20/20 Hindsight:  OWS Compiles Single-Division Rankings for the 2008 Season

As a wrestling community in Ohio, we are used to thinking of the state as three separate parts- Division I, Division II, and Division III. But it wasn’t always so.  Prior to 1971, there was a single division of competition in Ohio.  In many top states (notably, New Jersey and California) there still remains only one division. 

Quite frankly, I fall on the side of those who would like to see a single division state tournament.  Qualify 48 to state still- but throw them into a single bracket.  The competition would be absolutely riveting.  A great wrestler can be from any size of school- as the Monroeville contingent has demonstrated this year.  I would keep separate team scores (like they do at the Medina and Brecksville Tournaments) and still have three team state champions, but only one individual champ.   Gone would be the days of top wrestlers avoiding each other through “gentleman’s agreement”.  Will it ever happen?  Probably not.  But the following is a look at how a single division tournament might “play out” in my view.

Couple of caveats first.  When compiling these (or any) rankings, I tend to look at the entire season equally- thus, a win at the state tournament is of no more value than a win in a dual if the same wrestlers are involved.  I do it this way for several reasons.  Most importantly- to simply go on the order of state finish would be a highly unimaginative approach that could be put together by anyone in a matter of minutes, and not worth reading in my view.  Second, the question underlying these rankings is “how they would finish” if I had to bet on it.  In my experience, all top wrestlers are going 100% every time they wrestle, some just have the good fortune to be at the top of their game in Columbus, some don’t.  

What follows is part I of a two-part series.  With no further ado:

(above): Shown here in the Ironman finals, Monroeville Freshman Hunter Stieber never went past the 3:00 mark in the post-season tournaments- pinning all 12 opponents he faced. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

103 LBS- OWS Pick- Hunter Stieber, Monroeville

1	Hunter Stieber	Monroeville	Freshman
2	Ty Mitch	Aurora	Sophomore
3	Johnny DiJulius	Walsh Jesuit	Freshman
4	Gus Sako	Lakewood St. Edward	Sophomore
5	Kory Mines	Maple Heights	Sophomore
6	Nick Brascetta	Graham	Freshman
7	Andrew Romanchik	Padua	Freshman
8	Uland Ralston	Lorain Southview	Sophomore
9	Justin Toth	Painesville Riverside	Senior
10	Jacob Corrill	Cincinnati Moeller	Sophomore
11	Dan Mirman	Medina Highland	Freshman
12	Andrew Boehm	Watkins Memorial	Senior
13	Jordan Burkhart	Carrollton	Freshman
14	Garrett Manley	Holland Springfield	Sophomore
15	Spencer Pierce	North Union	Junior
16	Tyler Reed	Waterford	Senior
17	Brandon Gambucci	Lexington	Sophomore
18	Cody McGhee	Minerva	Junior
19	Shaun Ague	Austintown Fitch	Sophomore
20	Dustin Carter	Hillsboro	Senior
21	Jerry Pasquale	Boardman	Sophomore
22	Dom Barlow	Heath	Freshman
23	Anthony Zingale	Mayfield	Sophomore
24	Jack Young	Mentor	Junior
25	Dan Chorney	Solon	Senior

While last year’s brilliant group of 103’s will likely never be surpassed, this year’s followed it up very well.  At the end of the day, there were four wrestlers here who were deserving of a national ranking in my view- and I believe that will also be the view reflected by the final national rankings at www.intermatwrestle.com when they come out shortly.  

The class of the weight proved to be Hunter Stieber.  The unbeaten Stieber answered all challenges, including defeating the other “big three”- Ty Mitch, Johnny DiJulius, and Gus Sako, plus a very tough Devin Carter of Virginia at the Ironman.  Perhaps most impressive was the decisive nature of his two wins over Mitch- 6-0 and 8-3.  , Stieber pinned his way through the post-season (Sectionals-State)- never going past the 3:00 mark (the first time that has ever been done to my knowledge).  It is very difficult to see him not winning four state titles- though with Monroeville’s schedule and the outstanding competition he should continue to face over the next three years- becoming Ohio’s first four-time unbeaten state champion is very unlikely in my view.

#2 choice Ty Mitch was the big surprise to me at this weight.   There was little doubt that he would be one of the top four or five here (statewide) at the beginning of the year, but I must concede I did not see him winning state or emerging as Ohio’s second-best behind Stieber.  Very quick on his feet and outstanding with leg attacks, Mitch got better and better as the year went on and managed to take three of four meetings from rival and friend Johnni DiJulius by winning the takedown battles.  I think that the athletic Mitch is largely a raw talent who has just begun to hit his stride- as shown by his superb showing at the recent FILA Cadet National Championship (where he finished 2nd and posted a big win over the aforementioned nationally ranked Devin Carter).  

#3 choice Johnni DiJulius was brilliant all year himself- with the one “fly in the ointment” being his inability to solve Mitch.  Two wins over Sako- one in the midst of a superb 3rd place finish at Ironman- were among the highlights.  Very strong for his weight and dynamite on top, his most impressive showing to me was bumping up to 112 and beating James Ingraham in the dual.   The difference between a top 103 and a top 112 is generally huge- so to move up a beat a wrestler of this caliber (a 2nd and 3rd place finisher at state himself) spoke volumes of DiJulius’s talent.

It’s hard for me to imagine that Gus Sako ends up as the #4 choice here- given that he was 3rd in a very tough weight class at Fargo last summer, and gave Stieber by far his toughest match of the year.  But, the results are what they are, and Mitch took 3 of 4 from DiJulius, who swept Sako in two meetings.  Outside of the DiJulius and Stieber losses, Sako only had two matches that he did not win by at least a major decision all year (on the St. Edward schedule, no less), and neither of those matches were remotely close.  With all four of these wrestlers almost certainly headed for 112 next year (presuming David Taylor ends up at 119 there will be ample opportunity to do so), that weight should be very interesting to watch unfold in 2008-2009.

112 LBS- OWS Pick: David Taylor, Graham

1	David Taylor	Graham	Junior
2	Jamie Clark	Lakewood St. Edward	Sophomore
3	Sammy White	Massillon Perry	Junior
4	Cam Tessari	Monroeville	Freshman
5	Steve Mitcheff	Elyria	Senior
6	Jerome Robinson	Cleveland St. Ignatius	Sophomore
7	Cody Neff	Miami Trace	Sophomore
8	Tyler Hemminger	Galion Northmor	Freshman
9	James Inghram	University School	Junior
10	Jake Strasbaugh	Orrville	Junior
11	Alex Minnard	Fairfield Union	Junior
12	David Bolger	Strongsville	Junior
13	Nate Westfall	Perry	Junior
14	Don Herrington	Sycamore	Senior
15	BJ Miller	Defiance	Sophomore
16	Bart Young	Medina Highland	Senior
17	John Worthington	Shelby	Junior
18	Dan McNulty	Mayfield	Freshman
19	Narcisco Inchaurregui	Lorain Southview	Freshman
20	Leslie Polley	Maple Heights	Junior
21	Jake Farber	Cincinnati St. Xavier	Junior
22	Erik McLaughlin	Canal Fulton Northwest	Junior
23	Brian Frehmeyer	Parma	Junior
24	Ricki Reynolds	Marion Pleasant	Junior
25	Zach Tinch	Mount Gilead	Senior

In my view, this is the weight with the most truly “elite” competitors in it.  So tough is the weight that Steve Mitcheff- 4th in the nation in Fargo last summer”- pulls just the #5 ranking statewide. 

An easy #1 choice, of course, is 3x state champion David Taylor.  So dominant is Taylor from the top position that it would have actually been a surprise if someone had managed to go the full six minutes with him in Columbus.  His finals opponent, Cody Neff of Miami Trace, was possibly the biggest 112 in the state not representing Massillon Perry (Neff wrestled most of the year at 125 lbs. with three-time state placer teammate Jacob Garringer at 119) and had dominated a solid field on his way to the finals.  However, he went right after Taylor with a headlock attempt in the first ten seconds- and it was all downhill from there.  Taylor countered easily, leaving him with almost a full two minutes to unleash the most vaunted top position arsenal in the nation.  A barrage of tilts, bars, and most of all, tilts from bars followed.  At the end of the day, it was yet another second period technical fall over an outstanding opponent for Taylor. 

And yet, the state finals was really just another win for Taylor.  Throughout the year, only one match was remotely close, against Jamie Clark at Super Eight (he also posted a decisive 7-1 victory over Clark at NHSCA).  The truth is, all three-time state champion Taylor has do is win- three Ironman titles in three tries, three state titles, a Beast of the East Crown, and five Fargo titles out of a possible six. Only a fluke pin in the Greco-Roman tournament prior to his freshman year (while he was far ahead) prevented him from being en route to being a possible 10x Fargo Champion.  With all apologies to Collin Palmer, David Taylor will be Ohio’s, if not the nation’s, #1 recruit for 2008-2009.

Much as I cannot imagine anything besides tremendous success for Taylor at the collegiate level, I cannot imagine anything else for #2 Jamie Clark either.  Despite being undersized for his weight yet again- kind of too big for 103 and too small for 112- Clark won the latest installment of his rivalry with Sammy White of Massillon Perry in the state finals.  Though the win did not come in the way that perhaps the fans would have enjoyed- I felt the official made the correct call (hitting White for stalling in overtime to give Clark the win).  Clark also swept Mitcheff on the year and beat White at Medina by a more decisive 5-2 score.  Always on the attack, Jamie Clark has proven himself to be the wrestler who gives David Taylor his toughest match, defeating him once in 2007 and nearly defeating him again at the Super Eight.

#3 ranked here is Sam White of Massillon Perry- and frankly, a strong argument can be made that he is #3 in the entire nation at this weight- that’s how good the Ohio 112’s are.  Bear in mind that White defeated the consensus #2 wrestler at 119 lbs, 3x Minnesota State Champion Destin McCauley, at Fargo last summer.  The prototypical Massillon Perry “hammer”, White’s win over nationally-ranked 119 Zach Neibert may have been his best performance of the year.  Look for White to move up to at least 125 next year- and finally away from Clark, both should dominate on their way to their second state titles.

The fourth choice here is Cam Tessari.  Despite finishing 4th at Cadet Nationals last summer, Tessari was kind of the forgotten wrestlers out of the great Monroeville quartet- sort of like the “5th Beatle” - that is, until his performance at Brecksville over the winter.  The frosh not only defeated Jerome Robinson and Steve Mitcheff that day- he did so in much more convincing fashion than either Clark or White had previously.  A match between Tessari and Clark/White would have been very interesting to say the least.   Sandwiched between the Stieber brothers in the Monroeville room, look for Tessari to make a rapid progression in the years to come.

#5 choice Steve Mitcheff, in another era, could have emerged as a three-timer.  Ub hindsight, his decision to go here rather than 119 is a head-scratcher.  I have ranked Jerome Robinson at this weight- where he competed until late in the year.  One year after being considered a national-caliber 103, Robinson started at this weight, but moved to the seemingly much easier 119 lb. class prior to Sectionals.  Seemingly one of the favorites, the Ignatius sophomore stuck around approximately long enough for a cup of coffee, finishing 0-2.  However, he was certainly one of Ohio’s best 112’s…and look for him to rebound and be a state finalist next year. 

119 LBS- OWS Pick: Logan Stieber, Monroeville

1	Logan Stieber	Monroeville	Sophomore
2	Zach Neibert	Graham	Junior
3	Cody Garbrandt	Uhrichsville Claymont	Sophomore
4	Garrett Henry	Solon	Senior
5	Johnny Papesh	Aurora	Senior
6	Kyle Gilchrist	Jefferson	Senior
7	Kyle Ciccarello	Brush	Senior
8	Scott Fuller	Toledo Waite	Senior
9	Jimmy Householder	West Jefferson	Senior
10	Nick Lawrence	Westlake	Sophomore
11	Cody Shivener	Springboro	Freshman
12	Ian Miller	Oak Harbor	Freshman
13	Johnny Carpenter	Cincinnati Madeira	Freshman
14	Mike Kovach	Bedford Chanel	Sophomore
15	Jacob Garringer	Miami Trace	Junior
16	Waquiem Comar	Twinsburg	Sophomore
17	Adam Wallander	Cincinnati Moeller	Senior
18	Jasper Few	Reynoldsburg	Junior
19	Brent Ford	Ravenna Southeast	Senior
20	Ryan Marks	Brecksville	Senior
21	Robert Sheppard	Mason	Sophomore
22	Jake McCombs	Marysville	Sophomore
23	Brandon Sommers	CVCA	Sophomore
24	Graham Campbell	Anderson	Senior
25	Mike Hillock	Massillon Perry	Junior

As dominant as Taylor is, Stieber matched or even surpassed his dominance.  In the post-season tournaments, it wasn’t until the state semifinals that an opponent even made it to the second period against Stieber, and that opponent was technical falled early in the seconc period.  Stieber’s finals opponent, Jimmy Householder, suffered a similar fate- losing by technical fall early in the second period.  Like younger brother Hunter, not only did no Logan Stieber opponent not go the distance, but no Logan Stieber opponent even made it to the 3:00 mark from Sectionals through State.

The question at this point is not whether Logan Stieber will be a four-time state champion, but rather, will anyone go the full six minutes against him in Columbus?  So far, nobody has, and it seems unlikely that anybody will.  To be a four-time state champion is one thing….to go four years of pinning and teching through state is incomprehensible- but at this point, it looks like it will happen.  As mentioned, nobody was close to going the full six this year, and Stieber will only get better, and you can bet the best in Division III will want nothing to do with him after this year.

Stieber is devastating on top with his bar and half combination.  However, where he really excels is on his feet.  Watch Stieber’s semi-finals and finals matches (at www.flowrestling.com) and you will note something- there are seldom more than five to ten seconds that elapse before a Stieber takedown.  With no intent to disparage his opponents- it looks like he’s drilling out there.  Stieber’s great positioning, flawless technique, incredible strength and quickness is an almost unstoppable combination.  To me, what really showed how good Stieber was this year was his dominance against Johnny Papesh of Aurora.  The three-time bronze medalist of Aurora is nearly impossible to score on- I’m not sure that either Kyle Gilchrist or Zach Neibert have EVER taken him down in numerous meetings, in fact.  Yet, Stieber piled up wins of 16-6 and 10-1 over Papesh with a slew of easy takedowns and punishing arm bars.  

Of course, Stieber’s best performance was his most recent showing in Las Vegas- where he won the FILA Junior World Team Championships (20 and under).  All hyperbole aside, this was one of the most impressive feats by an Ohio high school wrestler than I can ever recall.  Far from having an easy road, Stieber bested two wrestlers who beat OSU starter Nikko Triggas in the tournament.  One of those wrestlers was Tyler Clark of Iowa State University, an NCAA Qualifier who was ranked as high as #14 in the nation for Coach Cael Sanderson this year. That was just to get to the finals, where Stieber beat Zach Sanders of the University of Minnesota- himself a Junior National, Senior National, and Cadet National Champion in high school who just turned 20.  As NWCA Assistant Coach of the Year Drew Pariano put it- “Steiber is at a level that is just shocking…beating the nation’s best college freshmen.  Just outstanding.”

An easy #2 choice was Zach Neibert of Graham.  I’ve been very impressed with Neibert since he placed 5th as a very undersized 103 as a freshman.  He put an exclamation point on his season by avenging his prior state finals loss to Cody Garbrandt with a beautiful step-over for a fall, followed by his recent championship at the NHSCA over some very stiff competition.  In my view, the Graham lightweight will be one of the top five recruits in Ohio next year.

There is an excellent trio of freshman at this weight to watch for in years to come.   Ian Miller (2007 Junior High State Champ) of Oak Harbor had a very impressive year, including a big fall over defending state champ Garbrandt, before failing to make weight at Sectionals.  The choice of freshman Cody Shivener of Springboro at #11 will certainly surprise many considering his 0-2 showing at state (with both losses being fairly decisive).  However, a closer look at his results to that point reveals a wrestler who dominated against tough Division I state qualifiers all year.  The frosh (who teched his way through junior high state in 2007) had wins by fall, 16-4, and 17-11 over 2x state qualifier Greg Roeth, falls against state qualifiers Matt Stoll and Graham Campbell, a 10-7 win over state 5th place finisher Jasper Few, and a 6-5 win over State Qualifier Kyle Bivenour.   Few checks in at #18 and Campbell at #24- while Roeth, Stoll, and Bivenour all just missed the top 25.  It seems pretty clear that something else was at work at state- probably illness, injury, or freshman jitters. Look for Shivener to place top three next year. I also like Cincinnati Madeira freshman Johnny Carpenter a lot.  It’s likely that Carpenter, a third-place state finisher this year, will capture three Division III state titles provided he can manage to separate himself from the Monroeville contingent in the future.

125 LBS- OWS Pick: Tommy Pretty, Cincinnati Elder

1	Tommy Pretty	Cincinnati Elder	Senior
2	Dan Genetin	Massillon Perry	Senior
3	Jake Vaughan	Columbus Desales	Junior
4	Pierce Harger	Cincinnati Moeller	Sophomore
5	Ben Sergent	Troy Christian	Senior
6	Tucker Armstrong	Graham	Sophomore
7	Troy Opfer	Sandusky St. Marys	Senior
8	Shaun Fayette	Miamisburg	Sophomore
9	Scott Mattingly	Uniontown Lake	Junior
10	Michael Baxter	Sandusky Perkins	Senior
11	Isiah Chapman	Akron Kenmore	Senior
12	Kyle Leek	Warren Howland	Junior
13	Tim Silvers	Eaton	Senior
14	Scott Meyer	Ravenna	Senior
15	David Carpenter	Cincinnati Madeira	Senior
16	Anthony Salupo	Lakewood St. Edward	Sophomore
17	Ricky King	Benedictine	Senior
18	Andrew Dinda	Garfield Heights	Senior
19	Zach Pope	Marion Pleasant	Senior
20	Jon Kostandaros	Richfield Revere	Senior
21	Shelton Morris	CVCA	Junior
22	Callen Vanderhoff	Marion Harding	Senior
23	Austin Sanders	Central Crossing	Junior
24	Danny Foore	Wadsworth	Junior
25	James Coulter	Cardington-Lincoln	Senior

Throughout the year, this was the most confusing weight to rank in all divisions.  In Division I, just as soon as a front-runner would emerge, they would falter.  Consider that the 7th place finisher in Division I, Pierce Harger, defeated all three state champions during the year.  Or that the Division II favorite (Jacob Vaughan) failed to place but then won NHSCA Junior Nationals against a great field several weeks later.

At the end of the day, I think the best choice for #1 is the Division I Champion, Tommy Pretty.  One of the most devastating mat wrestlers in the state, Pretty seemed to establish himself as a solid favorite when he pinned his way through a loaded Brecksville weight.  Of course, as soon as I had him penciled in as the favorite, he lost to three times, albeit to three of Ohio’s best at this weight in Genetin, Harger, and Vaughan (Pretty split with Vaughan and won two of three versus Harger on the year).

Heading into state, it was arguable that #2 choice Dan Genetin had the best overall season of any wrestler at this weight.  He defeated #1 Pretty (via fall) and #3 Jacob Vaughan.  He had a superb showing at Ironman where he placed 3rd, and was very dominant against state qualifiers and placers down the stretch.  And then, just like in 2007, an inexplicable quarterfinal loss doomed him.  In that match, Genetin was inches from the winning reversal in the closing seconds, and could have easily have had the match-tying escape, but seemed unable to commit to a course of action in the key flurry as Salupo of St. Edward pulled his second big upset of the tournament.  Reports are that Genetin was ailing the entire weekend and went to the hospital after his 3rd place match against Mattingly- for whatever reason, he did not appear to be himself all weekend.  Genetin, like Pretty, posted a solid 3-2 showing at NHSCA Senior Nationals.

What can you say about #3 choice Jacob Vaughan of Columbus Desales?  The talent is undeniable if the results are inconsistent to date.  Vaughan defeated two of Ohio’s best 130’s in Zach Hancock and Ryan Fields at Brecksville.  He later defeated eventual Division II champ Tucker Armstrong and Division I champ Tommy Pretty (score of 8-2).  There is simply no good explanation for why he failed to place at state (though in fairness he did have a very tough draw).  However, the real Jacob Vaughan returned at NHSCA, where he won a Junior National Title over a tough field.  Look for Vaughan to put it all together in his final opportunity in 2009.

#4 choice Harger had one “bad” loss all year, to a wrestler he had major decisioned previously in Anthony Salupo of St. Edward.  However, Salupo’s 4-3 victory over Harger does not ruin an otherwise brilliant season, and neither does Harger’s overtime consolation loss to a very tough Scott Mattingly.  On the bright side, Harger beat all three state champions this year as well as the #2 choice here, Dan Genetin.  Harger is just one of three superb Ohio sophomores at this weight- with Division II champ Tucker Armstrong and Division I Runner-up Shaun Fayette being virtually dead-even with Harger.

130 LBS: OWS Pick: Daniel Kolodzik, Miami Valley

1	Daniel Kolodzik	Miami Valley	Senior
2	Seth Horner	Massillon Perry	Junior
3	Brad Squire	Wadsworth	Senior
4	Zack Hancock	Troy Christian	Junior
5	Nick Sulzer	Lakewood St. Edward	Sophomore
6	Ryan Fields	Lakota West	Senior
7	Harrison Hightower	University School	Sophomore
8	Brian Stephens	Graham	Senior
9	Joe Parra	Barberton	Junior
10	Sean Collins	Coshocton	Senior
11	Vince Gualtieri	West Jefferson	Senior
12	Jeremy Maiwurm	Orville	Junior
13	Tieler Severance	Sheridan	Senior
14	Frank Colarco	North Royalton	Sophomore
15	Garland McCormick	Akron Kenmore	Sophomore
16	Randy Henline	Akron Coventry	Sophomore
17	Anthony Melillo	Padua	Senior
18	Dalton McHenry	Elyria	Junior
19	Dominic Randazzo	Mentor Lake Catholic	Junior
20	Randy Languis	Dublin Scioto	Junior
21	Kyle Weaver	Olentangy	Senior
22	Blake Thoreson	Burton Berkshire	Senior
23	Cody Coomes	Marion Pleasant	Junior
24	Andrew Dehart	Covington	Freshman
25	Tyler Powers	CVCA	Junior

(above): State Champions Brad Squire and Seth Horner battle in their epic state final showdown won by Horner. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

After 112 and 152, this is the weight that has the most truly outstanding competitors in my view.  Despite the fact that he failed to win state this year, my choice is Daniel Kolodzik of Miami Valley.  Bear in mind here, that the approach to these rankings is to consider the entire season- and the plain fact is Kolodzik was outstanding this year.  Before the season was done, he had wins over at least four national-caliber wrestlers- Chase Skonieczny, Kyle Lang, Ryan Gambill, and Austin Ornsbee (by fall) of Blair Academy.  He also had five prior wins over his state finals opponent- Zack Hancock of Troy Christian in the past two seasons- unfortunately for him, #6 was not in the cards as Hancock won their final high school meeting.  One of the state’s most punishing mat wrestlers, Kolodzik was good for almost automatic bonus points against all but the very best wrestlers in this state over the last two years.

The #2 and #3 choices were virtually as even as two wrestlers could be- but at the end of the day, it was Seth Horner who threw a monkey wrench into Brad Squire’s march to four state titles- which had seemed almost like a sure thing after his commanding Ironman performance.  Squire and Horner’s overtime epic was perhaps the high point of the state tournament as Horner emerged of as the champion in possibly the toughest of all 42 weights.  As he heads into his senior year, Horner has a gold and two bronze medals to show for his three state appearances.   It seems likely that he and Squire will meet again- though my hunch is that we will see one end up at 135, the other at 140 (with Palmer at 145).  #4-6 Hancock, Nick Sulzer, and Ryan Fields round out an outstanding top six here.   With all the “hoopla” surrounding the Horner-Squire rivalry, Sulzer was right there with the top duo, taking Horner into overtime in both meetings and losing a close bout to Squire. 

The state tournament collapse of #8 Brian Stephens was one of the most baffling developments of the season.  Now the favorite the last two years but with no title to show for it, it would be a big surprise to me if this fiery competitor did not go out on top next year.  #7 Harrison Hightower emerged as perhaps the state’s most improved wrestler.  While the success of his devastating double-arm bar series will likely not be replicated by many, look for Hightower- a young sophomore- to continue his progression over the next two years.

(above): Barely ranked in the top 20 in the preseason- nobody climbed more this year than Harrison Hightower, shown here unleashing his double arm bar. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

135 LBS: OWS Pick: Collin Palmer, Lakewood St. Edward

1	Collin Palmer	Lakewood St. Edward	Junior
2	Chase Skonieczny	Walsh Jesuit	Senior
3	Ryan Gambill	Miami East	Senior
4	Josh Speelman	Mansfield Madison	Senior
5	Mike Mencini	Twinsburg	Senior
6	Jordan Thome	Troy Christian	Senior
7	Greg Ryan	Warren Howland	Senior
8	Pat Duffy	Lakewood	Senior
9	Zack Cline	Uniontown Lake	Junior
10	John Gallagher	Cincinnati St. Xavier	Junior
11	Andrew Gaskins	Tecumseh Sheridan	Senior
12	Brad Wukie	University School	Sophomore
13	Josh Malave	Lutheran West	Senior
14	Tommy Sasfy	Reynoldsburg	Senior
15	Jeff Liggitt	Boardman	Senior
16	Nick Defabritus	Mason	Senior
17	Kyle Krummert	Milford	Senior
18	Joey Grandominico	Olentangy	Sophomore
19	Jeremy Regula	Uhrichsville Claymont	Senior
20	Chad Channel	Central Crossing	Junior
21	Manuel Cintron	Alliance	Senior
22	Mark Meyer	Graham	Senior
23	Andy Stine	New Richmond Edison	Senior
24	Andrew Johnson	Otsego	Senior
25	Quinton Cooperider	Marion Pleasant	Junior

So far only one Ohio Wrestler has competed four years without losing to another Ohio competitor- that being C.P. Schlatter.  Next year, Collin Palmer will almost certainly be the second- while never failing to put on a show.  Perhaps the most gifted wrestler in the state- perhaps the only disappointment in his season was from a wrestling fan’s standpoint- as his first match-up with Chase Skonieczny ended in a Skonieczny default, and the second never materialized as Palmer missed the dual due to illness.  To some extent, it felt like Palmer fell of the radar a bit this year- due to top competition cleared out of his weight class making it hard to really “gauge” where he is at.  However, he remains the #1 ranked wrestler in the nation for good reason. 

#2 Chase Skonieczny was certainly one of the most uplifting stories of the year.  A fourth place state finisher at 125 lbs. his freshman year, Skonieczny, has been good enough to win state since his sophomore year- when he defeated eventual 3x Division I state champ Kevin Hardy three times in three meetings.  However, Skonieczny had the misfortune of competing in the state’s toughest weight class that year (Willie Saxton, Adam Kriwinsky, and Coby Boyd were also in the weight) and he dropped to 5th as a result with losses to Saxton and Boyd.  One year later, Skonieczny was a slight favorite to win state, but was inexplicably dominated and pinned by Jeremy Espinoza of Rossford before rebounding for 3rd. 

(above): Collin Palmer quietly did what he does- beat everybody in the state of Ohio with ease. In this photo he defeats an underrated Josh Speelman 5-0. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News

Having watched Skonieczny compete on numerous occasions this year, there was no doubt that he would not be denied this year.  The Walsh Senior started the year off right by defeating Colin Johnston of Pennsylvania- the Junior National Champ was ranked #1 nationally at the time.  After rolling through state without being seriously pushed, Skonieczny showed he had saved the best for last, dominating the field at NHSCA Senior Nationals up to the finals (including a 9-0 win over nationally ranked David Mang of Tennessee) before registering a huge 6-4 win over one of the nation’s best seniors in 4x Michigan State Champ Mark Weber.  In just a few weeks time, Skonieczny had gone from not even a state champion, to a state and national champion.  Look for him to continue his excellence following a likely redshirt for the Kent State Golden Flashes next year.  

#3 choice Ryan Gambill is a bit of an enigma to me.  This three-time state champion would very likely have been a four-timer if not for injury his sophomore year.  This year he posted three dominant wins over an excellent Jordan Thome (11-1, 8-2, and by fall).  And yet, it remains difficult to tell just how good Gambill is.  He has never competed outside of Ohio that I am aware of, and his schedule provides very limited opportunities to see how he “stacks up” with the best in other divisions.  He did lose a close bout to the excellent Kolodzik this year, yet still holds a distinct advantage in their lifetime “series”, and Kolodzik’s drop to 130 at tournament time was a clear showing of respect.  I will be very interested to see how his collegiate career progresses.  On one hand, it occurs to me that his lack of an apparent desire to seek out great competition is a bad sign, on the other, the fact that he has reached such an elite level wrestling only in-season, without elite workout partners to speak of and a mediocre schedule certainly indicates great talent.

Stay tuned later this week for the announcement and accompanying article on 2008’s Ohio Wrestler and Coach of the Year.  Part II of “20/20 Hindsight (140-285) will follow shortly thereafter.

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- OhioWrestlingSite.com