Rob Sherrill’s High School Notebook • Dec. 12, 2012

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Updated: December 12, 2012

By Rob Sherrill

Tomasello OW as Ironman goes according to form

I wrote in the fall recruiting wrap-up in the Nov. 28 issue of WIN that Ohio State had secured commitments from the top two seniors in what is a pretty good recruiting class in Ohio this year.

Nathan Tomasello of Cuyahoga Falls Valley Christian) secured a takedown and victory over Blair Academy’s Matthew Kolodzik in the 120-pound final in last weekend’s Ironman. The future Ohio State Buckeye scored a fall in 3:22 to also earn OW honors.

They showed why at the Walsh Ironman Invitational at Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio this weekend.

Nathan Tomasello (120) of Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy pinned Matthew Kolodzik of Blairstown Township (N.J.) Blair Academy, capping a dominating five-match run and earning the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award.

Kolodzik was an Ohio state champion last year at Dayton Miami Valley School. It was a battle between reigning national freestyle champions at the Junior level (Tomasello) and the Cadet level (Kolodzik). Both won at Fargo at 120. Tomasello had a technical fall, a 15-8 decision, a 14-4 major decision over fellow state champion David Bavery of Massillon Perry and a 9-3 decision over Coy Ozias of Christiansburg (Va.) prior to the final.

The other five wrestlers ranked No. 1 by WIN, Zahid Valencia (113) of Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco, Zain Retherford (138) of Benton (Pa.), Bo Jordan (160) of St. Paris (Ohio) Graham and Kyle Snyder (220) of Olney (Md.) Good Counsel, also won. The seventh No. 1 wrestler in the field, Domenic Abounader (182) of Lakewood St. Edward, did not compete after spraining an ankle the day before the tournament began. In all, nine of the 14 No. 1 seeds took titles.

Jordan, also headed for Ohio State, scored a 4-2 victory over No. 2 Israel Martinez of Lemoore (Calif.), who pinned No. 3 Josh Llopez of Leonardtown (Md.) St. Mary’s Ryken in the semifinals. Jordan advanced to the finals with two pins, a technical fall and a 15-5 major decision over Myles Martin of Owings Mills (Md.) McDonogh School in the semifinals. Martinez, who could meet Jordan on multiple occasions in college as an Illinois recruit, followed a technical fall and a 21-7 major decision with two pins. Eli Stickley, who won the 106-pound title, made Graham the only school besides team champion Blair Academy with multiple champions. The Bucs had three.

Blair Academy, which placed 11, was the only school in the field to get at least one victory from all 14 entries. Runner-up Kingston (Pa.) Wyoming Seminary, which didn’t enter at 106-pounder, got wins from all 13 entries and tied sixth-place Massillon Perry with six place-winners. St. Edward (fourth) and Aurora (Ill.) Marmion Academy (eighth) each had 12 wrestlers post wins.

Taylor nips Hembury at Top Hat

The match everyone was waiting for at the Top Hat tournament at Williamsport, Pa., was the 182-pound championship in central Pennsylvania’s season opener. And it was a nail-biter, with John Taylor of Wingate Bald Eagle Area nipping Troy Hembury of Muncy, 2-1, in a battle of nationally-ranked wrestlers.

The two teams fighting for the team title, Bloomsburg Central Columbia and Mill Hall Central Mountain, combined for just five finalists and one champion, Central Mountain’s Blaze Buckwalter (195). Central Columbia placed 11, including four seventh-place finishes.

Fifth-place Mifflinburg had three champions, including junior AA state champion Nazar Mironenko (Hwt) and sophomore state placewinner Cole Walter (132).

Carl Sandburg, Marist in elimination meet again

                  If wrestling fans in Illinois were upset at last year’s regional and sectional assignments as determined by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), they could be jumping off of ledges this year.

The IHSA released team regional and sectional assignments this week, and for the second straight year, Orland Park Carl Sandburg and Chicago Marist, both members of WIN’s Top 25 and ranked 1-2 in 3A in the pre-season, were assigned to the same individual regional. That means that, once again, only one team will advance to the dual state series.

Carl Sandburg is one of eight teams assigned to a regional that Marist will host Feb. 2.

Assuming that one of the two teams advances to the Elite Eight state tournament – which is a fairly safe assumption – their quarterfinal opponent will be another team which could find its way into WIN’s Top 25: Oak Park-River Forest. The Huskies are now No. 2 after nipping Marist, 26-25 on Nov. 24.

That means only one of the state’s top-three teams will earn a state team trophy this year.

Stay tuned.

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