Advantage Clay: 5 champs lead Eagles to CL repeat

Start's Nate Brubaker pins Collin Cummerow of Clay in the 171-pound final at the City League Championship. Brubaker was chosen as the tournament's outstanding wrestler.

Using superior depth over the field and boasting five individual winners and five runners-up, Clay repeated as City League wrestling team champion last night at Rogers, posting 289 points to top runner-up Central Catholic's 221.

"It solidifies what we're doing out in Oregon," Eagles head coach Gerry Anthony said. "What we're trying to build is just a consistent program year after year.

"It's been a lot of hard work by everybody involved. We're looking forward to the postseason, and we're looking forward to next year."

The tournament turned out four three-time individual champions, including Clay seniors Nick Garcia and Mark Orth.

Joining them with their third City titles were Start senior Nate Brubaker, who was voted the tournament's outstanding wrestler, and Central senior Jake Henderson.

Three others won their second CL crowns - Central senior Daniel Cook, his junior teammate D.J. Beauch, and St. Francis de Sales senior Alex Marzec.

Start was third in the team standings at 155 points, and St. John's was fourth at 152.

In the 171-pound final, there was little drama as Brubaker (31-2) caught Clay junior Collin Cummerow early on, kept him from escaping the circle, and completed his third consecutive City title with a fall at 1:32 of the first period. Brubaker (132 career wins), who pinned his three tournament opponents in a combined

4:02, won the crown at 152 in 2008, and at 171 last year.

"This is great," Brubaker said. "It's what you dream for. Coming into my senior year I've worked hard and I just wanted to dominate here. This is what I wanted to get.

"This gives me some comparisons and helps me get ready for sectionals, districts, and state."

Garcia (110 career wins), who pushed his season record to 32-0, collected his third straight 103-pound CL crown, taking an easy 22-6 technical fall over St. John's sophomore Matt Nichols.

"It means a lot to me to finish my high school wrestling career with a win for the team," said Garcia, who is Ohio's No. 3 ranked 103-pounder in Division I. "Especially since we did it two times in a row. It's pretty cool.

"Heading into the [sectional] tournament I'm just trying to stay undefeated and dominate as much as I can. I think I improved a lot over the years. There's been a lot of coaches coming in and out helping me.

"I went out there confident and just tried to work my stuff. When I put it all together it comes out nice."

A trimmed-down Orth (16-6) captured his third CL title at a third weight class, scoring an 11-3 major decision over Central sophomore Alex Padilla in the 135-pound final. Orth (104 career wins) won a City championship at 145 pounds in 2008, and took the 152-pound crown last year.

"The coaches thought I'd have a better shot [at lower weight] and that I'd be a bigger 135-pounder," Orth said, "and it would be a little easier. It's a faster pace, but I've got pretty fast pace myself, so I can keep up.

"It was a tough cut and it'll be hard to cut again for sectionals, but I'm going to maintain my weight."

Having already edged his chief rival, Mike Ackerman (34-3) of Clay, 3-2 in the quarterfinals, Henderson (133 career wins) kept his unbeaten season intact by pinning Whitmer senior Corey Compton at 2:32 of the 215-pound final. Henderson (41-0), a projected Division II state champion, had won 189-pound titles the previous two years.

"I wasn't sure that was going to happen," Henderson said of Irish coach Mitch Naufel's strategy of refusing Henderson's No. 1 seeding.

"But, we tried to change things up and trick them a little bit. It was a good match. [Ackerman] strategized and worked a lot of different things than what he did the first match with me. It went late in the match when I finally got my takedown. I'm glad I'm not going to see him again."

Ackerman is the state's seventh-ranked wrestler at 215 in Division I.

At 112, Clay sophomore Mike Screptock (40-7) made short work of Bowsher freshman Brian Henneman, winning by a fall in 1:36.

In a tightly contested 119-pound final, Start junior Chase Leedy (32-4) spotted Clay junior Cody Kish a 2-0 lead after one period, evened things to force overtime, then scored a takedown 40 seconds into the extra period to take the 4-2 decision.

Marzec needed overtime to up his record to 35-6 and repeat his 125-pound title, topping Clay sophomore Jacob Conine 5-3 with a takedown 22 seconds into OT.

The 130-pound final also needed extra time to decide, as Cook took a 3-1 decision over Clay sophomore Angelo Amenta. Cook (38-3), who placed first in the CL at 112 in 2008, was runner-up at 119 last year. He scored a takedown on Amenta 11 seconds into OT.

In the 140-pound final, Clay junior Matt Kohler ran his season record to 28-11 with a 9-4 decision over Start sophomore Sam Viengmany.

At 145, St. John's senior Corey Greenwade (29-4) cruised to a 13-5 major decision over Central senior Nico Covarrubias to notch his first CL title.

A close-to-the-vest 152-pound final saw neither wrestler yielding much in a 2-1 victory by Beauch (37-3) over Clay senior Anthony Resendez. Beauch won at 140 last year.

In the 160-pound final, Central junior Tony Martin (41-5) scored a takedown midway in the third period to pull away from Clay junior Chico Cloyne for a 5-2 decision. It was Martin's first City title.

St. John's got its second individual title of the tourney from senior first-time CL champion Kevin Schoen (29-4), who took a 12-2 major decision over St. Francis junior Kyle Heitmeyer in the 189-pound final.

Senior Jarrod Snoderly became Clay's fifth champion, pushing his record to 39-4 by pinning defending City champ Vincenzo Cardone at 1:16 of the 285-pound final.

Contact Steve Junga at:

sjunga@theblade.com

or 419-724-6461.