2007 Bakeman Report: Northwest District Division III Wrestling Forecast
(6th Annual Edition)
Written By: Jamie Baker
February 11, 2007

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No reproduction in print or on the internet is permitted without the express permission of the author. Printing copies for individual personal use is permissible.

Introduction

Many times in the introduction I talk about the changes that have been made in the Northwest District. Well, there really aren’t too many changes to speak of this season except for the hydration testing and alpha weight being utilized this season for the first time by the OHSAA.

It’s not a bad thing. In fact, I think in the long run it will be good for the sport. For many people who don’t understand the sport, the weight loss aspect is what turns many against wrestling, including Moms who want to see their kids stuff their faces and football coaches who want their players to bulk up. If there’s a few things I’ve learned about this sport in my 25 year involvement with it it’s:
1. Your best friend at school should be the most powerful person there --- the head custodian.
2. Moms and football coaches can be your biggest allies or worst enemies.
3. The focus of prep wrestlers should be performing on the mat. Cutting weight should be ancillary and not a full-time job. Plus, when I was coaching we always had a few kids that would cut two or three pounds the week of a match and they made a spectacle of themselves. The kids were cutting two pounds and miss maybe a couple of meals a week but still they made a show of it and the teachers at school chastised us about it. Making weight cutting a secondary issue in wrestling gets everyone on our side... especially those people in schools and homes we most need.

Now back to the tournament. I enjoy having the tournament at Owens. There’s plenty of room to stretch out when you are outside the confines of the gymnasium. I wish there was somewhere a little more centrally located like Bowling Green or Findlay, but there isn’t.

This is the last year in the OHSAA’s two-year cycle. The new enrollment figures will be out sometime in the next eight weeks and the OHSAA will realign teams according to their enrollments. Not sure how much shifting there will be when the figures are released but here are schools within 20 boys of the Division III limit last time:
222 and above (DII): Lima Bath 241, Wauseon 238, Upper Sandusky 236, Clear Fork 235, Milan Edison 233, Bucyrus 231.
221 and below (DIII): Paulding 214, Ottawa-Glandorf 210, Genoa 207, Otsego 204.

Last year’s Owens District produced 4 state champs and 29 state placers. Hopefully this year’s group can match or exceed that number. I think this is a stronger tournament overall than it was last season.

This is the sixth year I have compiled a Bakeman Report and I wrote my report in the days just before area league championships were decided. I relied on word of mouth from coaches throughout the district and results I have piled up this season. One change is that I have posted all of the results from the Northwest District on my Northwest Ohio Wrestling Blog at http://northwest-district-wrestling.blogspot.com/

Of course the Brakeman Report was a big help and no one could possibly do a better job of sorting out all three divisions statewide than Brian Brakeman. I couldn’t compile a 2005 report but in 2003 of the 56 state qualifiers from the Waite District that season 43 of them were among my top four selections. In 2004, 42 of the state qualifiers from Owens Community College were in my top four. Most of the other 14 wrestlers that qualified I had listed sixth, seventh or eighth in their respective weight classes. Last year, I had 42 of 56 state qualifiers among my top four. Most of the others were listed anywhere between fifth and 10th place.

There are three notable absences from this year’s district. Returning 103-pound district placers Kyle Garza of Hicksville and Steven Butcher of Western Reserve have been out of action with back problems and a broken leg respectively, although Butcher did reappear Saturday at the Firelands Conference tourney at 119. Hopewell-Loudon returning state placer Lukas Schalk missed the season because of a knee injury suffered in the Chieftains’ final football game.

This report is made for entertainment only. Wrestlers decide the outcome on the mat but it sure is fun to speculate. And it gets people talking wrestling and everyone wins in that situation. Once again, no wagering please. And if you enjoy this report and my blog this season, I’ll take a payment in kind of one 22-ounch bottle of Pabst Blue Ribbon that’ll cost you just 99 cents. See me at the Owens District to pay up.

Good luck to all in the post season.

Jamie Baker
jamiebaker@thecourier.com

103 Pounds
Projected Champion: Logan Stieber (Monroeville)

Top Contenders
2. Alex Glenn (Tontogany Otsego)
3. Scott Traver (Genoa)
4. Westley Lee (Bloomdale Elmwood)
5. Oscar Aranjo (Delta)
6. Mitch Bloom (Sycamore Mohawk)
7. Joe Adams (Hicksville)
8. Anthony Elchert (Arcadia)
9. D.J. Ferguson (Montpelier)
10. Ryan Winters (Ashland Crestview)
11. Nicholas Finsel (Fostoria St. Wendelin)
12. Ricky Bacon (Cardinal Stritch)
13. Tyler Supeck (Collins Western Reserve)
14. Garrett McGrail (New London)
15. David Harrington (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
16. Sheryle Brown (Defiance Tinora)
17. Caitlin Rohn (Defiance Ayersville)
18. Matt Jacoby (Archbold)
19. A.J. Heineman (Swanton)

This year more than any other year I can recently recall there are several clear-cut favorites to win Division III Northwest District wrestling titles.

It all starts with Monroeville’s Logan Stieber at 103 pounds. Ironman runner-up and the No.2 ranked 103-pounder in the country, Stieber is a 103-pound tiny terror. I watched him rip through the 103 pound weight class at Van Buren as he barely broke a sweat. I’d be surprised if anyone goes a full six minutes with him at the sectional and district levels and seeing him tech fall or pin his way through the state tournament isn’t out of the question either.

I saw him standing on the sidelines in his football gear when I covered Monroeville’s regional football game against Columbus Grove in November. Thought to myself if I were Monroeville wrestling coach Scott Bauer I would have ordered Steiber to stand as far away from the sideline as possible. His addition has been interesting because Monroeville now attends some of the state’s top tournaments. If you have a talent like Stieber you have to have a schedule that challenges him or risk losing him to a neighboring school where he might get a chance to showcase his talents on a bigger stage.

Much of the talent competing for the remaining three state tournament spots at 103 is concentrated at the Elmwood Sectional.
I’ve rated Otsego’s Alex Glenn, Genoa’s Scott Traver and Elmwood’s Westley Lee all highly in my rankings. This trio my have the inside track to the other three state spots but this is a very unpredictable weight class.

I’ve given Glenn the nod over his SLL competition since he whipped Lee 11-2 and pinned Traver at the SLL Duals. He has spent time at 112 and even finished fifth at 112 at the Southview Invite. Traver was fourth at Sylvania Southview at 103 and beat Lee 8-0. Lee, Elmwood coach Dave Lee’s son, had been solid finishing second at Van Buren (to Stieber) and fourth at Toledo St. John’s.
Look for Cardina Stritch’s Ricky Bacon to pick up the final district qualifying spot here. Although Swanton’s A.J. Heineman is a possibility too.

There’s a drop off after Stieber at the Plymouth Sectional but there are still a few solid wrestlers. New London’s Garrett McGrail and Ashland Crestview’s Ryan Winters have both had good seasons and should advance. McGrail finished second at the Woodmore Classic (losing to Rohn 9-0) and fell in the final at Plymouth to Arcadia’s Anthony Elchert. Sandusky St. Mary’s David Harrington or Western Reserve’s Tyler Supeck should advance as well.

Elchert, Lee Schumaker’s cousin who transferred from St. Wendelin in the offseason, leads the way at the Carey sectional. He has been a solid placer all season for the Redskins. He won at Plymouth, finished third at Van Buren, fourth at Northwood and second at the Arcadia Invite to Lee. He went 2-and-out at the LCC Invite but could challenge for a top four spot on a hot day and I fear I may have him ranked too low.

A trio of Midland Athletic League wrestlers are next. Mohawk’s Mitch Bloom has placed in a couple of tournaments and won the MAL title on Saturday. He and Elchert could have a good match in the sectional final. St. Wendelin’s Nick Finsel will likely by the only wrestler at this weight at Owens with previous district experience winning a match there last season. He won the Woodmore Invite and finished fourth at Van Buren. Carey’s Jeremy Walter will have over 20 wins by sectionals but fell to Riverdale‘s Andrew Yeater in their last match up.

The competition at the Archbold Sectional should be very interesting. Rohn has dominated the Defiance area at 103 but ran into trouble at LCC winning one match before falling by tech. fall and a 13-3 major decision and being eliminated early. She won at Woodmore but lost in a dual meet to another female wrestle Sherlye Brown of Tinora for her first loss of the season. She has also beaten Hicksville’s Adams at least three times that I know of. He may have closed the gap. Her latest results perplex me and that’s why I have dropped her below a few of the kids she has beaten or placed ahead of earlier in the year. I was right Adams has closed the gap as he beat the girls to win the GMC Tournament Saturday.

All of that intrigue in the Green Meadows Conference makes me think someone from a NWOAL school will in this weight at Archbold. Delta’s Oscar Aranjo is a candidate. He finished eighth at the GMVWA for the Panthers and pinned Montpelier‘s D.J. Ferguson in the NWOAL finals in 59 seconds. The more I see the more I like him to earn a ticket to Columbus. Ferguson won the Division III Classic at Richmond Heights but I’m not sure that 103 was a good weight class there. If I were to pick wrestlers to qualify for Owens from Archbold my choices would be Aranjo, Adams, Brown and Ferguson but I think it’s five wrestlers (including Rohn) essentially competing for four spots.

112 Pounds
Projected Champion: Troy Opfer (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)

Top Contenders
2. Jacob Varner (Defiance Tinora)
3. Alex Lopez (Hamler Patrick Henry)
4. Ryan Rayfield (Delta)
5. Mitchell Dandurand (Bascom Hopewell-Loudon)
6. Jake Westhoven (Liberty Center)
7. Lyle Riedlinger (Arcadia)
8. Darris Correll (Tiffin Calvert)
9. Max Pennington (Metamora Evergreen)
10. Terry Miller (Fairview)
11. Matt Brown (Edgerton)
12. Lance Johnson (Monroeville)
13. Dustin Teneyck (Genoa)
14. Tyler Crapo (Attica Seneca East)
15. Trevor Stone (Ashland Crestview)
16. Eddie Fredritz (Carey)
17. Kodie Glosser (Tontogany Otsego)

Another weight class where I think there’s a No.1 favorite and then all the rest.

Troy Opfer has been unstoppable so far this season for Sandusky St. Mary’s and hopefully this will be his year to go to Columbus and win it all. It’s tough following your successful brothers and Troy has done everything but win a title. It would be the perfect way to end an outstanding season after finishing in the top three each of the past two years.

At second glance, this is a much deeper weight class than I thought it was.

At the Archbold Sectional, Jacob Varner and Ryan Rayfield are quite good but the gulf between them and Opfer is shown by Opfer’s 21-6 whipping of Rayfield at the Division III Duals at Sandusky St. Mary’s last month. As returning state qualifiers, Varner and Rayfield will certainly play a key role in this weight class. Varner, a district runner-up last season, has been good again and expect Rayfield to push for qualification again too.

But there is a wildcard in this weight class and that’s unbeaten freshman Alex Lopez of Patrick Henry. He has been dynamite winning at Arcadia, Napoleon and at the Woodmore Invitational where he whipped state qualifier Mitch Dandurand of Hopewell-Loudon 17-7 in the finals. I have him behind Varner and Rayfield right now but that can certainly change by district time.
Those three doesn’t leave much wiggle room for the rest of the wrestlers at Archbold to qualify. Liberty Center’s Jake Westhoven (Although he wasn’t in the lineupo at the NWOAL), who won at the Hudson Invitational and Matt Brown of Edgerton are both pretty darn good and one won’t even qualify for districts. This is definitely not a sectional to draw into in the first round.

There’s a little depth at the Carey Sectional. Returning state qualifier Mitchell Dandurand of Hopewell-Loudon leads the way here. He won by fall over Brown in the finals at the Woodmore Classic and followed that up with a second at Van Buren and second to Lopez at the Woodmore Invitational. He will need a good draw and to be on top of his game to qualify again.

Arcadia’s Lyle Riedlinger and Tiffin Calvert’s Darris Correll are also solid competitors with previous district experience. Riedlinger won at Plymouth, was third at Northwood and Van Buren. Correll might have 14 losses heading into the district but don’t let that fool you. He’s pretty good and most of the losses have come at 119 at places like the CIT and Bowling Green Duals. I like Carey’s Eddie Fredritz, another returning district qualifier, for the No.4 spot here. I had a nice-looking freshman from McComb, Brandon Montgomery penciled In here but he broke his hand during the LCC Invite and was lost for the season.

After Opfer it’s a little thin at the Plymouth Sectional. In fact, I can only find four other wrestlers that have competed this season on a full-time basis here. Monroeville’s Lance Johnson isn’t bad. He placed fifth at Van Buren and third at Elyria Catholic. Crestview’s Trevor Stone, Seneca East’s Tyler Crapo and Margaretta’s Darryl Fleetwood are other possibilities here.

The 112-pound field at Elmwood won’t be stellar either. I only count six or seven 112-pounders in the entire sectional. Someone told me Evergreen’s Max Pennington was going to be at 103 pounds. I haven’t seen it yet but then again if there’s one team in the district that’s tough to get a handle on it’s the Vikings. He was third at Sylvania Southview early in the season and by comparison was a 14-7 loser to Lopez in a dual meet. He’ll be a favorite at this sectional along with Genoa’s Dustin Teneyck, the SLL runner-up. Otsego’s Kodie Glosser, who is actually a 103 pounder, has had some success and I’d put my money on him to advance. As for the fourth spot, it’s a question mark. Other than Pennington, don’t look for this sectional to do much at Owens at 112 pounds.

119 Pounds
Projected Champion: Patrick Harrington (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)

Top Contenders
2. Jordan Karnes (Edgerton)
3. Jacob Pezzin (Swanton)
4. Payton Oney (Greenwich South Central)
5. Dustin Reyna (Montpelier)
6. Matt Stasa (Metamora Evergreen)
7. Justin Biddle (Liberty Center)
8. Eric Phillips (North Baltimore)
9. Ben Kuzma (Bascom Hopewell-Loudon)
10. Joel Curcio (Toledo Christian)
11. Jon Tolson (Delta)
12. Joe Bodenbender (Defiance Tinora)
13. Jay Traver (Genoa)
14. Judge Rains (Archbold)
15. Brian Meinhardt (Northwood)
16. James Williams (McComb)
17. Ridge Lewis (Arcadia)

Unbeaten and rolling. That’s how it has gone for Sandusky St. Mary’s Patrick Harrington this season. He is the third in a string of wrestlers to start the Owens District predictions as a heavy favorite. Maybe a heavy favorite is the wrong term to use when figuring out the 103, 112, and 119 pound weight classes. A returning state champion, Harrington rolled through the district and state tournaments last season as junior and hasn’t missed a beat this year.

Two other wrestlers, Edgerton’s Jordan Karnes and Swanton’s Jacob Pezzin, also return with state tournament credentials. Karnes has been sensational for the Bulldogs. He racked up a 10-3 win over Pezzin in the finals of the 31-team Lima Central Catholic Invitational and won by fall in OT against North Baltimore’s Eric Phillips. Hopefully he’ll be opposite Harrington on the district bracket.

Pezzin was second at Van Buren to Bluffton state qualifier Zach Domer but beat Domer to reach the finals at LCC. He seemed to struggle with the move up to 112 pounds last season and failed to qualify for state after making it in 2005 as a 103 pounder. He’ll be one of the favorites to advance.

It’s tough finding contenders to challenge Harrington at the Plymouth Sectional, but one comes to mind in South Central’s Payton Oney. Oney has rolled through an unbeaten season so far for the Trojans winning at smaller tournaments like the Plymouth, Woodmore, Mansfield Madison and Hopewell-Loudon Invitationals. He is a pinner and is seeking to become the school’s first ever qualifier to the OHSAA state tournament. To be honest no one else here stands out from the crowd for me at this weight so it’s good opportunity for some teams to sneak a guy out that was maybe unexpected. Maybe New London’s Curtis Puder or Steven Butcher, who I saw finished third at the Firelands Conference tournament and was a district place last season may fit the bill.
Karnes is the wrestler to beat at the Archbold Sectional. Montpelier’s Dustin Reyna was second in the Division III Classic at Richmond Heights and at Stryker and lost an early-season showdown with Karnes by a 4-3 score. He could be a factor at Owens. As will Liberty Center returning state qualifier Justin Biddle. Biddle won the Hudson Tournament early in the year and was seventh at Marion Harding. Reyna cruised to a 9-1 win over Biddle at the NWOAL Saturday. Tinora’s Joe Bodenbender finished second at the Perrysburg Invitational and has a 7-2 loss to Karnes. Bodenbender also pinned Ayersville’s Bryce Hussey who placed at the Woodmore Classic, Stryker and Lincolnview. That’s five pretty decent wrestlers competing for four district spots and I have a sinking feeling that I’m still missing someone here like maybe Tolson.

The competition should be keen at the Elmwood sectional too with a crowded and talented group of grapplers. Pezzin is here but he will definitely be challenged by wrestlers like Evergreen’s Matt Stasa, Genoa’s Jay Traver and Toledo Christian’s Joel Curcio. Stasa was second at the Sylvania Southview Invitational and has a couple of wins over Reyna this season. Curcio was third at Perrysburg and fifth at Southview and is a returning district placer. Northwood’s Brian Meinhardt isn’t bad either.

At Carey, it will be familiar faces tangling with one another. North Baltimore’s Eric Phillips has had a pretty good season for the Tigers and is trying to be the first NB wrestler to qualify for state since 1989. It won’t be easy at this weight class. Phillips has won at Gibsonburg and Arcadia while finishing second at the Woodmore Classic by fall in OT to Karnes and placing fourth at Van Buren losing to Kuzma 7-4 in the finals. He also owns a 4-1 victory over Curcio. I like Kuzma, he has a hard-nosed style but I think the sophomore is still a year away from competing for a state tournament spot. Mohawk junior Andy Shellhouse was winning in the early part of the season but was sidelined when he was in an automobile accident. The other qualifiers from Carey could be freshmen James Williams from McComb or Arcadia’s Ridge Lewis, who both have pretty bright futures but can’t yet compete with the big boys at districts.

125 Pounds
Projected Champion: Sam Carrisalez (Delta)

Top Contenders
2. Jason VanAtta (McComb)
3. Dustin Carnahan (Paulding)
4. Anthony Almanza (Hamler Patrick Henry)
5. Ian Redd (Archbold)
6. Mark Costello (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
7. Cody Alexander (Bloomdale Elmwood)
8. Warren Fleetwood (Margaretta)
9. Bret Essenmacher (New London)
10. Dillon Kwiat (Tiffin Calvert)
11. Kyle Schaffer (Monroeville)
12. Miles Chapman (Bascom Hopewell-Loudon)
13. Kevin McGinn (Norwalk St. Paul)
14. Myles Rinehart (Plymouth)
15. Matt Curcio (Toledo Christian)
16. Anthony Ferber (Greenwich South Central)
17. Mike Perez (Stryker)

This weight class is a little murkier than the previous four.
There are some pretty good wrestlers here who haven’t yet wrestled one another as far as I can tell and I think many of them might just be pretty evenly matched.

The wrestler I took as No.1 at this point is Delta’s Sam Carrisalez. He was a Division II state qualifier last season for Defiance finishing fourth for the Bulldogs at the Ontario District before transferring to Delta.

I’m banking on the premise that the Ontario District is pretty solid and if you can qualify there you can certainly advance from Owens too. He finished sixth at the GMVWA for Delta and owns a 10-5 win over Almanza not much of a track record to speak of but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. But honestly, I’m not sure there’s much distance between him and the rest of the field here.

Returning state qualifiers Dustin Carnahan (Paulding) and Bret Essenmacher (New London) are also in the mix here.

Carnahan won his weight class at a weak Tipp City Tippecanoe Invitational and finished fourth in behind Rossford state qualifier Espinoza and Spencerville’s Zac Clum at a surprisingly tough weight class at the Lima Senior Invitational.

Essenmacher has been solid although not spectacular this season for the Wildcats. He’s won the Woodmore Classic in an overtime bout with Ayersville’s Derrick Elkins and was fourth at the Elyria Catholic Invite and dropped a 4-0 decision to 2-time state placer Lee Schumaker of Arcadia in the 130-pound finals at Plymouth. He’s been wrestling at 130 and 135 all year and should do very well at his alpha weight of 125 although he had a scare in only beating Monroeville’s Kyle Schaffer 7-6 at the Firelands Conference Tournament.

McComb’s Jason VanAtta and Archbold’s Ian Redd, both state alternates, might both be better than anyone in the weight class.

VanAtta was rolling through an unbeaten season winning at the Richmond Heights Division III Classic and Van Buren before suffering his first loss in the finals of the LCC Invitational. He’s dynamite and will be tough to beat. With Archbold’s dual meet heavy schedule I’m afraid it’s going to be hard for me to gauge them. But a returning state alternate has to be rated pretty highly, although he was recently handled by Patrick Henry’s Anthony Almanza 7-2.

Those are five pretty solid contenders for the four state tournament bids.

The Archbold Sectional is stacked up like cord wood at this weight class. You have Carrisalez, Carnahan and Redd and an ever-improving Anthony Almanza from Patrick Henry. Almanza he won at Stryker and Arcadia and as I previously mentioned beat Redd handily. He did lose to Carrisalez 10-5 but that was in his first match of the season. He is an upset maker here and it wouldn’t surprise me if he earned a ticket to Columbus. I don’t see anyone else at Archbold capable of upsetting this quartet.

There’s some competition for VanAtta at the Carey Sectional but Tiffin Calvert freshman Dillon Kwiat and Hopewell-Loudon freshman Miles Chapman might still be a year away from qualifying for state. Chapman won at Gibsonburg and the Woodmore Classic, was third at Van Buren and dropped a 6-0 decision to Redd in a dual meet this season. Kwiat beat Chapman in a close Van Buren Invitational semifinal match before falling in the finals to VanAtta 4-1. He was also third at the Bellevue Invitational and dropped a 10-2 decision to Carnahan at the BG Duals. Not sure who to take for the No.4 spot here but they will be undoubtedly first round fodder at Owens.

There should be some evenly-matched and exciting competition at this weight at the Plymouth Sectional. Essenmacher leads the way but Plymouth’s Myles Rinehart is a returning district qualifier and guys like Sandusky St. Mary’s Mark Costello, Monroeville’s Kyle Schaffer and Norwalk St. Paul’s Kevin McGinn will have 25 or more wins by the time the sectional rolls around.

Rinehart won at the Plymouth Invite and was second to Almanza at Arcadia but I saw McGinn also beat Rinehart 17-4 in a dual meet so it may be difficult for the Big Red wrestler to qualify.

Margaretta’s Warren Fleetwood has done quite well too winning at Tiffin Columbian and finishing second at Edison. He too was beaten pretty soundly 10-2 by Costello at the SBC Duals. In summary, it’s probably going to be Essenmacher, Costello, McGinn and Fleetwood or Rinehart qualifying for Owens here.

I am having all kinds of difficulty just finding quality wrestlers at this weight at the Elmwood Sectional. Cody Alexander recently dropped from 130 and was second in the SLL. Color him the favorite. Matt Curcio from Toledo Christian is the best I can come up with here. This will be a good opportunity for two or three wrestlers to step up and make a name for themselves and a wrestler or two might escape here with losing records. Maybe Genoa’s Devin Mazza or Gibsonburg’s Aaron Roach can qualify.

130 Pounds
Projected Champion: Lee Schumaker (Arcadia)

Top Contenders
3. Brian Edgell (Ashland Crestview)
4. Lee Pfaff (Delta)
5. Austin Bernath (Archbold)
6. Lance Foos (Tontogany Otsego)
7. Tony McKenzie (Montpelier)
8. Troy Espinoza (Genoa)
9. David McDonald (Plymouth)
10. Mike Craft (Attica Seneca East)
11. Nick Berryman (Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic)
12. Jonathan Scott (Monroeville)
13. Kyle Gladieux (Cardinal Stritch)
14. Luke Shearer (Mount Blanchard Riverdale)
15. Ryan Jacob (Fairview)
16. Chris Rentschler (Liberty Center)

When you are a dominant wrestler sometimes you need a wake up call. That’s what Arcadia’s two-time state placer got in January in a triangular up at Wauseon.

The Redskins were wrestling Tiffin Columbian’s “B” team and won 72-3. The “3” was Lee Schumaker’s overtime loss to Columbian‘s J.R. McDole. It was Columbian’s “B” team…except for McDole, who missed some matches earlier in the year for the Tornadoes.

Since the loss he has been refocused and perfect winning at Van Buren and Plymouth and taking the MVW award at the Lima Central Catholic Invitational after winning his 100th match and beating fellow 2-time state placer Ryan Gambill of Miami East in the finals.

I have a soft spot in my hardened heart for Lee because he was hanging around our practices at St Wendelin a lot when he was a biddy. I hope before it’s all said and done he finishes the season on the top step of the state tournament podium. I’m pretty sure he’s the best wrestler at this weight at Owens.

Ashland Crestview’s Brian Edgell and Archbold’s Austin Bernath also have previous state tournament experience. Edgell finished fifth in the J.C. Gorman losing back to back matches to Mansfield Madison’s Justin Yetzer (18-10) and Galion’s Dustin Jewell (9-3) before winning his fifth place bout. Bernath has several quality wins during Archbold’s dual meet tour and was unbeaten at the Archbold Chuck Forward Duals and at the Hopewell-Loudon Holiday Duals.

Both will be in the state tournament mix.

The fourth state qualifying spot here should be a real dog fight.

There is no one to challenge Schumaker at the Carey Sectional. Three wrestlers, Riverdale’s Luke Shearer, Tiffin Calvert’s Andrew Keefe and Carey’s Lewis Walter have previous district tournament but none have really distinguished themselves this season.

Shearer had been second at Arcadia, third at the Woodmore Classic and sixth at Van Buren and he looks good for one of the district bids. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if someone else stepped up I haven’t even mentioned and qualifies for the district tournament at Owens.

It’s tough figuring the Plymouth Sectional because sometimes the media coverage of the Firelands Conference teams is so spotty.

David McDonald, a sophomore, has been pretty good for Plymouth this season. He as third at Hillsdale, Arcadia and Plymouth. I see a trend there. Seneca East’s Mike Craft and Monroeville’s Jonathan Scott, were third and fourth respectively at Van Buren so they have to be considered as threats to qualify here. Someone even lesser-known will grab that fourth spot.

I thought Bernath is the wrestler to beat at the Archbold Sectional and unlike some of the other weights here I don’t see a lot of depth. Delta’s Lee Pfaff beat Bernath 9-4 in the NWOAL finals and is a returning sectional champ so he could repeat again. Ayersville’s Derrick Elkins went into the LCC Tournament with s terrific record and ended up fourth. A pretty nice showing. He was second at Stryker losing to Roerig from Montpelier and lost a 2-1 overtime decision to state qualifier Essenmacher in the finals at the Woodmore Classic. He’ll advance. Brian Brakeman has Paul Roerig of Montpelier listed here but I can’t find any results where he has competed at 130 yet but the Locomotives’ Tony McKenzie has competed here and has a chance to advance too.

The Elmwood Sectional should be interesting. Fremont St. Joseph’s Nick Berryman kind of rose to the top with his second place performance at the Van Buren Invitational. It wasn’t a tough weight class at VBI but he did rise to the occasion and make the final. But Genoa’s Troy Espinoza, who was second for the Comets at Sylvania Southview, has had a solid season and might be the favorite here. He beat Otsego’s Lance Foos and Elmwood’s Cody Alexander at the SLL Duals. Foos returned the favor and pinned Espinoza in the SLL Tournament semifinals on his way to a runner-up showing. He also finished third at Sylvania Southview and fourth at Tiffin Columbian for the Knights. Cardinal Stritch’s Kyle Gladieux had wrestled well recently too. He was second in the Ohio Wrestling League and could be a factor.

135 Pounds
Projected Champion: Josh Reindel (Cardinal Stritch)

Top Contenders
2. Alec Vogelpohl (Genoa)
3. Andrew Johnson (Tontogany Otsego)
4. Micheal Cawley (Norwalk St. Paul)
5. David McAllister (Huron)
6. Josh Goebel (Edgerton)
7. Clayton Hill (Liberty Center)
8. Matt Casey (Bloomdale Elmwood)
9. Jared Chandler (Greenwich South Central)
10. Tyler Young (Attica Seneca East)
11. Mike Jorkos (Defiance Ayersville)
12. James Keene (Plymouth)
13. Joe Scherger (Tiffin Calvert)
14. Cody Cavinder (Mount Blanchard Riverdale)
15. Trevor Meyer (Archbold)
16. Paul Roerig (Montpelier)
17. Wes Schooley (Hicksville)
18. Jesse Cramer (McComb)
19. Kyle Reese (Hamler Patrick Henry)

I think I crap out on this weight class. I’m holding the dice, saying coming on lucky seven, daddy needs a new pair of shoes but I’m thinking I’m going to roll the dice and it’s going to come up snake eyes here.

I felt pretty confident when I picked Huron’s Nick Basting to win here but then I was informed that he quit the team in January.

I guess I don’t understand it when a quit with all the talent in the world quits wrestling. There are so many kids that are hungry to be at the level Basting was at. They would kill to be a returning state qualifier, but some kids just walk away.

His departure leaves be clueless at this weight class.

I also like Otsego’s Andrew Johnson who has been unimpeachable for the Knights winning at Sylvania Southview and finishing second at Tiffin Columbian. Former Perrysburg coach Scott Hreben has taken over in Tontogany and seems to have some solid individuals this season.

Johnson isn’t a lock and honestly it’s tough to pick three or four other kids that I think will have the inside track to the other three state bids along with Basting. They have limited track records in the tourament and it might just be a case of the guys who come ready to wrestle will be the ones that qualify.

Cardinal Stritch’s Josh Reindel impressed me when I watched him at the OWL Tournament and I while I put him at the top of the list. I’m none too sure. He’ll be coming out of a very competitive sectional.

I like what I see at the Plymouth Sectional. I like SBC runner-up David McAllister of Huron to qualify but there are plenty of other contenders here like Plymouth’s James Keene, Seneca East’s Tyler Young, St. Paul’s Michael Cawley and South Central’s Jared Chandler just to name a handful.

Cawley was second at Bellevue and has a pin over Keene. Keene, a returning district qualifier, won at Arcadia and was fourth losing to Young in the finals at Plymouth. He’ll have 25 or more wins at the sectional draw. Young was second at Van Buren in addition to his third at Plymouth and should have a good shot to advance. Chandler beat state qualifier Essenmacher when he was up at 135 and won at Plymouth while finishing second at the Hopewell-Loudon Duals, I may have him undervalued. That’s at least five pretty decent guys wrestling for just four spots.

Johnson is also a returning district qualifier and he will face some pretty solid competitors at the Elmwood Sectional. Cardinal Stritch’s Josh Reindel was unbeaten at Hopewell-Loudon and finished second at Perrysburg and he will be a factor here. Genoa‘s Alec Vogelpohl, Elmwood‘s Matt Casey are solid and Swanton‘s Kyle Johnson isn‘t bad either.

Vogelpohl finished fourth at Sylvania Southview and fifth at Toledo Waite for Genoa. Casey has finished third at Toledo St. John’s and third at Van Buren and lost a 10-3 decision to Johnson at the SLL Duals. I like both to qualify. Vogelpohl also beat Johnson in the SLL Tournament semifinals recently 8-5.

I’m not sure who to tab as the favorite at the Archbold Sectional. It could be a shoot out. Brakeman has Chad Rufenacht listed here and he very well might move down since he seems to be struggling quite a bit at 140 even here I‘m not certain he will qualify for state. Liberty Center’s Clayton Hill was fourth at Hudson and eighth at Toledo Waite. I hate eighth place finishes because even though it is a placement in a 20 or 30 team tournament, often eighth means little except a third loss that weekend. Delta’s Lee Pfaff also will be a factor here as he was a sectional champ at Archbold last year.

I should be throwing some names of Green Meadows Conference wrestlers out there. Ayersville’s Mike Jorkos was a district qualifier last year at 140 pounds and was unbeaten heading into the LCC Invite. He’s been good pinning Roerig and scoring a tech. fall against Edgerton’s Josh Goebel to win the Woodmore Classic. I took notice of Goebel, a freshman, when he pinned Jorkos on his way to a fourth place finish at the LCC Invite.

Montpelier’s Paul Roerig is a returning district qualifier and Hicksville’s Wes Schooley had rolled up a pretty good record albeit against a rather light schedule. I’m kind of staying non-committal here because I just don’t know who is going to rise to the top.

I’m not much impressed with any of the 135s from the Carey Sectional and this is the one you will want to draw into. Probably the best at this stage is Riverdale’s Cody Cavinder, a returning district qualifier, or maybe Calvert’s Joe Scherger. The other district qualifying wrestlers at this weight will likely have losing records the exception to that though might be McComb freshman Jesse Cramer (17-8) who was third in the OWL.

140 Pounds
Projected Champion: Ryan Gombash (Delta)

Top Contenders
2. Dusty Hermes (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
3. Jake Grigson (Northwood)
4. Matt Franks (Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic)
5. Chad Rufenacht (Archbold)
6. Tony Fleming (Tontogany Otsego)
7. Alex Betts (Bloomdale Elmwood)
8. Kreg Levy (Hicksville)
9. Jesse Shepherd (Greenwich South Central)
10. Shane Hoerig (Sycamore Mohawk)
11. Luke Nye (Buckeye Central)
12. John Wyckhouse (Liberty Center)
13. Luke Boehm (Montpelier)
14. Adam Yunker (Toledo Christian)
15. Kyle Johnson (Swanton)
16. Chris Combs (Defiance Ayersville)
17. Jake Scherger (Tiffin Calvert)
18. Aaron Kapelka (Bascom Hopewell-Loudon)

I like it when my top couple of contenders have met during the season. But I hate it when it’s a 3-2 match. Matches like that can easily be reversed or blow up into a 10-3 or 12-2 rout the next time the two wrestlers meet.

This is the case here with Sandusky St. Mary’s Dusty Hermes and Delta’s Ryan Gombash.

Gombash nipped Hermes 3-2 at the Division III Duals at St. Mary’s so picking Gombash isn’t exactly a safe bet. It could easily be reversed at Districts. Gombash, a returning state qualifier, was third at the GMVWA and second at Toledo Waite for the Panthers. Hermes would have most certainly placed at state last season but was sidelined by an injury. If the bracket Gods are smiling they will separate these two guys at the district tournament. Both are excellent and should find themselves on the awards stand in Columbus the first weekend of March.

Northwood’s Jake Grigson and Fremont St. Joseph’s Matt Franks are also very good and should have pretty good state qualification chances.

Grigson won at Northwood and was second at Southview early in the year. He was a district runner-up last season at 130 and on a good weekend could upend the top-ranked duo. Franks, meanwhile, was a state alternate at 130 pounds for the Crimson Streaks last season. He finished fourth at Northwood and fourth at the Catholic Invitational Tournament. He also reached the final at Van Buren where he was dispatched by Bluffton’s Josh Falk 21-7.

While these are the four I like to qualify there are plenty of other hungry grapplers beating on the door and trying to knock it down.

Gombash leads the way at the Archbold Sectional. He’s No.1 here and I recently got some results that kind of blurred the picture here. Patrick Henry’s Kyle Reese beat Archbold’s Chad Rufenacht in a dual meet 5-4 last week. Either I have Rufenacht rated too high or Reese too low, I’m not sure which. But I’ll list both of them among the favorites to get out of this sectional. Reese finished third at Stryker and second at Arcadia, which is not a track record I’m comfortable with. Rufenacht has several quality wins this season and ripped through the Hopewell-Loudon Duals on his way to a 10-0 record so when he’s wrestling well, he’s obviously very good.

Kreg Levy of Hicksville has rolled up an impressive record this season for the Aces and I like him to qualify for districts again. He was fourth at the LCC Invitational. He won three tournaments this season, taking the cake at Stryker, Lincolnview and the Woodmore Classic -- none are meatgrinders. He’s good and was one match away from placing at districts last year but I don’t think he has enough firepower to knock off the top few boys at this weight.

Ayersville’s Chris Combs who was fourth at Stryker and second at Lincolnview, also has a good overall record but not a good track record but not a good track record against his fellow sectional competitors. Montpelier’s Luke Boehm also has a good record but maybe on the outside looking in. In other words, there are lots of capable wrestlers but not enough district spots for them all.

Honestly there isn’t a whole lot of depth at the Plymouth Sectional. Hermes stands above the field here and South Central’s Jesse Shepherd is probably the next best kid here. Shepherd won at Plymouth and was second behind Rufenacht at the Hopewell-Loudon Duals. The other two spots, I don’t know. I’ve seen Mike Swan from Western Reserve placed at both the Edison and Clyde Invites but my guess is that two other kids from other schools will take the other two qualifying spots here.

There’s substantial depth at the Elmwood Sectional and there will be a couple of pretty decent kids that will be forced to watch the district tournament from the stands. Grigson and Franks lead the way but there are plenty of other wrestlers nipping at their heels here.

With two district spots available not including those taken by Grigson and Franks, Elmwood’s Alex Betts, Lakota’s Destine McClafin, Otsego’s Anthony Fleming is also pretty solid. Betts has a pair of wins over McClafin, 3-2 at the SLL Duals and 4-1 in the consolation final at the Van Buren Invitational. He won at Arcadia and was second at Toledo St. John’s he’s pretty good but might be a year away from pushing for a state bid.

McClafin beat Core 9-6 at the SLL Duals and dropped a 5-1 decision to Grigson in a dual meet. Fleming was third at Sylvania Southview and second at Tiffin Columbian for Otsego and knocked off Betts recently at the SLL Tourney 9-3 for the championship. This is a pretty good weight class.

I can’t say the same about the 140-pound class at the Carey Sectional. I’ll give Mohawk’s Shane Hoerig the nod here. He won a district match last season and is probably the best this sectional has to offer. Based on the results at the Van Buren Invitational, Hopewell-Loudon freshman Aaron Kapelka beat Buckeye Central’s Luke Nye 7-3 for fifth place. McComb’s Brett Harden lost to Kapelka 7-6 at the VBI. That’s four names thrown out there. But counting on those last three to qualify is anything but assured.

145 Pounds
Projected Champion: Derrick Hill (McComb)

Top Contenders
2. Christian Ortolani (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
4. Scott Burris (Archbold)
6. Nate Grys (New London)
3. Paul Zaborski (Collins Western Reserve)
5. Toby Hessick (Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic)
7. Coty Crapo (Attica Seneca East)
8. Bill Casey (Bloomdale Elmwood)
9. Doug Wagner (Genoa)
10. Frank Krill (Edgerton)
11. Josh Meyers (Margaretta)
12. Seth Kirian (Arcadia)
13. Chris Kleman (Kansas Lakota)
14. Eric Yunker (Toledo Christian)
15. Geoff Hainline (Norwalk St. Paul)
16. Jordan Smith (Greenwich South Central)
17. Tom Blake (Defiance Tinora)

This is a nice little weight class with four state qualifiers and a district placer that should make for some interesting wrestling at the Owens District.

I’m going to go with McComb’s Derrick Hill here. Hill’s a returning district champion and last season after qualifying he inexplicably went 2-and-skidoo and was quickly eliminated from the tournament. He’s been pretty good for the Panthers winning the Division III Classic at Richmond Heights and looked good at Van Buren whipping Hessick in the first round before an uncharacteristic lackluster performance in the a finals loss to Allen East’s Dylan Ford. He rebounded though to end up second at the LCC Invitational the following week. He’s as physically strong a 145-pounder as you’re going to find.

Ortolani is a returning All-Ohioan finishing seventh at state last season, he‘s taken a few losses, but let‘s be frank, St. Mary‘s wrestles as competitive a schedule you will ever see in Division III. I‘d rather wrestle a kid with 3 losses from East Podunk High than a kid with 10 or 12 losses from, St. Mary‘s. Ortolani beat his primary sectional competiton -- state qualifier Paul Zaborski of Western Reserve -- 3-1 in a regular season dual and later by a fall in 2:56 at the Division III duals. Zaborski won at Tiffin and was second at Clyde and nipped Fremont St. Joseph’s Toby Hessick 11-10 at the Mark Coleman Duals in late December.

Hessick has taken some tough losses but seems to have rebounded. He was unseeded at Van Buren, lost to Hill in the first round and wrestled his way back to third place. Burris struggled a little in the early part of the season but has since seemed to turn things around too. Those are the five I think will be in the hunt to qualify for state at this weight class.

While Ortolani and Zaborski are the headliners at the Plymouth Sectional I also really like New London’s Nate Grys too. He won at Woodmore and Plymouth and was second at Elyria Catholic. I think he could be an upset maker at the district level and in fact he beat Zaborski Saturday to win the Firelands Conference crown. Seneca East’s Coty Crapo is next in line to qualify. He was fourth at Van Buren and third at Plymouth. South Central’s Jordan Smith and Margaretta’s Josh Meyers aren’t bad but will need to upset the top four here to qualify.

At Archbold, 145 isn’t nearly as deep as some of the other weight classes here. Burris is top dog but the rest of guys here seem pretty closely bunched. Edgerton’s Frank Krill was second at the Woodmore Classic and fifth at LCC. He lost in the Woodmore Classic 10-2 to Grys so I think there’s a gap here between Burris and everyone else. Ayersvile’s Scott Hoshock, second at Lincolnview and first at Stryker, might be a possibility along with Tinora‘s Tom Blake.

Hessick will be challenged at the Elmwood sectional by a whole slew of wrestlers from the Suburban Lakes League. Genoa‘s Doug Wagner might be the best of the bunch. He was eighth at Toledo Waite, third at Northwood and fourth at Sylvania Southview. He‘s split in matches with Toledo Christian‘s Eric Yunker, another wrestler to watch at this sectional, and beaten Elmwood‘s Bill Casey 7-4. Casey was third at Toledo St. John’s and dropped an 8-5 match to Hessick earlier in the year. Lakota’s Chris Kleman dropped a 5-4 decision to Casey at the SLL Duals but might be hard-pressed to escape this sectional.

Hill won‘t be challenged at the Carey Sectional. I do like Arcadia‘s Seth Kirian who has been out of action because of injuries since mid-January. If he can knock off the rust I think he could win some matches at the district level. He finished third at Arcadia and dropped an 8-2 decision to Grys in the finals at Plymouth. Jose Degollado from Hopewell-Loudon might be the leading candidate from the rest of the field here. He failed to place at Van Buren when he was eliminated by Hessick in the consolations by a 3-1 score. Not sure who to take for the fourth spot maybe either Dan Shaferly of Mohawk or Calvert‘s Byron Mack.

152 Pounds
Projected Champion: Eric Reer (Collins Western Reserve)

Top Contenders
2. Kyle Kwiat (Tiffin Calvert)
3. Mason True (Arcadia)
4. Mitchell Lee (Bloomdale Elmwood)
5. Tyler Short (Archbold)
6. Ben Schroeder (Montpelier)
7. Alex Espinoza (Genoa)
8. Lucas Worthington (Ashland Crestview)
9. Kyle Schaffer (Attica Seneca East)
10. Richie Smith (Fairview)
11. Max Dahs (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
12. Austin Reiner (Swanton)
13. Jarred Hageman (Defiance Ayersville)
14. Jerry Matthews (Hicksville)
15. Lucas Tracy (Paulding)
16. Bo Faunce (Gibsonbuirg)
17. Wayne Estep (Plymouth)
18. Shane Glenn (Tontogany Otsego)
19. Aaron Arbogast (Bascom Hopewell-Loudon)

Western Reserve’s Eric Reer is a flat out stud. The trouble is the last couple of years it’s been one injury after another. I haven’t seen him in the lineup for the past few weeks and I am not sure of his status at the moment. He was injured for much of last year too but still managed to wrestle well enough to earn his second trip to the state tournament.

He’s won at Tiffin Columbian and was unbeaten at the Mark Coleman Duals at Fremont St. Joseph. He also took first at the Clyde Invitational. As long as he’s healthy, he’s the man to beat here.

The next three wrestlers at this weight are pretty closely bunched. Calvert’s Kyle Kwiat has been strong winning at Bellevue and Van Buren with a 6-2 win over district finalist Mason True of Arcadia in the finals. The sophomore also won 7 straight after an opening round loss at the CIT to finish third --- an impressive feat to say the least. True and Lee had an extremely contentious match at Van Buren in the semifinals with True coming out on top in overtime. Thbey have met three times with True winning all three. Both are very good and it should be worth the price of admission of they meet again for a fourth time. True has won at Arcadia, Plymouth and LCC this season while Lee finished second at Arcadia falling to True there 5-0 and was second at Toledo St. John’s and third at Van Buren. These are the four I have my eye on to qualify but I think there are others in the district that may challenge this quartet.

At the Plymouth Sectional, Reer is an easy No.1 pick. I think Ashland Crestview’s Lucas Worthington might be next best here but qualifying for state might be a stretch. He won for the Cougars at the Waterloo Invitational and was sixth at Mansfield’s J.C. Gorman Invitational. He’s lost to Archbold’s Tyler Short (7-6) and Montpelier’s Ben Schroeder at the Division III duals so he would have to leapfrog them and others for a trip to Columbus. Three wrestlers, Sandusky St. Mary’s Max Dahs, Seneca East’s Kyle Schaffer and Plymouth’s Wayne Estep, will wrestle for the two remaining district spots here. Dahs has been a contributor despite a tough SMCC schedule while Estep finished third at Hillsdale and fourth at Plymouth. Schaffer was second ahead of Estep at Plymouth.

There should be some intrigue at the Archbold Sectional. Montpelier’s Ben Schroeder won a district match last season and seems to be the best here. He’s lost just one match to a wrestler in his area that I could find and that was by default. He might be the one to push the top for boys for state qualification here. Archbold’s Tyler Short was No.1 at the Hopewell-Loudon duals but lost to Worthington (7-6) and Schreoeder (16-8).

As a late update he did beat Schroeder for the title at the NWOAL tournament 12-10. Hicksville’s Jerry Matthews won at Stryker, the Woodmore and Carey Classics but didn’t place at LCC and Fairview’s Richie Smith most recently took an individual title at the Cardinal Stritch Invitational. Add in Paulding’s Lucas Tracy, who is also a returning district qualifier, and it could be a real fun weight class to watch at Archbold.

Mitchell Lee leads the way at the Elmwood Sectional which will likely be dominated by wrestlers from the Suburban Lakes League. Genoa’s Alex Espinoza was second at Sylvania Southview and has done decent for the Comets this season. Otsego’s Shane Glenn and Gibsonburg’s Bo Faunce, who was second at the Woodmore Classic, are other thoughts here.

Barring a big upset it will be True and Kwiat in the finals at the Carey Sectional. When watching them in the finals at Van Buren they were a mirror image of one another so it should be an interesting rematch. After that there seems to be a dearth of 152 pound talent. Hopewell-Loudon sophomore Aaron Arbogast has 20-plus wins and looks to be third best here. Since I can only find two other wrestlers at this weight here I’ll throw Mohawk’s Eric Sowers’ name out there for the No.4 spot at this sectional.

160 Pounds
Projected Champion: Derrick Yant (Delta)

Top Contenders
2. Brock Sowers (Sycamore Mohawk)
3. Ryan Wasylik (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
4. Wade Knipp (Archbold)
5. Jordan Ackley (Bloomdale Elmwood)
6. Shane Lehman (Arcadia)
7. J.J. Boyce (Collins Western Reserve)
8. Nick Tammerine (Liberty Center)
9. J.J. Hrabak (Genoa)
10. Jeff Meyer (Fairview)
11. Jared Bell (Tiffin Calvert)
12. Tim Artressia (Elmore Woodmore)
13. Tom Howman (Ashland Crestview)
14. Elijah Eatherton (Carey)
15. Aaron Predieri (Plymouth)
16. Scott Chandler (Greenwich South Central)

I’m picking Delta’s Derrick Yant as No.1 here over Mohawk returning state qualifier Brock Sowers. But I think the top three kids at this weight class are very close to one another. Yant has won at the GMVWA and was second at Perrysburg and has made among the most improvement over the past year than perhaps anyone else in the Northwest District. Just to show how close things are the returning seventh place finisher at state last season only beat Sandusky St. Mary’s Ryan Wasylik 9-6 at the Division III duals.

Sowers was injured and had to forfeit to sixth place at the GMVWA. He bounced back nicely though and was impressive in winning the Mansfield J.C. Gorman Invitational. He’ll surely qualify for state again and should have a pretty decent chance to place in Columbus. Wasylik was injured much of last year and would have probably qualified last year if not having the misfortune of losing a 2-1 match to Western Reserve’s Eric Reer in a district consolation bout last season. He seems to have mastered the art of wrestling close, low-scoring bouts. He wrestled at 152 at the BG Duals but has been at 160 the rest of the year. Brakeman has him listed at 152 but I’ll rank him here. I like him to qualify here.

While I’m throwing those three out there as the favorites, there are plenty of other talented wrestlers who have a shot at qualifying.

At the Archbold Sectional, if anyone here will challenge Yant it will be Archbold’s Wade Knipp who has been terrific this season for the Blue Streaks. He won a district match last year and I expect he will do much more than that at Owens this season. Keep an eye on him at the district tournament. Another Northwest Ohio Athletic League wrestler Nick Tammarine of Liberty Center also needs to be mentioned here. He was third at the Toledo Waite Invitational and fourth at Marion Harding. As for the fourth district qualifier here I’m thinking maybe Jeff Meyer of Fairview. He’s won at Cardinal Stritch and was second at Toledo St. John’s. I admittedly know as little about the Apaches as any other team in the Northwest District because they attend few of the name tournaments that other schools attend.

There are three or four solid competitors at the Plymouth Sectional aside from Wasylik at 160 pounds. I like Western Reserve’s J.J. Boyce. He was second at Clyde and lost a close 9-7 match to Knipp at the Division III duals. I think he’s probably a half step behind Wasylik and a half step ahead of everyone else here. South Central’s Scott Chandler won at the Mansfield Madison Invitational and was fourth at Plymouth. Ashland Crestview’s Tom Howman and New London’s Cory Puder, a returning district qualifier who was sixth at the Woodmore Classic, are next and could battle it out for the final district spot.

I’m not seeing much at the Elmwood Sectional. Elmwood sophomore Jordan Ackley could be the top wrestler here. He won at Arcadia with a 9-6 win over state alternate Shane Lehman of Arcadia but was fourth at Toledo St. John’s and Van Buren. He beat Genoa’s J.J. Hrabak, one of his primary competitors here, 11-7 at the SLL Duals. He’s young and might still be one year away from pushing for a state bid but he could pull off an upset or two along the way. Hrabak was sixth at the Toledo Waite Invitational and did lose a 9-7 match to Wasylik at the Division III duals. Woodmore’s Tim Artessia was fourth at the Woodmore Classic and might have the inside track to one of the two remaining district spots here. The No.4 district qualifier here is a mystery to me.

Having Sowers and returning state alternate Shane Lehman of Arcadia gives the Carey Sectional some up-top strength. Lehman has been solid but not dominating for the Redskins this season. He finished second at Northwood, Plymouth and Arcadia but was fourth and fifth respectively at Van Buren and LCC. As I stated, a solid placer but not dominating. Tiffin Calvert’s Jared Bell and Carey’s Elijah Eatherton look to be the other qualifiers here. Bell won at Belevue but failed to place at Van Buren and LCC for the Senecas. Eatherton won at the Carey Classic, was third at the Hopewell-Loudon Duals and sixth at the Van Buren Invitational. Those will be your four qualifiers here.

171 Pounds
Projected Champion: Hunter Reed (Ashland Crestview)

Top Contenders
2. Kurt Wolff (Genoa)
3. Jordan Cartwright (Sycamore Mohawk)
4. Chris Brickner (McComb)
5. Joel Perez (Stryker)
6. Adam Moser (Defiance Tinora)
7. Sam Wineland (Edgerton)
8. Brandon Butler (Liberty Center)
9. Ben Blodgett (Huron)
10. Michael Kleman (Kansas Lakota)
11. Cody Camper (Mount Blanchard Riverdale)
12. Zack Seislove (Tiffin Calvert)
13. Matt Fitch (Delta)
13. Kenny Means (Plymouth)
14. Ryan Boyd (Collins Western Reserve)
15. Aaron Chamberlain (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
16. Eric Volkman (Metamora Evergreen)

This is one of those weight classes where there is a huge gap between the top three and the rest of the field. I write this weight class on a cold windy day with the temperature hovering around 2 degrees above zero. But my thoughts are of summer time some of the things I will be doing then like fishing for catfish off the old bay bridge casting my ¼ ounce sinker at any damn jetskier that comes too close. Well that gap between the top three here at 171 is as wide as the gap at Sandusky Bay spanned by the Edison Bridge.

Ashland Crestview’s Hunter Reed and Genoa’s Kurt Wolff are returning state runners up while Mohawk’s Jordan Cartwright is a returning state qualifier…then there’s everyone else.

The matter of who the favorite is was settled at least for the moment when Reed stopped Wolff 4-2 at the Division III Dual at Sandusky St. Mary’s. Reed, who is headed to Division II Ashland University to wrestle, was a state runner-up at 171 last season and has been outstanding this year. He won at Waterloo and crushed Cartwright 22-7 in the finals of the J.C. Gorman Tournament. He will be one of the favorites to win it all in Columbus.

Wolff, a state runner-up last season at 160. won at Sylvania Southview and was second at Toledo Waite and Medina. He and Reed could very well meet in both the district and state finals. It hasn’t hurt that state champion teammate Nick Purdue is his workout partner.

In addition to his second place finish to Reed at the Gorman, Cartwright won at Marion Pleasant’s Sally George Invitational and was third at the GMVWA Invitational. I’ve liked his physical style since he was a freshman and even though he will probably have trouble hanging with Reed and Wolff, I think he can place in Columbus if he’s wrestling well.

Honestly, that leaves a whole slew of wrestlers trying to win one 171-pound state birth at Owens.

My crystal ball is cloudy trying to come up with district qualifiers at the Plymouth Sectional of course after Reed. I’ll go ahead and list Huron’s Ben Blodgett here because he’s had some dual meet success when he’s been in the lineup and I am afraid I might be missing a few other Huron wrestlers who may qualify for districts. Plymouth’s Kenny Means was third at Arcadia and fourth at Plymouth but throw his name into a hat with Sandusky St. Mary’s Aaron Chamberlain, Seneca East’s Ryan McMillian and Western Reserve’s Ryan Boyd and you’d have just as good a chance at picking the remaining district qualifiers here as I would.

I don’t see anyone dominant coming out of the Northwest Ohio Athletic League at the Archbold Sectional. Stryker’s Joel Perez might be best here. He won at Van Buren and Stryker and finished second at the Hopewell-Loudon Duals. I’ve seen him wrestle very well and I’ve also said to myself who is this guy and how did he win all these matches on occasion. Edgerton’s Sam Wineland, a returning district qualifier, should also advance again. He was fourth at LCC and the Woodmore Classic and has beaten many of the other boys here, with the exception of Tinora‘s Adam Moser. The fourth qualifier could be just about anyone.

Wolff towers above the field at the Elmwood Sectional. Lakota’s Michael Kleman had a great early season but has been nicked up by a few losses recently and he might be second best here. He won at Gibsonburg and was fifth at Van Buren but hasn’t fared well against the best kids at this weight like Wolff and Perez. Again this is one of those cases where a third or fourth place finisher doesn’t come to mind immediately. Evergreen’s Eric Volkman was third at Stryker and maybe deserves a look.

Cartwright is No.1 at the Carey Sectional but Chris Brickner also has to be one of the wrestlers considered to grab a state birth at the Owens District. Brickner has beaten many of the others at this district finishing third at Van Buren and LCC and second at the Division III Classic at Richmond Heights. Circle his name on the bracket at districts. Riverdale’s Cody Camper, a winner at the Arcadia, Woodmore and Carey Tournaments, has had a solid season. He also finished second at Plymouth but wrestled poorly and failed to place at Van Buren. Arcadia’s Kurt Breidenbach and Calvert’s Zack Seislove are also possibilities here.

189 Pounds
Projected Champion: Nick Purdue (Genoa)

Top Contenders
2. Alek Hughes (Attica Seneca East)
3. Brock Kirian (Sycamore Mohawk)
4. Chad McClory (Liberty Center)
5. Zack White (Tiffin Calvert)
6. Adam Godsey (Delta)
7. Nate Bayly (Toledo Christian)
8. Dustin Endicott (Plymouth)
9. Mike Grobboge (Hamler Patrick Henry)
10. Mickey Britenriker (Archbold)
11. Justin Cheesman (Ashland Crestview)
12. Storm Evans (Stryker)
13. Zach Ault (Elmore Woodmore)
14. Jared Griffin (Bloomdale Elmwood)
15. Rick Custar (Montpelier)

If the 189 pound weight class at the Owens Community College district was a horse race, and you wanted to place a bet on Nick Purdue to win. You’d have to lay five dollars down to win one dollar. He’s that good. Everyone was looking forward to the mach between Purdue, a returning state champ, and Seneca East’s Alek Hughes, a third place finisher last season.

It wasn’t close.

Purdue cruised to an 18-4 victory over Hughes. The Ohio University-bound Genoa standout is that good. If there’s some one in the Northwest District that’s destined to win a state championship in 2007 I think it’s Purdue.

There as equal a gap between Purdue and Hughes as there is between Hughes and fellow returning state place Brock Kirian of Mohawk and the rest of the 189-pound field at Owens. Hughes won easily at Plymouth and Van Buren and his lone loss of the season is to Purdue. Hughes may decide to go up to 215. He pinned returning state placer Hunt of Tiffin Calvert in the 215-pound MAL final. He may end up at 215 when it’s all said and done. The choice to move up is up to Hughes according to Seneca East coach Steve Heal.

If he stays at 189 I think he closes the gap on Purdue at some point at districts or state, how much closer he gets to Purdue is anyone’s guess.

Kirian was fourth at state at 189 last season as a sophomore but has missed nearly the entire season recovering from injuries suffered during football season. Whether or not he would even return this season was a topic of conversation all year and finally he competed in a triangular meet at Galion recently testing things out against Galion’s excellent 215-pounder Matt Clum. Sometimes missing much of the season can be a blessing because there’s been less wear and tear on your body and sometimes it’s a curse because of the rust. Either way I think the coach Tony Patrizi and the boys at Mohawk will have him primed and ready to go when the district tournament rolls around.

That’s three state tournament bids eaten up by Purdue, Hughes and Kirian leaving just one more for the other 14 district competitors.

There is a group of three or four competitors that may have a better shot at the remaining spot than the others and we’ll sort them out with the analysis of each sectional.

The field at Elmwood at 189 doesn’t excite me. Purdue should breeze through the competition without much problem and I like Elmwood’s Jared Griffin and Woodmore’s Travis Ault to qualify here. Griffin was third at Arcadia and fifth at Van Buren for the Royals but dropped a 14-12 decision to Ault at the SLL Duals, I think Elmwood’s solid schedule will give him the edge against Ault in a rematch. Ault finished fourth at the Woodmore Classic falling via fall to Stryker’s Storm Evans in the finals. As for the fourth qualifier here I’m not equipped to even fathom a guess.

There’s more depth facing Hughes at the Plymouth Sectional. The boys from the Firelands Conference take center stage at this weight. Ashland Crestview’s Justin Cheeseman and Plymouth’s Dustin Endicott have both had very good seasons. Cheeseman, a returning district qualifier, was sixth at the J.C. Gorman Invitational. this season while Endicott won at Hillsdale, was second at Arcadia and third at Plymouth. Endicott won their latest meeting in the Firelands Conference final 11-3. St. Paul’s Alex Welfle is a possibility to advance here.

At the Archbold Sectional I made the mistake of completely overlooking Liberty Center’s Chad McClory last season. He won’t be overlooked this season after finishing sixth at districts at 215 last year. He finished sixth at Marion Pleasant’s Sally George Invite and was seventh at Toledo Waite which doesn’t exactly instill much confidence that he will qualify. He won by pin in the NWOAL finals and that makes me much more confident now. Archbold’s Mickey Britenriker has beaten McClory and Cheeseman but lost to Delta’s Adam Godsey all in close matches and could be a factor at the district level. I also like Storm Evans who was second at Stryker, third at the Woodmore Classic and fourth at Van Buren. Patrick Henry’s Mike Grobogge, a junior high state qualifier two years ago has dropped down from 215 and had some success. Montpelier’s Rick Custar has been good for the Locomotives and might be good for a darkhorse pick here.

With Kirian‘s return. Tiffin Calvert’s Zack White, a third place finisher at Van Buren is the No.2 wrestler here. He’s been one of the top wrestlers to the resurgent Senecas this season. I had Carey’s Graham Moore penciled into my top six district picks here. He tore off about 20 straight wins before losing to Hughes in the final a Van Buren. He’s been battling chronic shoulder problems over the last two years and will have to have his shoulder reconstructed so he is out. It‘s slim pickings here but I‘d give St. Wendelin‘s Jon St. Clair the leg up to advance as he won at Tippecanoe and placed in a couple of other tournaments. Who ever does qualify after Kirian and White here is first round district fodder.

215 Pounds
Projected Champion: Brian Hunt (Tiffin Calvert)

Top Contenders
2. Kraig Bostelman (Archbold)
3. Jake Mahl (Attica Seneca East)
4. Ryan Buckner (Elmore Woodmore)
5. P.J. McKibben (Northwood)
6. Eric Guerra (Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic)
7. Jon Aurand (Bloomdale Elmwood)
8. Nick Hamilton (Greenwich South Central)
9. Thomas Bergman (Cardinal Stritch)
10. Eric Steele (Kansas Lakota)
11. Joe Clauson (Stryker)
12. Drew Cox (Collins Western Reserve)
13. Nick Harris (Plymouth)
14. Sean Slee (Liberty Center)
15. Weston Conley (Arcadia)
16. Chris Riblet (Fairview)
17. Matt DeAngelo (Defiance Tinora)

If you’re a kid like Toledo Christian’s Nate Bayly you get to pick your poison.

Should I keep wrestling at 189 and compete with Nick Purdue and Alek Hughes to get to Columbus or should I be a little fatter and happier competing against state placer Brian Hunt of Tiffin Calvert?

Tough call.

It appears that Bayly, a couple of time district qualifier, has decided to go down to 189 after wrestling most of the season at 215 pounds. It will probably be just as tough here to make it to state as it will at 189 pounds.

A couple of Midland Athletic League wrestlers lead the way here and I think Hunt is the odds on favorites to qualify for state once again.

Hunt finished fourth at state last season and has been excellent against for the Senecas winning at Bellevue, Van Buren and LCC. He beat long time rival Seneca East’s Jake Mahl 13-3 in the finals at Van Buren. His only loss of the season was a pin in the finals of the CIT by Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Jamey Srock. His second loss of the season came in the MAL finals Saturday when he was a victim of a fall by Seneca East standout Alek Hughes.

Mahl, Woodmore’s Ryan Buckner, Northwood’s P.J. McKibben and Archbold’s Kraig Bostelman will also play a big role in the district tournament at 215 pounds. Mahl finished second at Plymouth and Van Buren and is a returning state alternate. McKibben finished third at Northwood, was forced to default to sixth at Sylvania Southview and ended up fourth at Toledo Waite. He was just one match away from placing at districts last season.

I tread lightly when it comes to Bostelman. He has rolled through his schedule with just a single loss. His only loss came during the first weekend of the season at the Findlay Duals when he was pinned by Findlay’s Drew Metzger, a returning Division I district qualifier. I and others had him penciled in to possibly qualify for state last season and he inexplicably didn’t even make it out of his sectional. Since Archbold doesn’t have a heavyweight he’s beat eating up wins wrestling in both 215 and 285. whereever he could get a win. That kind of skews a good read on how he can compete against the top two wrestlers here, Still when you’re 30-something and one, you’re pretty darn good and coaches that have seen him have raved about him.

There should be some excellent competition at the Elmwood Sectional. Buckner and McKibben are there but there will be a bunch of other guys there nipping at his heels and at least one solid wrestler isn’t going to make it out of this sectional. Elmwood’s Jon Aurand, Toledo Christian’s Nate Bayly and Cardinal Stritch’s Thomas Bergman all have to be considered here in no particular order.

The guys from the SLL first. Aurand won at Arcadia and Toledo St. John’s and was third at Van Buren behind Hunt and Mahl, losing to the former in overtime. By comparison, Buckner beat him 3-0 at the SLL Duals. Buckner won at the Woodmore Classic and beat McKibben at the Woodmore Invitational final late in the season. He was eliminated from the district last year with a 3-2 loss to McKibben in the second consolation round so they know one another pretty well.

Bayly was also just a match from placing for Toledo Christian last season. He lost via fall to McKibben at Northwood but that was during the first weekend of the season and things could have changed considerably since then. Bergman was a district qualifier at 275 last season but has dropped to 215. I’m not really sure that improves his chances of qualifying for state. He finished second at the Hopewell-Loudon Duals and the Cardinal Stritch Invitational. Lakota’s Eric Steele was fourth at Van Buren and dropped an 8-7 decision to McKibben earlier in the year. He could be an upset-maker here.

Mahl will have some competition at the Plymouth Sectional. South Central’s Nick Hamilton might be second-best here. He was second at the Mansfield Madison Invitational and Hopewell-Loudon Duals and finished third at Plymouth. Western Reserve’s Drew Cox was second at Edison and fifth at Clyde. He was a district alternate last year and could earn a trip to Owens this season. Plymouth’s Nick Harris was sixth at the LCC Invitational so I’ll throw him into the mix too.

Things are a bit unsettled at the Archbold Sectional. I see Bostelman but little else here. Stryker’s Joe Clauson was second at Stryker and the Woodmore Classic and sixth at Van Buren he might be good for one of the spots. Ayersville‘s Mark Castillo and Tinora‘s Matt DeAngelo both have about .500 records and Liberty Center‘s Sam Slee is also a possibility. Castillo finished fourth at Woodmore and Slee was fifth at Marion Pleasant’s Sally George Invite. That’s not too much to go on.

There’s Hunt at the Carey Sectional and no one else that will push for state qualification. Arcadia freshman Weston Conley might be the best of the rest. He was fourth at Arcadia and fifth at Van Buren, not bad for a freshman at 215. A latecomer for Van Buren, Josh Turney finished second for the Black Knights at the Carey Classic. I like him to qualify too.

285 Pounds
Projected Champion: Toby Tahy (Bloomdale Elmwood)

Top Contenders
2. Jacob Southwick (Tontogany Otsego)
3. Ryan Steward (Ashland Cresview)
4. Brennan Gregory (New London)
5. John Stover (Tiffin Calvert)
6. Rich Cline (Defiance Ayersville)
7. Mike Galvan(Fostoria St. Wendelin)
8. Chris Doughty (Norwalk St. Paul)
9. Alex Romick (Huron)
10. Brock Reinhart (Plymouth)
11. Bruce Cutcher (Greenwich South Central)
12. Scott Widman (Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic)
13. Derek Schwiegel (Stryker)
14. Brad Wiseman (Arcadia)
15. Cory Jones (Collins Western Reserve)
16. Andrew Schwab (Liberty Center)

Things rarely work out right according to plan.

The way I have this figured the top four wrestlers will come out of 2 different sectionals. That means they would meet in the semifinals at Owens. But as with all heavyweights upsets will happen and the one and done syndrome will be in effect. That means make one mistake and you will be done. So sometimes in the weight class of dancing bears the kid that doesn’t make the mistake is the one who wins. Conservative wrestling at it’s best…or worst depending on how you view it.

I have to give the nod to Elmwood’s Toby Tahy here. Big Red as I like to call him is tournament tested qualifying for state last season. He did lose to Otsego’s Jacob Southwick 2-1 at the SLL Duals but I have a feeling he may reverse that outcome when they meet again. Tahy was second at Van Buren and won at Arcadia. He was forced to drop out of the Toledo St. John’s Invitational earlier in the year but is healthy now. Honestly he could be a devastating force at districts if he gets it together and wrestles aggressively.

Southwick’s win over Tahy speaks volumes for him. He won at Midpark and Sylvania Southview and finished third at the Tiffin Columbian Invitational. Hard to judge his progress because he hasn’t wrestled many of the top contenders here. Southwick won the SLL Tournament while Tahy was a double overtime loser in the semifinals to Lake’s Hummel. Maybe Southwick should be my choice the more that I think about it. But I definitely think the boys from the SLL are the top two here in whichever order I place them.

I also like a very solid group of heavys from the Firelands Conference. New London’s Brennan Gregory and Ashland Crestview’s Ryan Steward have both been impressive. Steward won a district match this season and finished third at the J.C. Gorman Invitational. Gregory was second at the Elyria Catholic Tournament and won at Plymouth and the Woodmore Classic.
While those are the four I really like at this point there are plenty of others that could rock the boat in the stormy sea that is the 285-pound weight class.

While Southwick and Tahy are the guys to beat at the Elmwood Sectional. I also like Fremont St Joseph’s Scott Widman to qualify. He missed the first half of the season and came back to finish fifth at Van Buren. There are five or six other heavyweights here so someone will have to step up and earn that No.4 spot on the mat.

The pool of big boys at the Plymouth Sectional is pretty deep. Steward and Gregory are there. South Central’s Bruce Cutcher was second at Mansfield Madison and third at the Woodmore Invitational he’s a possible district qualifier. Norwalk St. Paul’s Chris Dougherty qualified for districts last season as a freshman and has come on of late placing for the Flyers at Willard and Olentangy. I also think three other heavys Western Reserve’s Cory Jones, Huron’s Alex Romick and Plymouth’s Brock Reinhart have a shot. That’s seven decent 285-pounders wrestling for four spots. It should be interesting.

The heavyweight group at the Archbold Sectional should be pegged at a lower level. Ayersville’s Rick Cline was 20-1 heading into the LCC Invitational and was pinned in quick order by Tiffin Calvert’s John Stover and Plymouth’s Brock Reinhart. He was beaten by Gregory in the Woodmore Classic semis and finished third. He also won at Lincolnview. He ’s a big, tall and athletic kid that could play a role at districts depending on who shows up. . Stryker’s Derek Schwiegel was fifth at Woodmore and fourth at Stryker. He keeps matches close. Not sure who will pick up the final two spots as five of the 12 schools in the sectional don’t even have a 285-pounder.

Stover has been solid for Calvert and with a good weekend could finish in the top four at Owens. He won at Bellevue was third at Van Buren and finished sixth at the LCC Classic. Winning here to get a good district draw might be his key to qualifying for state. St. Wendelin sophomore Michael Galvan has placed in every tournament the Mohawks have competed in. He dropped a 5-3 decision to Stover in their last meeting. He still might be a year away from qualifying for Columbus but is good enough to spring an upset. Arcadia’s Brad Wiseman placed in a couple of tournament for the Redskins and should be a lock to qualify here. I did have Van Buren’s Nick Haug, a two-time district qualifier and Woodmore Classic, runner-up penciled in to advance but he has quit the team.


A look at each sectional…

Archbold Sectional

Archbold Blue Streaks -- How will they do in tournaments? It’s hard to tell because they’ve wrestled dual meets all year. Certainly a top 10 district team with guys like Bostelman, Redd, Bernath, Burris and Rufenacht in the lineup.

Delta Panthers -- Carrisalez, Gombash, Rayfield and Yant will provide big time district points. Others like Pfaff and Godsey could contribute at the district level too. Definitely in the top 5 at districts in my book.

Liberty Center Tigers -- The Tigers are a little young and have a new coach but with their rich tradition don’t count them out. No sure state qualifiers in this lineup but something tells me at least a couple will step up and qualify.

Ayersville Pilots -- Lots of good wrestlers throughout the entire lineup but no standouts that scream to me that they are sure state qualifiers. Could have as many as seven wrestlers make the trip to Owens though.

Montpelier Locomotives -- Montpelier has a very young team with as many as a dozen freshman on the roster. Ferguson, Schroeder and Reyna are the Locomotives best shots to get to Columbus. Watch these guys the next couple of years.

Patrick Henry Patriots -- PH is looking for just its second state qualifier since like 1982 or something like that. Could freshman Alex Lopez be the next Patriot on the mats at Value City Arena. Better numbers and young talent mean a bright future for the PH program.

Fairview Apaches -- They’ve had some state qualifiers in recent years but are so hard to gauge because of their schedule. I wish they’d get into a few more tournaments like the LCC Invite or Van Buren so I could get a better handle on them.

Edgerton Bulldogs -- I like Karnes to make the district finals and there are other kids line Wineland, Krill and Goebel who could win district matches. But they first have to escape a tough Archbold Sectional.

Paulding Panthers -- Carnahan is a returning state qualifier but he may have a tough go of it this season. Lucas Tracy is also a returning district qualifer but is stuck in a tough weight where me might not make a return trip.

Hicksville Aces -- Kreg Levy is their best shot at qualifying for state. Adams and Matthews will they join Levy at districts? The Aces junior high team did well at the GMC junior high meet though.

Tinora Rams -- Varner looks good to qualify for the Rams. Bodenbender, Blake, Moser and Snyder could also join him at Owens.

Stryker Panthers -- The smallest of the small. The Panthers are the smallest wrestling school in the NW District and one of the smallest in the state. Their best kids are in the upper weights with Perez, Evans and Schweigel.

Elmwood Sectional

Elmwood Royals -- Very good team well suited to a sectional sized tournament. I look at their lineup and see about 10 wrestlers that could qualify for districts. I imagine at least seven will with Tahy, Betts and the Lees leading the way at Owens.

Cardinal Stritch Cardinals -- Haven’t seen the Cardinals since the first week of the season but Reindel, Gladieux and Bergman have done well and could qualify for districts.

Genoa Comets -- They should score a lot of points at districts with Purdue and Wolff both making the finals. Look for others like Wagner, the Espinozas and Travers to chip in some points at well at districts. It will be a two team race between the Comets and Royals for the sectional crown.

Gibsonburg Golden Bears -- They’ll have some sectional placers but none is a slam dunk district qualifier at this competitive sectional. Faunce or perhaps one of their bigger guys will advance.

Lakota Raiders -- The Klemans and McClafin are the Raiders best shot to get out of the sectional tournament

Northwood Rangers -- Grigson is an odds on favorite to qualify for state again and McKibben is shooting for one of the state bids at 215. After that, maybe, Meinhardt will qualify for districts but I’m not sure.

Otsego Knights -- This is a team with a lot of upside potential. Southwick at 285 and Alex Glenn at 103 could both win sectional crowns and qualify for state. Fleming and Johnson are also potential district qualifiers and I think the Knights will end up advancing a couple of others too.

Evergreen Vikings -- The lower weights are stacked for the Vikings with Pennington and Stasa. I think both will be a factor at the district level.

Woodmore Wildcats -- Ryan Buckner has just about as good a chance as anyone to qualify for state at 215. Travis Ault could make it out of sectionals for the Wildcats and there will be a few other sectional surprises for Woodmore too.

Swanton Bulldogs -- Pezzin will be one of the 119 pounders to watch at Owens. The question is which teammates will join him? Heineman, Johnson and Reiner are possibilities.

Toledo Christian Eagles -- Curcio, Bayly and Yunker could all be players at the district level. All three will have to be at the top of their games to earn tickets to Columbus though.

Fremont St. Joseph Crimson Streaks -- The Streaks are small in numbers but Franks and Hessick should both qualify for districts again and have shots at placing at Owens for a second straight year. I also like Berryman and Widman to join them at Owens.

Carey Sectional

Arcadia Redskins -- Potential district champs Lee Schumaker and Mason True already have me penciling in Arcadia for a top 10 district finish for a second straight year. Guys like Elchert, Riedlinger and state alternate Lehman could also contribute and if things go right push the Skins into the top five.

Buckeye Central Bucks -- Luke Nye is the Bucks best chance to get a wrestler out to districts but he may have trouble based on his performance at the Van Buren Invitational.

Tiffin Calvert Senecas -- The Senecas win this sectional and have the potential to place just about everyone in the top six. Big weekends from Hunt and Kyle Kwiat should put them in the top 10 at districts and they should certainly also get additional district points from White, Correll and Dillon Kwiat among others.

Carey Blue Devils -- I wouldn’t be surprised to see four district qualifiers for the Blue Devils. Elijah Eatherton will qualify along with Eddie Fredritz. Graham Moore certainly would have been a factor at districts at 189.

Hopewell-Loudon Chieftains -- Lots of talent and it all returns for the Chieftains again next season. Dandurand is looking for a return trip to state and he’ll have to earn it in a pretty tough weight class. Chapman and Kuzma can also win matches at the district level.

McComb Panthers -- Hill and VanAtta both have district final potential and I like Brickner to place at 171. They were in the top 10 last year at Owens and could be there again this season.

Mohawk Warriors -- Kirian and Sowers give the Warriors some firepower. It’s the supporting cast that’s in question. Will Hoerig and Bloom provide enough points for Mohawk to make the top 10 at Owens?

North Baltimore Tigers -- The Tigers are looking to break a 17-year streak without a wrestler qualifying for state. Eric Phillips has the potential but he will have to put it all together district weekend to get the job done.

Riverdale Falcons -- Junior Cody Camper has had a breakout first year for the Falcons. Camper, Cody Cavinder and Luke Shearer should all advance from the Carey sectional.

Fostoria St. Wendelin Mohawks -- They’ll have district qualifiers at 103 in Finsel and 285 in Galvan. Both sophomores could win a district match.

Van Buren Black Knights -- I like newcomer Josh Turney to advance for coach Jerry Gerken’s Black Knights. I’m not sure who else to choose but I think Jerry’s Kids will have a few surprises at sectionals.

Plymouth Sectional

Ashland Crestview Cougars -- Reed will be a district finalist for the Cougars and Edgell should score well at districts too. But Steward, Cheeseman and others could play a key role at the district level as well.

Huron Tigers – The list of possible district qualifiers include McAllister, Blodgett and Romick. I was sad to hear Basting quit the team.

Margaretta Polar Bears -- Fleetwood is pretty good although he is in a pretty tough sectional weight class. The Polar Bears have a half dozen wrestlers on the sectional tournament bubble that could qualify.

Monroeville Eagles -- The 103-pound prodigy Logan Steiber will win the Eagles a district title. It will be up to the lower weights to carry the load with possible additional qualifiers in Johnson, Schafer and Scott.

New London Wildcats -- Essenmacher is a returning state qualifier and I also think Gregory and Grys have a chance to advance at Owens. But beyond that there’s not much scoring help at districts.

Plymouth Big Red -- Plymouth has a solid lineup but I don’t see that stud that towers above all others here. They’ll send at least four guys to the district tournament.

Seneca East Tigers -- Hughes will score a bunch and Mahl is a returning district placer. There are plenty of other guys in the lineup with previous district experience too like Crapo, Schaffer, Young and Craft.

Sandusky St. Mary’s Panthers -- I am anointing St. Mary’s as the district champions in Jude Roth;s last season as coach. No one else has as many potential state qualifiers and district finalists as the Panthers do.

Norwalk St. Paul Flyers -- A rebuilding year for the Flyers. Hopefully they’ll get some guys like McGinn, Cawley or Doughty to districts this season.

South Central Trojans -- Not sure what to make of the Trojans. They have some wrestlers with gaudy records but their schedule has been a little suspect. Could Payton Oney become the school’s first state qualifier?

Western Reserve Roughriders -- Who will be in the Western Reserve lineup come sectionals? Your guess is as good as mine but Reer and Zaborski should push for state bids again at Owens.