Takedown Report

High School News (2021) – # 14

TDR Editor’s Notes ; The long delayed North Carolina High School wrestling season will finally start later this week. We urge fans to support their wrestlers and team. Attend matches, and encourage students to wrestle. It is a great opportunity and this year there is a chance for new, inexperienced students to join in and give wrestling a try. As the number of students that are attending school in person and other sport seasons are well under way there is a need for wrestlers to fill the line-ups. Join in and Keeping on Wrestling!
Contact us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
1 } – {Minnesota} – Believe: Kimball Area wins first 1A wrestling team championship
The Cubs fell behind 15-0 in the first three matches in the finals before rolling to victory, using their season-long one-word motto.
NICK KELLY, Special to the Star Tribune 03/27/21,
Kimball Area wrestlers celebrate their Class 1A wrestling championship. The Cubs defeated Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie in the final duel match Saturday at St. Michael-Albertville High School. Photo by Jeff Lawler, SportsEngine

The Kimball Area wrestling team didn’t enter the 2020-21 season with any complicated goals. No fancy mission statements. Just one word. Believe.
Introduced by assistant coach Doug Joseph at the beginning of the season, “believe” was adopted as its motto. Before the Cubs could actually defeat section opponent Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City for the first time in a decade, they had to believe it. Then before the Cubs won the first state title in program history, they had to believe they could.

And then they did it. Top-seeded Kimball defeated No. 3 Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie 49-21 to win the Class 1A state wrestling title Saturday at St. Michael-Albertville High School. “We like to personify the word ‘believe,’ ” Cubs coach David Joseph said. “We told them yesterday and today, ‘Belief doesn’t know what the score is. It just keeps going.’ ” Kimball proved that Saturday. … rest of story at https://www.mnwrestlinghub.com/news_article/show/1154851?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Forest Lake senior wins fourth title, at tough 132-pound weight class
News and notes from the Class 3A individual meet.
JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune 03/26/21,
Before the Class 3A wrestling state tournament, the 132-pound weight class was considered the toughest, including four-time state champion Reid Ballantyne of Stillwater and three-time champ Derrick Cardinal of Forest Lake. But the top seed was undefeated Zach Hanson Lakeville North.

Ballantyne withdrew before the individual meet because of injury. Cardinal and Hanson lived up to expectations, meeting for the championship. Cardinal, a senior, got an escape in overtime for a 3-2 victory to join the exclusive club of four-time champions. “It feels really good and satisfying to prove everyone wrong,” said Cardinal, now with a school-record 240 victories. “When I first moved down to 132, they had me ranked No. 3, behind Reid and Hanson. Then they bumped me up to No. 2. That win over Zach proves that I should have been No. 1 the whole time.” … restof story at https://www.mnwrestlinghub.com/news_article/show/1154583?mc_cid=977ea0b267&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

And Wagner, Hellman, and Springer are MWCA Coaches of the Year
Every spring at tournament time coaches from each high school section vote for their respective Section Head and Assistant Coach of the Year. Head coach selections are then put on a ballot to be voted on by all coaches at the State Tournament for Class AAA, AA, and A Coach of the Year.
2021 State Coach of the Year selections are: Class A – Bill Wagner of Bertha-Hewitt/Verndale/Parkers Prairie, Class AA – Brian Hellman of Princeton, and Class AAA – Todd Springer of Anoka. … rest of story at https://theguillotine.com/2021/03/wagner-hellman-and-springer-are-mwca-coaches-of-the-year/?mc_cid=44df579129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

2 } – {Pennsylvania} – Defeats drive Wirnsberger to be better
The start of Cade Wirnsberger’s high school wrestling career could not have gone much better. He won 30 of his first 32 matches, and captured sectional and district titles. However, he was eliminated at the regional tournament, one round short of the state tournament.

So — despite suffering more regular-season losses — Wirnsberger said he was more pleased with his sophomore season at Meadowbrook Christian. A season that ended earlier this month with Wirnsberger earning a sixth-place medal at the Class 2A state tournament. “It was a pretty successful season,” Wirnsberger said. “I definitely took my losses, but I got a state medal. I was not at the top of the state podium, but one of my goals was to get a state medal. I won when I had to in the postseason.”

It was the first state medal won by a Meadowbrook wrestler. The Lions are only in their second season as a program. “It’s awesome for Cade and the program,” Meadowbrook Christian coach Garth Watson said. “It does leaps and bounds for the program, and it’s exciting for the kids around him. It’s great for wrestling at Meadowbrook. We’re a tight-knit family.”

Wirnsberger’s performance on the mat, his academic performance (3.9 GPA) and his commitment to community service are why he was selected as The Daily Item’s Scholar-Athlete of the Week, sponsored by SUN Orthopaedics of Evangelical, as well as PPL Electric Utilities. The award honors local student-athletes who thrive in the classroom, in the community and on Valley playing fields. Wirnsberger’s success on the wrestling mat and in the classroom are tied together. “When I’m wrestling, I’m very on-task and I don’t get distracted,” Wirnsberger said. “That shows through in my school work. I try to get the best grades I can.” Watson added: “He’s just a good student. He’s got a lot of discipline, a lot of drive.” Part of what drove Wirnsberger to the podium in the Hershey Center this year was the disappointing end to last season. … rest of story at https://www.dailyitem.com/sports/defeats-drive-wirnsberger-to-be-better/article_37cad810-85fc-5acd-bd3d-5cd123439981.html?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

3 } – {Massachusetts} – New COVID protocols hit the mat, wrestlers and coaches just happy to compete
Two wrestlers went to shake hands after a bout last week between Mainland Regional and Vineland, a natural instinct for high school athletes and a routine sight at matches. The official intervened, reminding them to refrain from contact. Wrestlers across the state are finally permitted to compete on the mat again after more than a three-month wait. But the COVID-shortened season brought many new guidelines to ensure health and safety amid the pandemic to an already protocol-heavy sport.

Schools are encouraged to provide two mats to allow disinfecting between matches. Two schools, Mainland and Ocean City, purchased new cleaning tools that use ultraviolet light to disinfect mats. Wrestling coaches see the changes as necessary so their athletes can have a season — even if all of the new rules don’t make sense. “A few years ago, who would have thought that we would all be walking around in masks, but now it’s protocol,” Ocean City coach Dan Calhoun said. “You do it. It’s definitely different, but if it gives us a chance to compete, I’m all for it.”

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association, which governs most high school sports in the state, released five pages of “wrestling guidelines and considerations”  … rest of story at https://pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/high-school/new-covid-protocols-hit-the-mat-wrestlers-and-coaches-just-happy-to-compete/article_aeaacba6-b75b-5fc8-a732-d3fba4b09e5d.html?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

4 } – {New York} – Wrestling community frustrated with Erie County recommendation against high school season
Mike Catanzaro has played three football games this season as a senior outside linebacker and running back for Williamsville North. However, according to a recommendation last week from the Erie County Department of Health, the risks of spreading Covid-19 are too great to allow Catanzaro to participate this spring in wrestling, his best sport. “ECDOH made the recommendation for the season to be postponed or canceled based on high levels of community transmission and the inability of competing wrestlers to wear a mask,” the health department said in a statement. 

The state had given counties the authority to allow higher-risk sports to proceed. Erie County gave its approval in January for basketball, football and ice hockey. However, on Jan. 28, the Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara county health departments advised against holding a wrestling season at that point. Section VI responded by moving wrestling to the spring. … rest of story at https://buffalonews.com/sports/high-school/wrestling-community-frustrated-with-erie-county-recommendation-against-high-school-season/article_30d71440-a07a-11eb-a284-3be0b1a0c836.html?mc_cid=82e9baddf8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

5 } – {Ohio} –Buckeye’s Palmer captains T-L wrestling
Not since Shadyside’s Alex Quinn stood high atop the awards podium in 2013 as an Ohio High School Athletic Association state wrestling champion had The Times Leader coverage area recorded another state titlist. Buckeye Local’s Brian Palmer Jr. ended eight years of frustration recently when he duplicated Quinn’s Division III state championship at 152 pounds. The Buckeye Local senior achieved his goal with a 5-1 decision over Dalton junior Tate Geisler inside a COVID-restricted gymnasium at Marion Harding High School.

With his accomplishment, Palmer Sr. serves as the captain of the 2021 all-Times Leader Wrestling Team, which is announced today. The 14-member squad — representing four schools — all earned the distinction by qualifying for the 84th annual Ohio state tournament.

A brief capsule of each honoree follows:
PALMER, JR. — A 4-time state qualifier and three-time state placer … rest of story at https://www.timesleaderonline.com/sports/local-sports/2021/03/buckeyes-palmer-captains-t-l-wrestling/?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

6 } – {New Jersey} – Kittatinny wrestling coach reaches rare milestone in upset over High Point
His powder blue shirt dress shirt tucks perfectly into a pair of gray slacks, and somehow as he screams from the corner of the gym, nothing looks disheveled.
3/25 – 7:00 PM WrestlingFinalHigh Point30Kittatinny36

Complete Box Score »
He’s worn the same color shirt, same tie and same color pants for 43 years as Kittatinny’s wrestling coach. Nothing has changed this year, either, except now, John Gill has a mask to match. An icon in the sport, Gill became the fifth coach in state history to reach 600 career wins on Thursday night when his team upset rival High Point, … rest of story at https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2021/03/kittatinny-wrestling-coach-reaches-rare-milestone-in-upset-over-high-point.html?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

7 } {New Jersey} – Long Branch wrestling with winless season
By Walter J. O’Neill, Jr.
The Long Branch High School wrestling program has been one of the best in the state. They have won an impressive 22 divisional titles, 14 district championships, six NJSIAA sectional titles, three consecutive Shore Conference Tournament and NJSIAA Group 2 titles from 2008-to-2010. In 2020, the Green Wave finished 18-7 overall and were 7-3 against Shore Conference opponents and went 5-2 in the A North division. They won the District 23 title, placed second in the A North, and were NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 4 sectional semifinalists.

However, this season has been very uncharacteristic for the Green Wave. In their first six matches they have been outscored 319-100 and are winless. Howell defeated Long Branch 60-9 to start the 2021 season. Middletown South then beat them 57-13, Marlboro won 52-21, CBA took a 60-14 win and Freehold Township pulled out a very close 39-31 win, and Colts Neck defeated the Wave 48-12. One of the major reasons for this year’s downswing in Long Branch is the pandemic. Many parents and athletes just didn’t want to risk the chance competing in a shortened season. … rest of story at http://thelinknews.net/2021/03/28/long-branch-wrestling-with-winless-season/?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

8 } – {Pennsylvania} – Waynesburg routs Central Dauphin to capture 1st PIAA wrestling title
MECHANICSBURG — A year ago, Waynesburg made a run to the PIAA Class 3A team wrestling championships and came up just short of capturing the first PIAA title in any sport in Waynesburg history. Although it was a devastating loss for the Raiders, 172-pound senior Luca Augustine also called it an “enlightening” one as it truly showed the Raiders what they were capable of. “For me, personally, I didn’t think we were going to make it that far,” Augustine said. “But once we made it, it kind of opened our eyes to what we could actually do. It put it into perspective for us.”

Waynesburg coach Joe Throckmorton said from that day on the Raiders put in the work they needed to get back to the state championship this season. On Saturday at Cumberland Valley, the Raiders saw their hard work pay off. After taking down District 4 champion Williamsport, 50-13, in the PIAA semifinals, the Raiders only allowed District 3 champion Central Dauphin to score three points in the state final as they cruised to a 42-3 victory and earned the first state title in school history. “We’ve looked at this goal for a long long time and we wrestled our hearts out tonight,” Throckmorton said. “When they do that, I know really good things are going to happen … rest of story at https://tribhssn.triblive.com/waynesburg-routs-central-dauphin-to-capture-1st-piaa-wrestling-title/?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

9} – {Nebraska} – Kearney Hub Wrestler of the Year: With season canceled in Colorado, Beau Hostler found a home at KHS
KEARNEY — Beau Hostler was hardly a familiar face on the Kearney High wrestling team. He didn’t enroll at KHS until three days before wrestling practice started. Yet, he found a place in the lineup and, eventually, into the state tournament 145-pound finals, There, he lost a 2-1 decision to Grand Island’s Brody Arrants that kept him from his ultimate goal — a state championship. Getting a chance to compete for that gold medal was behind the senior’s move to Kearney from Broomfield, Colorado.

The state of Colorado, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, was taking a cautious approach to wrestling. Boulder County, which includes Broomfield, already had canceled the high school wrestling season. That was a setback for Hostler, who had been a state runner-up in 2020. “At the time, we didn’t think we were (going to wrestle) in Colorado. And my dad and uncle both wrestled at Kearney High School, so that’s what led me here,” Hostler said. … rest of story at https://kearneyhub.com/sports/high-school/khs/kearney-hub-wrestler-of-the-year-with-season-canceled-in-colorado-beau-hostler-found-a/article_087b4b52-8ebd-11eb-b872-a3121ac8011d.html?mc_cid=6c27c8fabf&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – {Ohio} – State title helps Bees’ wrestler stay true to his career goal
by Sheldon Ocker
Victor Voinovich has it all mapped out. Win a couple of state wrestling titles for Brecksville-Broadview Heights High School, continue to refine his sport at Oklahoma State University, qualify for the U.S. Olympic team and eventually forge a career as a college wrestling coach. The odds of winning a spot on the Olympic team might be longer than the chances of winning a million dollars in the lottery. But Voinovich has already delivered on the first two steps of his journey. As a high school freshman, he won a state championship at 145 pounds but fell to third as a sophomore. Then came 2020, when Voinovich was among thousands of disappointed high school athletes who were forced to forgo sports because of COVID-19.

Voinovich was back at it this year, and in mid-March he defeated Lakewood St. Edward’s Evan Bennett 3-0 at 152 pounds to win his second state title. “When you win a state title in Ohio, especially as a freshman, you’re going to be on everybody’s radar,’’ said Todd Haverdill, the Bees’ head wrestling coach. Voinovich became a target of some of the most prestigious collegiate wrestling programs in the country, including Penn State, Ohio State, Iowa, Iowa State and, of course, Oklahoma State. That’s the equivalent of a football player being recruited by Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Ohio State and Notre Dame.

Choosing Oklahoma State wasn’t necessarily a no-brainer, but when the coach of a legacy program like the Cowboys comes knocking, you’re not likely to slam the door on his foot. Why Oklahoma State over Penn State and Cornell, his final three choices? … rest of story at https://www.scriptype.com/2021/04/19/state-title-helps-bees-wrestler-stay-true-to-his-career-goal/?mc_cid=5c73249ed8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

11 } – {Michigan} – Family reunion: Dad Craig Zeerip (Fremont’s coach) and sons Justin and Collin (Whitehall’s coaches) will lead their teams at Tuesday’s state wrestling finals
The last time Craig Zeerip and sons Justin and Collin were at the state high school team wrestling finals together –  at least as participants  – was way back in 2007. Craig was an assistant coach of the Hesperia squad at the time, while Justin and Collin were standout wrestlers for the team. The Panthers lost in the state quarterfinals that year on a tie-breaker, and Justin graduated a few months later. The next year Hesperia won the state championship with Craig as an assistant coach and Collin a sophomore wrestler, but Justin wasn’t part of it.

Justin Zeerip, Craig Zeerip and Collin Zeerip.
But there is still a chance that the father and two sons could all become state champions together, in their respective coaching roles. Their first opportunity will come on Tuesday at the Michigan High School Athletic Association state team wrestling finals at Wings Events Center in Kalamazoo. Craig Zeerip is the seventh-year head coach of the Fremont squad, which won a regional title last week and qualified for the Division 2 state quarterfinals. Justin and Collin Zeerip are in their third year as co-coaches of the Whitehall wrestling team, … rest of story at https://localsportsjournal.com/2021/03/family-reunion-dad-craig-zeerip-fremonts-coach-and-sons-justin-and-collin-whitehalls-coaches-will-lead-their-teams-at-tuesdays-state-wrestling-finals/?mc_cid=44df579129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

12 } – {Virginia} – High school wrestling: Martin to return to Great Bridge
CHESAPEAKE — A legend is back. Steve Martin, who led Great Bridge to 12 wrestling state championships in 13 years before leading Old Dominion for 16 years, is returning for a second stint as the Wildcats’ coach. Martin will officially begin the job in the fall after his contract with ODU expires this summer. “As I went through the last year looking at my options, it always came back to being involved at some level,” said Martin, who also considered collegiate options after ODU discontinued the wrestling program last spring. “I think timing-wise, it just kinda happened out of nowhere. But I think all things work out for a reason and I’m thankful to be able to help in the sport of wrestling at Great Bridge.”

Martin became Great Bridge’s coach in 1991 and compiled a 306-15-1 record, coaching 40 state champions, 98 state place-winners, 35 All-Americans and six national champions. His teams were nationally ranked all 13 years, and the 2003 and 2004 squads earned the nation’s top public school honor. At Old Dominion, Martin sent dozens of wrestlers to the NCAA championships and won 172 dual meets to tie the record set by ODU’s first coach, Peter Robinson.

“He’s a very driven guy,” Great Bridge athletic director Sean Townsend said. “And obviously his résumé — I haven’t gotten a résumé that impressive before. … rest of story at https://www.pilotonline.com/757teamz/vp-sp-steve-martin-great-bridge-20210402-donlceu3ffcfpll4bcl7mranbm-story.html?fbclid=IwAR28jCxVcoCLhgrbws30lhbHt-tjB2SLpTQcLcAUCK_DIpVAGnJ-662USIk&mc_cid=b369974b64&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#icb-arc-story-id

And {Massachusetts} – No welcome mat for area wrestling this season due to coronavirus
NORTON — In the 15 years that Pat Coleman has served as the wrestling coach at Norton High, the only time that the Lancers have had less than a .500 record was in Coleman’s debut campaign. Since then, the Lancers have been successful on the mat for 14 consecutive winning seasons. During that span, Coleman and the Lancers have claimed two MIAA Division 3 state championships, a pair of state runner-up spots and six sectional titles. This 2020-21 high school winter season, there will be no chase for Coleman and the Lancers. The EEA and MIAA have stamped a “high risk” label on the sport of wrestling and banished it from the list of approved competitive sports when the winter season will likely commence on Nov. 30.

With close body contact, the potential for the transmission of the coronavirus has taken wrestlers statewide off of the mat. “A couple of months ago, things were starting to look better, but the recent spikes have really killed us,” Coleman said of the slim glimmer of hope that wrestling coaches had for a season. “When we met 10 days ago, the coaches had a lot of ideas about it,” Coleman added of preseason discussions among wrestling coaches statewide. “We kind of agreed that maybe we shouldn’t even start until the first week of January, that we should only wrestle in dual meets. One of the things that we thought was going in our favor was that wrestling, while being a contact sport, is one on one.

“Once those two kids were done (after three two-minute periods or less) and come back and put their mask on and socially distance, the next two guys go out. “Then when you think about basketball and there’s 10 kids bumping around over a long period of time. We kind of hoped that one on one for six minutes would allow for it, but it was out of our hands.” … rest of story at https://www.thesunchronicle.com/sports/local_sports/no-welcome-mat-for-area-wrestling-this-season-due-to-coronavirus/article_493f842c-69eb-578d-b122-909179b9e85e.html?mc_cid=ebacab18d4&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

April 26, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized