Four times the silver for Wadsworth, Medina wrestlers
COLUMBUS — Wadsworth’s Nick Tavanello was the only Medina County champion at Saturday’s wrestling tournament.
But the 215-pound Division I athlete wasn’t the only one making headlines in the area.
The Grizzlies quartet of Kagan Squire (125), Nate Ball (140) and Sheldon Brandenburg (160) joined Medina’s Teddy Hammer (152) in the finals, but came up short.
The Bees also placed Ryan Hornack (4th, 103), Mike Griffith (7th, 135) and Matt Hammer (7th, 140) as did Wadsworth with Alfredo Gray (5th, 130).
In D-II, Highland’s Dan Mirman (135) and Tyler Bloniak (152) were both fourth, while Mike Hozan (103) finished eighth in the small school division for Black River.
Yet another banner year for the county with another one almost destined to follow as Tavanello, Squire, Hornack, Hozan and Matt Hammer will be back on the mats next season.
And while no one other than Tavanello fulfilled their goals, they still wrestled with a ton of confidence.
For Hozan, it was a tournament where even he surprised himself.
Unheralded coming in, Hozan lost his first match, but then won two straight to reach the podium. In doing so, he became the first state placer for the Pirates since Jesse Campbell and Cory Pfister did it in 2007.
“Being so young in his career, I think it surprised him to not only get here, but place as well,” Black River coach Corey Kline said. “He’s already talking about getting after it next year.
“Now, he knows all about why we reminisce about this tournament. He sees why everybody fights to get down here.”
Fighting has always been a part of the vocabulary for Squire, Ball and Brandenburg.
“Any time you cross over to the finals, that’s a dream come true,” Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia said. “Every wrestler in Ohio wants that. It was a thrill to see them wrestle three perfect matches at state. We’re very proud of them. I think they had and are having outstanding careers.”
For Gray, sometimes it has been a fight just to get noticed on a team full of superstars. In placing for the second time in Columbus, the senior leaves with 160 career wins.
Only Wadsworth’s Derek Foore (170) and Timmy Miller (165) and Brunswick’s Richie Spicel (161) have more.
Foore was a three-time state runner-up, Miller a titlist and four-time state placer and Spicel a two-time state champion.
That’s some pretty heady company to be in.
“Alfredo was as tough as they come,” Gramuglia said. “He learned how to become a better leader and was a valuable teammate. He did everything we asked of him. He’s a wrestling rat.”
So are the likes of the Hammers, Hozan and Griffith.
The four set a school record for state placers in a season, while headlining a Medina team that won its third straight Northeast Ohio Conference River Division title.
Teddy Hammer leaves as the county’s single-season and career nearfall leader, while Griffith is the school’s all-time win leader and broke the school’s career pin record with two deckings at state.
“For Medina, it’s groundbreaking,” Bees coach Chad Gilmore said. “That’s definitely something big. For those guys to do what they did and do it together was great. They had fun doing it.”
But the 215-pound Division I athlete wasn’t the only one making headlines in the area.
The Grizzlies quartet of Kagan Squire (125), Nate Ball (140) and Sheldon Brandenburg (160) joined Medina’s Teddy Hammer (152) in the finals, but came up short.
The Bees also placed Ryan Hornack (4th, 103), Mike Griffith (7th, 135) and Matt Hammer (7th, 140) as did Wadsworth with Alfredo Gray (5th, 130).
In D-II, Highland’s Dan Mirman (135) and Tyler Bloniak (152) were both fourth, while Mike Hozan (103) finished eighth in the small school division for Black River.
Yet another banner year for the county with another one almost destined to follow as Tavanello, Squire, Hornack, Hozan and Matt Hammer will be back on the mats next season.
And while no one other than Tavanello fulfilled their goals, they still wrestled with a ton of confidence.
For Hozan, it was a tournament where even he surprised himself.
Unheralded coming in, Hozan lost his first match, but then won two straight to reach the podium. In doing so, he became the first state placer for the Pirates since Jesse Campbell and Cory Pfister did it in 2007.
“Being so young in his career, I think it surprised him to not only get here, but place as well,” Black River coach Corey Kline said. “He’s already talking about getting after it next year.
“Now, he knows all about why we reminisce about this tournament. He sees why everybody fights to get down here.”
Fighting has always been a part of the vocabulary for Squire, Ball and Brandenburg.
“Any time you cross over to the finals, that’s a dream come true,” Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia said. “Every wrestler in Ohio wants that. It was a thrill to see them wrestle three perfect matches at state. We’re very proud of them. I think they had and are having outstanding careers.”
For Gray, sometimes it has been a fight just to get noticed on a team full of superstars. In placing for the second time in Columbus, the senior leaves with 160 career wins.
Only Wadsworth’s Derek Foore (170) and Timmy Miller (165) and Brunswick’s Richie Spicel (161) have more.
Foore was a three-time state runner-up, Miller a titlist and four-time state placer and Spicel a two-time state champion.
That’s some pretty heady company to be in.
“Alfredo was as tough as they come,” Gramuglia said. “He learned how to become a better leader and was a valuable teammate. He did everything we asked of him. He’s a wrestling rat.”
So are the likes of the Hammers, Hozan and Griffith.
The four set a school record for state placers in a season, while headlining a Medina team that won its third straight Northeast Ohio Conference River Division title.
Teddy Hammer leaves as the county’s single-season and career nearfall leader, while Griffith is the school’s all-time win leader and broke the school’s career pin record with two deckings at state.
“For Medina, it’s groundbreaking,” Bees coach Chad Gilmore said. “That’s definitely something big. For those guys to do what they did and do it together was great. They had fun doing it.”
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