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Area wrestlers earn trip to state tournament
(by Steve Novak - March 04, 2009)
Area wrestlers earn trip to state tournament
By STEVE NOVAK
You can't compete in Columbus unless you get there, and for the University School wrestlers, the same tactical problem as last year must first be addressed. It's going to take more than a compact car to transport all of the Preppers' wrestlers who qualified for this weekend's state finals.
Besides winning the championship at last weekend's Akron Firestone Division II district, University School had six wrestlers qualify for the state competition.
Four Preppers won individual championships in their weight classes, another finished second and one finished third. The six qualifiers is a repeat from the Preppers' performance in last year's district finals.
"We have the same number as last year, but this time I think we have a little bit more horsepower," University School coach Sean Grosz said. "Of the four guys we have who have been to state before, they have a total of 11 appearances between them. For James Inghram, it's the third time, Brad Wukie, it's the third time, for Nick Mills, it's the third time and for Harrison Hightower, it's the second time."
The four University School wrestlers who won championships last weekend were James Inghram at 119 pounds, Kyle Roddy at 145, Brad Wukie at 152 and Nick Mills at 189.
In the 140-pound weight division, Hightower finished second, while Michael Tassone placed third in the 103-pound division. The top four finishers in each weight class at district qualify move on to the state finals.
West Geauga also had two wrestlers qualify for the state finals. Adam Walters won the district title at 160 pounds Mike November placed fourth at 103.
Kenston advanced two wrestlers to Columbus. Jake Kazimir was second at 125 and Tre Smith placed fourth at 119.
Orange senior Nick Macias finished fifth in the 189-pound division to earn a spot as an alternate this weekend.
In Division II state competition last year, University Shool's Hightower won the 130-pound championship, Inghram was third at state in the 112-pound division, and Mills was third in the 171-pound division. Wukie finished fifth in the 135-pound class.
Inghram said the state appearance gives him valuable experience.
"I know what to do and what not to do now," he said. "My knee is 100 percent healed now. My coaches have been pushing me real hard, and I think I have my wind back."
Inghram missed several weeks during the middle of the season with a dislocated knee. However, he said there's been no recurrence of pain in his knee since he came back to action several weeks ago.
Nick Mills also said it's a great advantage to have competed previously in the state finals.
"Being down there two times before definitely helps," he said. "The first time, it was just how intimidating the floor of the gym was, and all those people. Now, I know what it's like."
Mills has a season record of 48-1. His one loss came to Max Thomusseit, of St. Paris Graham. Thomusseit also qualified for the state finals this week, and Mills said he wouldn't mind facing him on the mat again. "Oh yeah, hopefully in the state finals," Mills said.
This will be the second trip to the state meet for West Geauga's Walters, now a senior. Last season he placed fourth in the Division II finals in the 160-pound division. This year he has amassed a season record of 47-1, giving him a total of 151 wins in his high school career.
Walters said he is looking forward to another state competition, and said he had improved his defensive moves over the past year.
West Geauga coach Joe Marino said Walters has improved in more areas than just defensive maneuvers.
"Adam is so gifted physically that if he has a gap mentally, he can still recover and not be in danger," Marino said. "But at state, you can't do that. As coaches, we have to make sure he stays in focus for what we hope are the last four matches of his high school career. But I think no one can beat him if he wrestles up to his capabilities."
As for November, Marino said that there seems to be no end to his determination.
"Mike has been pretty consistent all year. He's only lost eight matches this season," he said. "He's not the most skilled wrestler in the world, but he's just got guts. He's like Dominic Cribari (sixth place in the state at 119 pounds for West Geauga in 2007), in that he just refuses to quit."
November, a sophomore with 38 wins this season, said he traveled to Columbus last year just to watch the state finals and to get an idea of what the competition is like.
"I just went down there to watch it, and I remember telling my mom, and my coach, that there's no way that I'm not going to be down there this year," November said. "It's just a great sense of relief to know that all that time I put in during the off season paid off for something that I just enjoy doing."
State competition at the Schottenstein Center on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus begins with first-round matches Thursday.
<B>CORRECTION:<P> Kenston's Branden Gilday won the 160-pound championship match by default last weekend at the Division II sectional tournament at Walsh Jesuit.
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