS Pick: Pat Harrington (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)

1. Pat Harrington
2. Brad Squire
3. Ryan Fields
4. Cordell Longstreath
5. Tommy Pretty
6. Dante Rini
7. Garrett Henry
8. Pat Zamaria
9. Brad Wukie
10. Pierce Harger
11. Scott Fuller
12. Alex Radsky
13. Spencer Campbell
14. Kyle Leek
15. DeRicheen Dukes
16. Jase Hall
17. Paul Rose
18. Dominic Cribari
19. Ricky King
20. Shaun Fayette
21. Justin Flores
22. Matt Reynolds
23. Kyle Jordan
24. Matt Stoll
25. BJ Boosz

Pat Harrington’s unbeaten season, second state title, and performance at NHSCA narrowly earned him the #1 spot.  Choosing between Harrington and fellow unbeaten Brad Squire is virtually impossible.  I previously had Squire #1, but Harrington’s solid performance at NHSCA gave him the nod.  Harrington’s technical fall win over #7 Garrett Henry also caught my attention.

#2 choice Brad Squire is, I believe, the first freshman to go unbeaten in Division I above 103, ever.   Squire can pile up points, but truly excels at winning close, low-scoring bouts.  Squire wrestled with the poise of a top senior down the stretch, never making mistakes in running the table. 

#3 Ryan Fields would have been the preseason #1 pick, but got off to a dismal start to the season before returning to form at tournament time.  An ill-fated throw attempt in overtime versus Squire made it three straight “Silvers” for Fields.  The biggest issue for Fields this year I think was weight.  Too big for 119, too small for 130, 125 would have been just right, but for Collin Palmer next year.  I could see a rematch with Squire in the finals at 130 next year. 

#8 Pat Zamaria may seem too high, but again, the choices are made based on the entire season.  Zamaria handled both Division II state finalists during the year. The biggest problem Zamaria has is that he seems to go to his back against top.  #6 Rini is impossible to rank as his performances were greatly hampered by injury.   A healthy Rini could possibly have been #1. Tommy Pretty, rated #5, was one of the most improved wrestlers in the state and is one of the top five mat wrestlers in this state without question.

125 lbs. OWS Pick: Collin Palmer (Lakewood St. Edward)

1. Collin Palmer
2. Daniel Kolodzik
3. Brian Stephens
4. Zac Hancock
5. Brian Dean
6. Tyler Lambert
7. Seth Horner
8. Jordan McGuire
9. Jan Ulinski
10. Tieler Severance
11. Chris Romeo
12. Andrew Dinda
13. Tristan Thompson
14. Jacob Vaughan
15. Ryan Marks
16. Tony Lawler
17. Dustin Crine
18. Kevin Kretz
19. Isiah Chapman
20. Randy Henline
21. Scott Meyer
22. Michael Baxter
23. Kyle Krummert
24. Tucker Armstrong
25. Justin McCoy

(above): Collin Palmer posted a major decision over Tyler Lambert and is halfway to matching his brother Lance as a 4x state champion. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

Collin Palmer is an easy choice here.  Palmer became almost forgotten this season, as he has no true “foil” against whom to test himself after Ironman (i.e. he didn’t have a J Pelton/Spicel/Lybarger/Clopton-level opponent).   His destruction of the field at NHSCA should have left little doubt as to just how outstanding he remains, including a 10-2 final over nationally ranked Max Ortega.

I am very “high” on the #2 and #3 wrestlers at this weight.  Daniel Kolodzik never seems to get his due, but this two-time state champion was extremely dominant down the stretch. Devastating from the top position, one can only imagine how difficult it must be for him to compete without a team.

#3 Brian Stephens is the third best in this weight in the state.   A “bulldog” with an engine that never stops running, he simply ran into a senior (Brian Dean) who wasn’t going to be denied.  Stephens also posted a win (versus two losses) against Kolodzik and is one of the few in this state that actually look competitive against Collin Palmer.

130 lbs. OWS Pick: Ryan Gambill (Miami East)

1. Ryan Gambill
2. Jeremy Espinoza
3. Chase Skonieczny
4. Darren Boing
5. Josh Palivoda
6. Aaron Sulzer
7. Lee Schumaker
8. Adam Haas
9. Joseph Parra
10. Neil Birt
11. Isaac Dukes
12. William Sheppard
13. Anthony Mellilo
14. Josh Demas
15. Jordan Thome
16. Matt Dennis
17. Ben Fondale
18. Greg Ryan
19. Kurt Wentink
20. Pat Duffy
21. Chase Clark
22. Corey Hayes
23. Kyle Weaver
24. Zack Cline
25. Wes Price

Like Daniel Kolodzik, #1 Ryan Gambill is a two-time state champ who could easily be a “three-timer” right now.   Gambill is one of those guys who never seem to get their due (think Jeffrey Pelton, James Myers, and Jeremy Espinoza in this year’s senior class) because his schedule doesn’t get him a great deal of exposure, and he wrestles very little in the off-season.  And yet, down the stretch, he dominated (3x state place-winner) Lee Schumaker (14-4, avenging his only loss), Jordan Thome (14-8), and Josh Demas (12-7). 

#2 Jeremy Espinoza may still be the top guy here.  Very long and lanky with a brilliant offense on top, Espinoza’s dismantling of Chase Skonieczny in the state semifinals was one of the most impressive performances of the state tournament.

#3 Chase Skonieczny looked to be an easy choice for #1 here at the start of the year, but didn’t seem to improve significantly from his sophomore year, and suffered disappointing losses to not only Espinoza, but also to Boing and Melillo.  Skonieczny is as skilled a technician as you will find, but needs to get into the weight room if he is going to progress to the next level.

#4 Darren Boing was the best of the season this year at this weight, beating Division II champ Aaron Sulzer, Chase Skonieczny, Jordan Thome, and Josh Demas during the season.  Yet at state, Boing gave up an early five-point move to Thome, and though he mounted a great rally, fell short 8-7.  An inexplicable consolation loss resulted in him finishing 7th.  

#5 Josh Palivoda may be ranked too low, I just wish I would have seen him against more highly-ranked wrestlers.  In truth, the top six are so close here that there is almost no difference between them. 

Most Underrated Lightweight

OWS owes a big apology to Joe Parra.  The Barberton sophomore didn’t show me much during the season, resulting in him being ranked only #17 in the Division I class.  A new Parra emerged during the tournaments, culminating in two lopsided state wins over returning third place finisher Matt Dennis (13-1, 8-1) and a complete domination of #1 ranked Neil Birt (11-4) to finish third in the state, with only a loss to champ Palivoda.  Parra parlayed his momentum into a 3rd place finish at NHSCA sophomore nationals. 

135 lbs. OWS Pick: Tony Jameson (Austintown-Fitch)

1. Tony Jameson
2. Richie Spicel
3. Jeffrey Pelton
4. David Habat
5. Ben Jordan
6. Casey Thome
7. Marcel Clopton
8. Andrew Gasber
9. Josh Speelman
10. Nick Webb
11. Vinnie Lopez
12. Dustin Fraley
13. Aaron Paplaczyk
14. T.J. Rigel
15. Robert Chilson
16. Andrew Gaskins
17. Terry Stevenson
18. Drew Leonard
19. Jonathan McGookey
20. Brett Horne
21. Trevor Nickolai
22. Ben Pearce
23. Chris Kovach
24. Joel Jenkins
25. Cody Toney

This weight is the polar opposite of 130.  At 130 you have 15 guys who aren’t more than a couple of points apart, and the depth is so strong you can’t believe some of the wrestlers that can’t crack the top 25 (Lucas, Sanders, King, Crispin, Thomusseit, Schell).  At this weight, by contrast, any of the top seven would be my #1 guy if they were at 130……but then past 15, I’m really struggling to put names down that look they belong in the top 25.

(above): Tony Jameson's 13-2 win over state champ/3x state finalist/Senior National 4th place finisher Jeffrey Pelton was one of the most impressive performances of the year. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

There isn’t much that has been said about Tony Jameson that hasn’t already been said at this point.  Perhaps the most “gifted” wrestler in the state, Jameson has it all- speed, strength, balance, and oh yeah, he can scramble a bit too.  The thing that separates Jameson besides his uncanny athleticism is his incredible mind for the sport.  He loves to experiment with new techniques and counters, and as a result is seems to make a quantum leap in skill level each year- in this way he reminds me of Ben Askren of Missouri.  There are so many ways that Jameson can beat a wrestler- with his great single, with his funky counters, or with his “rolling half” or cross-face cradle on top, to name just a few ways.  He is a threat to put anyone on their back at anytime.  Jameson’s stock continued to rise after NHSCA Senior Nationals, considering that Jeffrey Pelton (whom Jameson defeated 13-2) finished 4th in the nation, and Marcel Clopton (who he beat four times, once by major) made All-American as well.  If he progresses in the next year the way he has the previous two……he will be competing at a level that very, very, few have.    

(above): Brunswick Junior Richie Spicel is among the best of an outstanding junior class. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

The real question is who is #2.  Despite their struggles against Jameson, I was highly impressed with Spicel and Pelton all year.  I would love to seen this match and consider it a virtual toss-up.  The way #3 Spicel and #4 Habat handled NHSCA All-American Clopton twice really put it in perspective how good this group of wrestlers is. 

Strong, fast, and with impeccable position, #3 Spicel is one of the best recruits in a superb junior class, and yet, he could end up never repeating his freshman year state title the way it appears to be “shaking out.”  The best guess at this time (and this is admittedly very premature) is that you will see Collin Palmer at 135 and Tony Jameson at 140 next year (he could be 145 as well)- and then there could be David Habat to contend with too.   

Pelton’s fourth-place finish at NHSCA Juniors did not surprise me at all.  Wins like 7-2 over Casey Thome, and 10-4 over Lawrence Cavello (up a weight) really demonstrated how outstanding the senior from Bellevue is.  Pelton will forever be remembered as the wrestler who knocked off Jordan.  While the conventional wisdom may consider this an upset, I think the (slightly) better wrestler simply won. 

#4 David Habat seems to be, without question, the best freshman middleweight of the past 20 years.  I didn’t realize just how diverse his skills were until Districts. Not only is Habat uncommonly strong and fast for a freshman, but he can scramble, and he can ride.  Like Spicel, Habat would seem to be almost a sure-fire champ next year, but with the middleweights that return in Division I he is unlikely to be even the favorite.  I’d look for Habat to move up to 145 next season.  In my view, Habat is likely a top 20 national competitor right now at 135.

As one of the members of the site pointed out to me, when #6 Jordan went down against Pelton, that left only Tony Jameson as still on track for four state titles among the five freshman champs of 2007.   I would have taken any bet after watching Jordan shut down Quentin Keyes in the state finals last year that he would win four titles.  However, the loss to Andrew Gasber (by fall) at the Super Eight Duals seemed to send him into a downward spiral from which he was slow to recover.  In my view, Jordan had “righted the ship” by Columbus, but he simply ran into an opponent in Jeffrey Pelton who was just a bit better.  It’s funny to think that Jordan defeated the NHSCA Senior National Champ (Chris Diaz) at Ironman, and in fact, has defeated two NHSCA Senior National Champs (he also beat Kellen Russell last year).  Like Skonieczny, I think what is going to get Jordan to that next level is a focus on hard weight training- his technique is as flawless as any wrestler in this state. 

140 lbs. OWS Pick: Matt Reedy (Ravenna)

1. Matt Reedy
2. Germaine Lindsey
3. Shawn Harris
4. Michael Lybarger
5. Matt McGovern
6. Zach Toal
7. Josh Falk
8. Chris Andrews
9. Dusty Hermes
10. Kyle Gardella
11. Joe Newland
12. Lawrence Cavello
13. Adam Vaccari
14. Anthony Wills
15. Zach Nelson
16. Thomas Graszl
17. Zach Goins
18. Mike Mencini
19. Nick Heflin
20. Seamus Szucs
21. Caleb Messerall
22. Alex Herrick
23. Scott Lowe
24. Jesse Stevens
25. Shane Gifford

In all three divisions, this was one of the most exciting weight classes in the state.  It had a great collection of stars and tremendous depth (apologies to Tucker Guy, Brian Teter, Zip Zimmer, and Marc Bryan).  Undoubtedly much to the dismay of those who like to “D-III bash,” four of the top ten are from the small-school division.  In some ways, this weight class turned itself upside-down, as Josh Falk and Chris Andrews (probably the top two choices at the beginning of the season, along with Lindsey) ended up #7 and #8.

The story of Reedy is well-known by now.   A state qualifier out of Firestone at 112 lbs. as a freshman, Reedy fell victim to injury as a sophomore, and nearly beat highly-decorated Adam Kriwinsky in the District Semifinals last year (losing a controversial overtime bout) only to have a third-period collapse in his consolation semifinal match- making him a spectator at the “Schott” for the second straight year.   Perhaps there is an “evening out” process in life, as Reedy posted a storybook senior season- undefeated state champion.  He was never really close to losing and only Matt McGovern and Thomas Graszl were able to wrestle him close.  Reedy even posted a 4-1 win over Kirk Tank, a state finalist one weight up at 145.  

And yet, I can just as easily see Germaine Lindsey pulling this one out.  Lindsey simply would not be denied his state title down the stretch, showing tremendous heart down the stretch in beating Shawn Harris of St. Edward and Michael Lybarger of Mt. Vernon
(see http://www.ohiowrestlingsite.com/articles/article65.php).  Lindsey’s failure to place at Senior Nationals was very surprising to me- especially given that two wrestlers from Michigan defeated him there.  Sometimes wrestlers get a little content, or just lose focus, after winning state- sort of like when the best senior of 1993, Jon Vaughn, failed to place at Senior Nationals after beating Clint Musser in one of the most anticipated state finals of all-time.  Somehow, I just doubt that these two Michigan wrestlers could have denied Lindsey in Columbus.
 
It’s truly a testament to how tough Ohio wrestling is that #3 Shawn Harris won state as a freshman at 103 and never repeated that feat.  Three classmates denied him a second title: Kevin Hardy, Thomas Straughn, and Germaine Lindsey.  No shame in any of those losses to say the least.  Harris, of course, provided one of the highlights of the season by knocking off #1 ranked Zack Kemmerer by fall at Ironman in perhaps the best bout I saw this year. 

If there was an “All-Entertaining Team”, #4 Michael Lybarger would be a shoe-in.  Lybarger employs a variety of funky counters and is great with tilts on top.  His match with Jameson at Brecksville was one of the best of the year.  Stylistically, he presented a huge match-up problem for the gritty yet “basic” Lindsey- nearly major decisioning him the first time, and taking him into overtime to him the second.  I believe that Lybarger probably takes seven of ten matches from Lindsey, though Lindsey stepped up when the title was on the line.  I think that Michael Lybarger could be one of the “sleepers” of this class in college.

A wrestler who hasn’t gotten his due yet is sophomore Zach Toal of Troy Christian.  Third in the state meet as a freshman at 112 (and he easily could have been champ) Toal moved up a mere five weight classes this season, and beat one of the most highly-regarded Division III wrestlers (Josh Falk) three times in three matches.  Dave Stiltner or Kevin Cloran could have something to say about it- but I’d be shocked to not see Toal end up with three Golds to go with that freshman year bronze.

Stay Tuned for Part II, which will cover the 145-285 lb. weights as well as awarding OWS “Wrestler of the Year” awards (I know, not much suspense on who this site will choose) and OWS “Coach of the Year” awards.

Please feel free to comment on this article on the message forum!

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