Wadsworth heavyweight Jordan Earnest reached the semifinals of the Walsh Ironman (Photo/Sam Janicki)Two of Greater Cleveland's superior wrestling programs in the present and recent past will compete in dual meet action on Thursday night when No. 20 Wadsworth travels to No. 23 Brecksville with the match slated to start at 7 p.m ET. With respect to state tournament success, Wadsworth resided in the top ten of the standings at the individual state tournament for 21 of the last 24 years, including each of the last three (2015-5th, 2016-7th, 2017-4th); eleven of those years have yielded a fifth place or better standing. After going five consecutive years without a state qualifier, then finishing tied for 20th in the 2006 state tournament, Brecksville has now been top ten at the state tournament in ten of the last eleven years, including top five for five straight years running (2013-3rd, 2014-5th, 2015-4th, 2016-4th, 2017-5th).
On the line will be an undefeated record in Suburban League dual meets, and at minimum securing a share of the league title, with both dual meet a conference tournament standing considered as part of the conference crown. In varying iterations, Wadsworth has been the dominant presence in this league for over a generation. The Grizzlies have won or shared the last 25 titles in the conference, and are currently on an 82-match dual meet win streak in the league going back to December 2006 (31-24 loss to Medina Highland).
However, the entrance of Brecksville into the league starting with the 2015-16 season was thought to possibly end those streaks, as this perennial power had a 10-plus year streak of not losing a match in their previous conference(s). The Bees entered the Suburban League having won the last ten titles in the Southwestern Conference.
However, it was not to be the case. Wadsworth has won the dual meet between the squads in each of the last two seasons, despite Brecksville entering the match as the higher ranked team on both occasions. Two years ago as part of a double dual at Cuyahoga Falls, it was the Grizzlies who won eight bouts in a 28-22 victory; while last year the teams split the bouts seven apiece, but Wadsworth got a pin from Clay McComas and a decision from Jordan Earnest in the last two bouts to set off a frenzy in its home gym as they won the dual meet 31-29.
As was the case the previous two years, both teams will enter this dual meet undefeated and totally untested by their conference opposition. On the tournament side of things this season, with both teams missing key wrestlers, Wadsworth out-placed Brecksville at the Ironman. While at mostly full strength, Wadsworth would win titles at North Canton and Medina; Brecksville at closer to full strength was fifth at the Beast of the East and third at its own holiday tournament.
Below are the projected lineups with matchup analysis for this dual meet.
106: Michael Lewarchik (W) vs. Jack Stanley (B)
This represents one of four potential swing bouts within the dual meet. Each wrestler has placed in two tournaments this season after going two-and-out at the Ironman; Stanley was sixth at the Beast and seventh at Brecksville, while Lewarchik was fourth at North Canton and seventh at Medina
113: Hunter Griffin (W) vs. Andrew Perelka (B)
This match is one of a couple obvious bonus point opportunities for the Bees in this dual meet. After missing the Ironman, the senior Perelka was one match away from placing at the Beast (third time in a row for that) and finished third at Brecksville. Last season, Perelka was disappointed in being a state alternate up at 120, while the sophomore Griffin went 0-2 in district competition at 106.
120: Landon Hacker (W) vs. No. 6 Julian Tagg (B)
The freshman Hacker placed at Medina and missed a top-six finish at North Canton by one match after going two-and-out at the Ironman, while Tagg was a Cadet World Championships participant in freestyle this past summer after winning state as a freshman last season. During the current season, Tagg was fourth at the Ironman, runner-up at the Beast, and almost majored a top ten wrestler in the finals at Brecksville.
126: Quentin Griffin (W) vs. Jimmy Carmany (B)
This continues the lower-weight stretch of the lineup where Brecksville is going to need to make significant noise to compensate for the back-end strength of Wadsworth. Last year a state qualifier at Wadsworth as a freshman in the 113-pound weight class, Carmany now competes for Brecksville; on the season he went 5-4 between the Ironman and the Beast before placing seventh at Brecksville. The senior Griffin is in his first year as a varsity starter with his most success this season coming at North Canton where he missed a top six finish by one match.
132: Logan Messer (W) vs. Gabe Tagg (B)
The freshman Messer has bounced back from going two-and-out at the Ironman with a runner-up finish at North Canton and a third-place finish at Medina. Two of the four losses in those three major tournaments are to opposition that two-time state medalist Tagg has beaten during this season. Tagg placed seventh at Ironman, fourth at the Beast, and second at Brecksville; for his career he has gone eight-for-eight in placing at those competitions when attending.
138: No. 18 Luke Baughman (W) vs. Marco Regalbuto (B)
This match and the next match are the two "good versus good" matches among the four swing bouts in the dual meet. If one looked at how these two matched up last season, you would wonder why this is identified as a swing bout; Regalbuto was the decisive victor in the dual meet, at the league tournament, and in the district semifinal. Both wrestlers lost to the same two opponents at the state tournament, Baughman finishing fourth and Regalbuto fifth.
However, this season has been a different story as Baughman has been locked in ever since beating 2016 state champion Bryce Andonian 4-3 in the opening weekend. He followed that up with a fourth-place finish at the Ironman that included two wins over ranked opposition and a third over an opponent that has been ranked at times this season, augmenting that with tournament titles at North Canton and Medina. Regalbuto missed both the Ironman and Brecksville due to injury, while missing placement at the Beast by one match.
145: No. 16 Michael North (W) vs. No. 17 Victor Voinovich (B)
This is the lone match of the dual meet where both wrestlers are nationally ranked. They have met already this season, with returning state medalist North beating the freshman Voinovich 2-0 in the consolation match to place at the Ironman. North went on to place fourth at the Ironman before winning titles at North Canton and Medina. Voinovich entered high school as a Flo Nationals placer and Cadet freestyle All-American. After the Ironman, Voinovich finished as runner-up at the Beast and champion at Brecksville.
Both wrestlers have beaten nationally ranked opposition this season (North over Stiles at the Ironman, Voinovich over McIntosh and Boone at Brecksville); while each also has lost to Sam Dover of St. Edward (North 7-4 in the dual meet, Voinovich 3-1 in overtime at the Ironman). It should be noted that North came through with a crucial 5-2 win over Regalbuto in the 2016 edition of this dual meet.
152: Cameron Riggenbach (W) vs. Isaac Sell (B)
The beauty of dual meets lies in the fact that all fourteen wrestlers in the lineup can play a determinative role in the outcome. This is the lone match in the dual meet where neither wrestler would be viewed by most as even an on-the-bubble candidate for state qualification. However, it does not mean the match could be one that helps decide the fate of the dual meet. Though both wrestlers went two-and-out at the Ironman, it is the senior Riggenbach who has bounced back with stronger performances, placing third at North Canton and going 2-2 at Medina; the junior Sell has subsequently went 1-2 at the Beast and 0-2 at Brecksville.
160: Dominic Loparo (W) vs. Ben Vanadia (B)
The sophomore Loparo did not participate in any of the three December tournaments for the Grizzlies, but has four wins the last two weeks in Suburban League tri-matches. The freshman Vanadia finished runner-up in last year's junior high state tournament at 164 pounds. On the season he went two-and-out at the Ironman, 2-2 at the Beast, and was a match from placing at Brecksville
170: Hunter Blaz (W) vs. Ethan Hatcher (B)
The senior Blaz went 1-2 at the Ironman, 3-2 at North Canton, and was one match from a placement finish at Medina. Hatcher qualified for state last year at 152 as a freshman, but this season missed both the Ironman and the Beast due to injury before missing out on placement at Brecksville by a match. This represents the last weight class (assuming a 106 start) where Brecksville can realistically expect to win a bout.
182: No. 14 Joey Baughman (W) vs. Nick Franks (B)
The back-end of this Wadsworth team is its backbone, and that starts with the team's heartbeat. The three-time state placer, twice a runner-up, won Ohio's Mr. Football award this fall and earlier this week committed to play quarterback at FCS school Elon University. Baughman missed out on the Ironman, but came back firing to win titles at North Canton and Medina. In each tournament, he registered three pins and a technical fall among the five matches; that could be vital on this occasion. His opponent, also a senior, went 1-2 at last year's district tournament; Franks went two-and-out at the Ironman and 3-2 at the Beast before missing out on Brecksville due to injury, but will be back for this match.
195: Chris Suarez (W) vs. Max Carroll (B)
This battle of seniors, though neither is overly accomplished does represent a clear mismatch in favor of the Grizzlies; bonus points will be expected, and as many as possible. Suarez was slow to come back from a football playoff run, competing in some second varsity competitions in December before returning for both weeks of Suburban League dual meets in January; he went 1-2 in this weight at last year's district tournament. Carroll went 1-2 at the Beast and two-and-out at Brecksville.
220: Clay McComas (W) vs. Zach D'Anna (B)
Another matchup of seniors in the upper-weights. Last year, 2016 state qualifier McComas scored the turning point of the dual meet when he earned a late second period pin at this weight class, which enabled Wadsworth to need merely a decision to win the dual at 285. In that last match of the dual meet, D'Anna was the Brecksville wrestler, and he lost 5-1; however, D'Anna would end up making the state tournament and placing eighth. After missing the Ironman, McComas finished runner-up at North Canton and third at Medina; while D'Anna has sputtered a bit in his transition down a weight class going 0-2 at the Ironman, before 1-2 marks at both the Beast and Brecksville.
285: Jordan Earnest (W) vs. Ryan Stadler (B)
The Ohio University-bound Earnest, a returning state medalist, has been something of a "winner take all" fiend these last two years. It was his 5-1 win over D'Anna that sealed last year's edition of this dual meet. In addition, his consolation final victory over a previous state medalist at the 2016 Medina tournament gave the Grizzlies the points necessary to win that title (otherwise it would have been a three-way tie with Massillon Perry and Detroit Catholic Central); while a 2-0 decision over Louden Haga sealed a 37-33 dual meet victory over Parkersburg South the first weekend of this season.
Earnest was third at Ironman this year before winning titles at North Canton and Medina. The senior Stadler went two-and-out at the Ironman before a 1-2 mark at both the Beast and Brecksville.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now