Sidelines: Champions and winners at state wrestling meet

3/11/2010
BY JOHN WAGNER
BLADE SPORTS WRITER
  • Sidelines-Champions-and-winners-at-state-wrestling-meet

    Nick Goebel of Elmwood keeps Zack Cantrell of Coshocton from seeing his next move in a 112-pound first-round match. Goebel, who was a state champion last season at 103, took third place this year in Division III.

    The Blade/Andy Morrison
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    • In wrestling, determining the winner and the loser seems simple enough.

    If you score more points than your opponent, or pin your opponent, you win. If you don't, you lose. Simple, right?

    Well, when it comes to the state wrestling tournament, determining winners and losers isn't that easy.

    Consider Clay's Mark Orth, who posted a 2-3 record in the 135-pound weight class in Division I at this year's state tournament at Ohio State's Schottenstein Center.

    While the senior posted a losing record, his wins included a first-round victory over Shawn Fayette of Miamisburg, a defending state champ. He finished sixth, which sounds more like a winner than a loser.

    The only area champion was Oak Harbor's Ian Miller at 145 in Division II. Miller stormed through his bracket with a pair of pins and two lopsided wins, including a technical fall over Dylan Ice of Lisbon Beaver in his championship bout. His victory helped the Rockets finish runner-up in the team staandings.


    Miller's teammates, Drew Stone (125) and Konner Witt (152), lost in the finals, as did Central Catholic's Jake Henderson (215) and Vincenzo Cardone (285) in D-II and Van Buren's Chad Sonnenberg in D-III at 140.

    But that means all five finished second. And that sounds more like a winner than a loser.

    In Michigan, Mitch Rogaliner became the first freshman in Bedford history to win a state title, capturing the crown in Division 1 at 103.

    The Mules' Brian Gibbs placed third at 135.

    Four others from the area placed in Division I. Nick Garcia joined his teammate Orth as an All-Ohioan by finishing fourth at 103, while Findlay's Max Gladstone (285) and Michael Alexander (171) placed third and fifth, respectively. Start's Nate Brubaker placed eighth at 171.

    In Division II, other state placers were Central's Tony Martin (152) and Dan Cook (135), who finished fourth and eighth, respectively; Eastwood's Seth Hoffman (160), who placed fourth; and three others who took sixth — Jake Cramer (140) of Oak Harbor, Wauseon's Nick McCall (171) and Cody Bloom (215) of Napoleon.

    Other placewinners in Division III included a pair of wrestlers from both Elmwood and Patrick Henry. The Royals were led by Dexter Lee, who was seventh at 103, and Nick Goebel, who took third at 112, the Patriots got a sixth-place finish from Alex Lopez at 130 and a fourth from Xavier Dye at 171.

    Other placers were Liberty Center's Luke Kern (eighth, 119); McComb's Jacob Haas (fourth, 119); Montpelier's Luke Boehm (sixth, 145); Kyle Gladieux of Cardinal Stritch (fifth, 160); Lake's Brandon Tantari (sixth, 189), and Mimmo Lytle of Swanton (third, 285).