Takedown Report

NCAA wrestling: Ohio coaching tree casts large shadow

By Brad Bournival / ABJ/Ohio.com correspondent
PITTSBURGH — The NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships might very well be an Ohio vs. Pennsylvania dual by the end. As the tournament begins Thursday, it’s the same way in the coaching ranks as the Keystone State and Buckeye State own the event as well. Of the 69 programs that qualified at least one wrestler at PPG Paints Arena, Ohio has 28 head coaches or assistants mentoring wrestlers this weekend. Only Pennsylvania (37) has more.

“I just think it’s the tradition of Ohio wrestling,” Kent State coach Jim Andrassy said. “What happens is you grow up with these guys either wrestling with them or competing against them. Wrestling is a cult sport. People know each other. “With coaches, it’s even more of a cult sport because we’re so much different than football and basketball coaches. You kind of cling to each other. You respect each other because it’s really hard to get into this business. There are only 81 Division I coaches in the country. When you do, you respect the people that do it.” What’s even more incredible is the hotbed Northeast Ohio has in the Division I college coaching ranks.

Andrassy joins Springfield graduate David Bolyard (Michigan assistant) and Brunswick resident Dean Heil (Campbell assistant), who wrestled at Lakewood St. Edward. That’s not all. Lake graduate Scott Mattingly (Gardner Webb assistant), West Holmes’ Colt Sponseller (Ohio University assistant) and Walsh Jesuit’s Clint Musser (American assistant) cut their teeth on the mats in the area. Chanel four-time state champion J Jaggers (Ohio State assistant), who grew up in Northfield and Firebirds champion Cody Walters (West Virginia assistant), who grew up in Macedonia, know all about the strength of the Northeast Ohio.

“It’s the flywheel effect,” Jaggers said. “I don’t know when it started, but Ohio wrestling started producing some great athletes who in turn became great coaches that coached great athletes. It just keeps going. In Northeast Ohio, in particular, there’s just a lot of good opportunities to be around great wrestlers and that helps.” It’s that culture that has fostered many great wrestlers to move on well after their years of competition. Athletes leave the sport all the time, but few have the sport leave them. Rest of the story at https://www.ohio.com/sports/20190320/ncaa-wrestling-ohio-coaching-tree-casts-large-shadow

March 20, 2019 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized