Was St. Edward's 2007 Team the Best Ever? Ohio Wrestling Site Handicaps a Mythical Dual vs. the Vaunted 1995 Walsh Jesuit Warriors

(above): The Brilliant Season of the 2007 Eagles begs the Question as to where they fit among the greatest Ohio teams. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

They broke the state scoring record.  They took all fourteen wrestlers to state.    They won at Ironman over the vaunted Blair Academy.  They won easily overt St. Paris Graham-the #3 team in the nation- twice.  They defeated Blair Academy again in an epic dual to clinch the National Title. 

Were the 2006-2007 St. Edward Eagles the greatest team ever assembled in Ohio?

This article will definitely not resolve the debate on this issues…. but Ohio Wrestling Site will forecast the “dream dual” between this year’s St. Edward Eagles and the team that many knowledgable observers have considered the best of all-time: the 1995 Walsh Jesuit Warriors. 

I spoke with long-time St. Edward Assistant Frank Jayne this weekend about whether the 2007 Eagles were the best St. Edward team he has coached.  “It’s difficult to say just now.  Certainly, they will be up there, but you almost need about five years to pass before you can really tell just how great a team was.  A couple of other teams that would be right there for consideration were the 1998 and 2000 teams.”

I think that I’m in somewhat of a unique position as far as this article goes- I often worked out with the wrestlers on the 1995 squad in the Walsh room on Sundays (the season before, but the same wrestlers), and of course, as a contemporary of theirs, grew up both wrestling and watching them wrestle for many years.  Obviously, doing this site the last two years, I’ve had numerous opportunities to watch St. Edward compete.

How good was the 1995 Walsh squad?  The short answer is they broke the state scoring record without their best wrestler, who was sidelined by injury.  That record stood for ten years. They won the Ironman, won every dual against the best teams from across the nation- and they were never defeated.  At season’s end they had ten state finalists (counting Marchette and Thompson who were finalists the year before).  As Bob Preusse said “the Walsh Jesuit team of 1995 was like a great racehorse, could take their game to another gear when needed.”

What makes this match-up even more interesting is the striking contrast between the two teams.  St. Edward is the New York Yankees of Ohio wrestling, a well-oiled machine where winning is simply expected.  Discipline permeates the program, and the team is emphasized as opposed to the individual.  With every wrestler in the room wearing a gray T-Shirt, it is impossible at first glance to tell a three-time state champion from a first-year wrestler.  Having worked out there many times over the years, I can’t ever recall seeing a single wrestler step out of line.  There isn’t much room for ego when you’ve been preceded by Alan Fried, Jim Heffernan, Ryan Lang, and Lance Palmer.

The Walsh Jesuit Warrors of the mid-1990’s could not have been more different.  Their 1995 squad was a collection of colorful individuals who most definitely had egos.  They wore their attitude on their sleeve, no question.  Coach Bill Barger- a player’s coach if there ever were one- knew he had a collection of free-spirits on his hands and gave them a “long leash.”  There was never any doubt about who was in charge, but a lot of leeway was given for the wrestlers to be themselves.  In many cases, that meant being controversial- something wrestlers like Adam Plouse thrived on.    

With the differences in the programs, and their shared excellence, came some tension over the years.  Make no mistake, the great rivalry built a mutual respect, but there is no love lost, to be sure.  How much did beating St. Edward mean to Bill Barger?  Enough that when Walsh Jesuit was originally shifted to Division II as a result of becoming co-educational, he fought to stay in Division I. 

In writing this article I relied heavily on the insights of Chris Deshon, the current Walsh Jesuit assistant coach who came up “wrestling with these guys since he was four” at the North Akron Wrestling club.  Deshon admitted, that he is, naturally, biased, and wanted to add that he has nothing but the highest respect for the St. Edward program.

I also relied heavily on Bob Preusse of Amateur Wrestling News’ insights in this article.  Preusse has been close to both programs for a long time and is as knowledgable about the wrestlers on these teams as anyone.  Interestingly, Preusse and I had the same winner in every single match of this mythical dual. 

For the sake of “drama” I have started the dual at 215 lbs.  With no further ado:  

215- Jeff Knupp- (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Ben Rios (Lakewood St. Edward)

A mere sophomore, Knupp rolled through state in 1995.  I only recall future NCAA All-Americans Zach Thompson and Bandele Adenyi-Bada being able to push him that year.   Knupp was slick and mobile for a big man, and won despite being a very light 215.  He would go on to be a very rare three-time upperweight state champion.

Rios finished his career as a two-time state qualifier and a state placer.  Often maligned the past two years as the “weak link” of the St. Edward line-up (not an insult in this line-up really), Rios showed himself to be a gritty competitor by avoiding a fall against Jared Platt of Blair (a wrestler that Preusse and myself agree has the look of a future NCAA Champion).  His ability to fight off the fall against Platt proved the difference in St. Edward defeating Blair.  Rios is outclassed here but definitely goes the full six.

Knupp (Walsh) wins by major decision 15-5.  Walsh leads 4-0.

285- Matt Tyla (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Ben Kuhar (Lakewood St. Edward)

Tyla was a football specialist who ended up being one of great stories of this Walsh team. Though he lost as much as he won during the year, sometimes success is contagious- and Tyla ended up going to state, which was very surprising a the time.

In this bout, however, Tyla simply stands no chance. Ben Kuhar, a two-time cadet national champion and state runner-up as a sophomore, had a disappointing year as a result of a long layoff from a major knee injury.  However, Kuhar would simply be too big and too good for Tyla.

OWS Pick: Kuhar (St. Edward) wins by fall.  St. Edward leads 6-4.

103- Adam Davis (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Jamie Clark (Lakewood St. Edward)

Jamie Clark is destined for greatness in my view.  Though he will not be the next four-time Division I state champ as I thought he would, this cadet national champ split with #1 in the nation David Taylor and nearly beat #2 Logan Stieber as well, despite being a “light” 103 (remember he made 101 lbs. six weeks after the season).  Clark’s all-out attacking style and “gas tank” is reminiscent of a lightweight Colt Sponseller.

Davis was the weak link of the Walsh lineup.  Clark always seems to rise to the occasion in duals (see the win over Taylor and the fall against Buxton of Blair).  He is a guaranteed “six” in this one.

OWS Pick: Jamie Clark (St. Edward) wins by fall.  St. Edward leads 12-4.

112- Brent Thompson (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Nick Sulzer (Lakewood St. Edward)

This is a very tough call.  A state runner-up to Tomazz Wilson the year before, Brent Thompson struggled early in this season before turning it up the second half.  At state, Thompson would finish third in a loaded weight- among the wrestlers not placing were future Division II national champions Quantres Bates and Jimmy Sanfillipo.  Thompson won easily the next year and was an All-American at Senior Nationals.  He went on to be an NCAA Qualifier for Kent State University.  Like so many Walsh wrestlers on this team- he was just a tough kid, a scrapper.  I recall at least one occasion  in the Walsh room where Thompson responded to being on the wrong end of a beating by Plouse by challenging him to a bare-knuckles showdown.   

Nick Sulzer has only just begun to make a name for himself- after finishing second at state as a freshman 112, and posting two wins over 2006 state champ Steve Mitcheff.  Sulzer is a very tall wrestler for 112 who I see moving up a great deal in weight.  His leverage could create problems for Thompson, but I think the toughness and physicality of the older Walsh wrestler prevails here.

OWS Pick: Thompson (Walsh) wins by decision 6-5.  St. Edward leads 12-7.

119-  Frank Favaro (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Clarence Semple (Lakewood St. Edward)

Favaro was the “funk” guy on the 1995 Walsh squad (along with O’Neill).  On a team full of exciting wrestlers, Favaro was perhaps most entertaining to watch compete, seeming to wrestle on raw instinct more than anything.  Favaro would finish second at state that season ahead of two excellent wrestlers in Mark Balog and Jesse Clark.

Semple performed gamely after being thrust into the lineup due to Jon Cobos staph infection, and was a surprise state qualifier.  His success is a true credit to this program- nobody really knew who he was prior to Cobos’ injury.  However, Favaro scores the fall for Walsh in this one- and the result would likely be the same if Cobos wrestled.

(above): Collin Palmer versus Adam Plouse would be THE match of the night. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

OWS Pick: Favaro (Walsh) by Fall.  Walsh leads 13-12.

125- Adam Plouse (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Collin Palmer (Lakewood St. Edward)

Here we would have one of there marquee match-up of the night.  In fact, this bout would be one for the ages. 

Collin Palmer needs no introduction.  An absolute machine who makes dominating Ohio opponents look effortless, the two-time state champion been held to a decision by just two Ohio opponents in his entire career (Tim Peskar and Brian Stephens). 

If any one wrestler exemplified the Walsh team of this era, it would be Adam Plouse.  A true free spirit, this two-time champ and three-time finalist thrived on being the “bad boy” of the sport- he was the wrestler fans loved to hate, and he relished that role.  Current Walsh Assistant Chris DeShon- a long-time teammate of Plouse at North Akron Wrestling Club and himself a state runner-up- described Plouse this way: “the bigger the match and the more people that booed against him the tougher he became.  Adam always said that he would rather wrestle anywhere than at Walsh because too many people were rooting for him at Walsh- he thrived on people rooting against him.”

People sometimes forget how tough Plouse was because his collegiate career at Ohio State was brief and undistinguished (according to wrestling lore, the ever-colorful Plouse once reportedly informed Coach Hellickson that since he was on a half-scholarship, he would be at practice half of the time).  Nevertheless- Plouse was one of the best to compete at this weight in the past 20 years.

Deshon saw it this way: “125 is definately one of those matches that will bring a little controversy, but I think that Adam as a senior would beat Collin as a sophomore.  I'm sure the Eds people would disagree, but how soon we forget about the old and put the new up on a pedestal.  Plouse was very big, deceivingly strong and even more physical.  Collin has never had to wrestle someone as mean as Adam before.  Certainly, Collin will go on to be a better wrestler as a senior than Plouse was and could be one of the all-time greats, but a senior Plouse beats a sophomore Palmer.”  

I’m torn on this one.  In the past two years, only one Ohio wrestler, Timmy Peskar, has stayed within five points of Palmer, and even in that match, Palmer had a 5-0 lead with :30 to go. In short, no Ohio wrestler has ever even pushed Collin Palmer.  Plouse was beaten a few times his senior year, albeit by outstanding out-of-state wrestlers, and in my view, he was a tad less dominating.  When Collin Palmer takes the mat against an Ohio wrestler, it never occurs to me that he could lose.  Plouse did lose his junior year, to a wrestler (Ben Hatta) who was not much better than the Ryan Fields of 2006 in my view. On the other hand, as Deshon indicated, Plouse was a flat-out “gamer”, who was made for a dual like this.  There is nothing he would have wanted more than a shot at the St. Edward “golden boy” in the St. Edward gym.  I think if the match is held at St. Edward  I might take him.  However, if forced to choose, I will take Collin Palmer, he’s just too dominating to not be the selection.  Preusse agreed, stating succinctly “no doubt, Palmer.”

OWS Pick: Palmer by decision 5-4.  St. Edward leads 15-13.
 
130- Sonny Marchette (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Neil Birt (Lakewood St. Edward)

It’s very easy to imagine a scenario where Sonny Marchette would have become Walsh’s only four-time state champion (as it is for 1994 Walsh graduate Jimmy Johnson for that matter, but that’s another story).  Marchette’s freshman year, he fell in the state finals to possibly the best Ohio lightweight of the 1990’s in Eddie Jayne.  His sophomore year, he was the prohibitive favorite before suffering a season-ending injury.  As explosive a wrestler on his feet as you will find, Marchette almost invariably posted lopsided wins until he reached a certain (very high) level of wrestler- in other words he was good for automatic bonus points against state place-winners- in fact, during this season he pinned the Division II state champion, Brandon Steinmetz of Mentor Lake Catholic.

Junior National All-American Neil Birt looked to be a slight favorite here heading into state, where he finished a disappointing fourth.  However, Birt has shown he can be dominated in losses, such as in his surprising state losses and in nearly surrendering a technical fall to Kellen Russell of Blair Academy.  Marchette keeps the pressure on, puts on a takedown clinic, and scores the major here.

OWS Pick: Marchette (Walsh) by major decision 15-6.  Walsh leads 17-15.

135- Joe Heskett (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Andrew Gasber (Lakewood St. Edward)

Here we would have one of the most interesting match-ups of the night as two brilliant sophomores with unorthodox styles met.  Wrestlers with unorthodox styles can at times create unusual results, and this match-up exemplifies that.  Simply put, this would have been a terrible match-up for Gasber.  Gasber’s “forte” is hitting his throws and rolls off his opponent’s shot.  Heskett rarely, if ever shot.  Gasber’s Achilles heel is that he can be turned from the bottom, as Shanaman and Jameson showed repeatedly (in fact, Jameson pinned him with a cradle).  In Joe Heskett, he would be facing the toughest wrestler from the top position this state has ever seen.  Heskett’s devastating weapon, was, of course, the cross-face cradle.  I’m high on Gasber, but this match doesn’t go the distance, it’s what you might call a “style clash”.  Deshon agreed, stating “Joe Heskett pins Anrew Gasber, not even a question in my mind.”

(above): 4x state placewinner Shawn Harris would win big in this dual. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

OWS Pick: Heskett (Walsh) by fall.  Walsh leads 23-15.

140- Joe Klakulak (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Sean Harris (Lakewood St. Edward)

Klakulak was better suited for the 130 lb. class but wrestled here due to Marchette and Heskett.  He was not, however, the sort to go down without a fight.

Harris is a nationally-ranked competitor, though not necessarily a noted pinner.  To me, Shawn Harris, though he never repeated his freshman year state title, exemplifies the St. Edward program.  Not flashy.  Great fundamentals who goes hard the entire match.  His win over Kemmerer at Ironman was one of the best matches I have ever seen.

I think Klakulak avoids the fall.

OWS Pick:  Harris (St. Edward) wins major decision 18-6.  Walsh leads 23-19.

145- Keith Rawlings (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Dan Gonsor (Lakewood St. Edward)

Here we have another virtual toss-up.  Rawlings was a somewhat surprising runner-up, Gonsor defaulted to 6th after suffering a mild upset against Jesse Dong after finishing 2nd the year before.  My first inclination was to go with Gonsor, as he has proven his mettle in big matches (see the Blair Dual).  However, Rawlings state runner-up finish looks better in hindsight.  He lost his state final by a single point, and the three wrestlers who finished 3rd-5th were all outstanding- Tom Seryak, Joe Chandler, Joey Tucceri.  If forced to choose I will go with Rawlings.   Preusse and Deshon also favored Rawlings in this one.

OWS Pick: Rawlings wins 4-3.   Walsh leads 26-19.

152- Brent Zupanic (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Scott Elliott (St. Edward)

Truthfully, I don’t recall that much about Zupanic.  I believe he was somewhat light for the weight, and he was solid, but did not place at state.  Deshon filled in the “style” blanks for me here: “152 is interesting due to the fact that these wrestler kind of remind me of each other, two overlooked guys, not talked about much, trying to do what it takes to get to top level, but maybe just not in the cards for them.  This match will be like Rawlings-Gonsor, one good on his feet and the other on the mat.  Too experienced by this point and very seasoned in high-level matches Zupancic scores the one takedown that he needs to win.” 

Deshon could be right, but Scott Elliott showed a lot of heart this year in key duals, such as the Graham dual.  Given that, and the fact that he placed at state whereas Zupanic did not, I think he is the better choice here.

OWS Pick: Elliot (St. Edward) by decision 7-5.  Walsh leads 26-22.

Here is where it would get really interesting.  St.Edward’s 160-189 (Nemec, Roddy, Honeycutt) is a virtual “murderer’s row”, as Blair Academy found on in their dual where the St. Edward trio scored 13 team points to Blair’s zero.  But Walsh had their own “murderer’s row” here themselves in Overholt, Groudle, and O’Neill- all six wrestlers in these last three weights were state champions.   Trailing by four, St. Edward would need to either sweep the last three bouts or win two with bonus points in one win.

160- Scott Overholt (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Sean Nemec (Lakewood St. Edward)

Here we have the second “marquee” match of the night.  Scott Overholt was one of the top 5-6 seniors of 1995 in my view (along with Drew Pariano, Joey O’Neill, Ross Thatcher, Plouse, and Brad Clement).  A defending state champion, Overholt was very strong, hard to score on, and had his back pocket one of the nicest lateral drops you will ever see.  His senior season was spectacular, piling up four wins over State and National High School Champion Kevin Welsh, two wins over two-time state champion Neal Bailey, a win over two-time state champion Sean Ebbert, and a win over the outstanding Division III champ, Josh Schroeder.  Only a stunning loss to Kevin Welsh in the state finals (his first loss to the eventual national champ in five meeting) marred a superb season- but that loss did look so bad three weeks later when Welsh won nationals.

Obviously, like Collin Palmer, Sean Nemec is a wrestler whom needs no introduction.  A three-time state champion and four-time finalist, Nemec is a fluke loss away from being the only Division I four-time state champ who did not begin his career at 103.  Outside of that loss in the state finals his freshman year, I can’t ever recall Nemec losing a match he was “supposed” to win.  Like Plouse, however, Overholt was a “gamer” who always seemed to step it up for a big bout (with the exception of the state final with Welsh who caught him by surprise). However, I have to give Nemec the edge here.  I cannot ever recall Nemec being thrown, and I don’t think that Overholt’s chances are good in a close, low-scoring bout with Nemec.  I think Nemec gets two takedowns to Overholt’s one- and prevails.

(above): The epitome of intensity, Brian Roddy would dominate state champion Jamie Groudle in my view. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

OWS Pick: Nemec (St. Edward) by decision, 5-4.  Walsh leads 26-25.

171- Jamie Groudle (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Brian Roddy (Lakewood St. Edward)

Here we have another superb match-up.  Both Groudle and Roddy were state champions and runners-up to this point (Roddy has a year remaining) and Groudle would go on to finish second at high school nationals.  Deshon had this to say of the match: “This to me is the hardest match to call.  Anyone who wrestled with or against Groudle that year would say that he wins this one.  With that being said I am a huge fan of Roddy and think he's very capable of winning this match as well, to me whoever is not at 100% that day loses this epic battle.

Here I must respectfully disagree with Deshon.  I think Roddy wins this match, and wins big.  Jamie Groudle did roll through the state tournament that year, but his weight class was very weak. Groudle was a national-caliber competitor in my view, just not at 171.  He wrestled at 152 the prior year, and in fact, went to high school nationals at that weight class his senior year (five lb. allowance meant he had to make 157).   Groudle couldn’t beat Overholt at 160 so he was pushed to 171.  Groudle did face one elite 171 in Ohio that year- 2x Division III state champion Ross Thatcher- and was beaten by a major decision.  In my view, Thatcher (a future 2x NCAA All-American who now Coaches the OSU club team) as a senior is very comparable to the level that Roddy and Dustin Kilgore were at this season. 

Stylistically, this is a very poor match-up for Groudle.  If Roddy has shown any weakness, it is that a slick wrestler can get to his legs (Kilgore).  Groudle was more of a bruiser on his feet, very far from slick and in fact not gifted with leg attack at all.   His physicality would certainly not intimidate the bigger and stronger Roddy- and I don’t think he can keep Roddy off the scoreboard with his defense (no one could this year down the stretch).  Groudle’s mainstay, like many wrestlers on this Walsh team, was the cross-face cradle.  I don’t think he has a prayer of cradling Roddy given the size difference.  Preusse agreed, stating “Roddy for sure.”

OWS Pick: Roddy (St. Edward) wins by decision 9-4.  St. Edward leads 28-26.

189- Joey O’Neill (Walsh Jesuit) vs. Chris Honeycutt (Lakewood St. Edward)

Two of the best one-time Ohio state champions (Honeycutt also won a title in Massachusetts as a sophomore) would meet here.  These are also quite possibly the two wrestlers with the nastiest cross-face cradle among Ohio upperweights.  Like Adam Plouse, Joey O’Neill was a very colorful character.  A youth wrestling legend as a lightweight/middleweight, O’Neill actually hated wrestling, preferring football (he went on to play football in the NFL for the Detroit Lions), but continued to wrestle out of respect for Coach Barger and his teammates.  Because he did not care about wrestling, he simply wrestled wherever the team needed him.  Had wrestling been his passion there is no limit to what he might have accomplished.  Reports of how light O’Neill was for his weight class were not exaggerated- the fact is that he weighed in the low 170’s naturally and probably could have made 160 if he really wanted to push it.  However, being light did not stop him from dominating.  Two-time Illinois state runner-up Ryan Root moved in to West Chester Lakota his senior year and looked to pose a serious challenge to O’Neill.  Instead, O’Neill dismantled him at the Medina Invitational Tournament, pinning Root with a huge lead.  O’Neill repeated his win over Root at state- Root would then make the finals of Senior Nationals (and was within a controversial call of victory). 

Save for his disappointing senior nationals, Chris Honeycutt put together one of the best seasons of any Ohio wrestler starting with dominating John Weakley at Ironman.  Honeycutt has the sort of relentless attack that could have possibly broken O’Neill- who was more noted for his talent than his gas tank. 

Bob Preusse brought up an interesting point about the differing rules of the eras I had not thought of: “O'Neill was undersized at 189 but a super athlete. If you could withstand O'Neill's withering attack the first period and a half, before he gassed, then the edge goes to Honeycutt- but not many could.  Honeycutt might be able to do it though. One key: which era's timeout rules are we wrestling under?  O'Neill used lenient 1995 injury timeout rules, or abused them, some might say. Under today’s stricter timeout rules, Honeycutt could beat him. I think it’s a toss-up.

The ultimate team guy, and another true “gamer” (apologies for the overuse of this word), Joey O’Neill, like Adam Plouse, he was made for this match.  I think O’Neill catches Honeycutt on his back for a five point lead in the first, and holds him off in a match that goes down to the final buzzer.  It could not be a closer call, but O’Neill is my choice here.

OWS Pick: O’Neill (Walsh) wins 8-7.   Walsh wins 29-28.

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