On behalf of the entire Cruiser community, we welcome you to the 3 rd

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "On behalf of the entire Cruiser community, we welcome you to the 3 rd"

Beverley Randall
5 years ago
Views:

PRESENTS The Cruiser Invitational January 28 th, 2012 Groveport Madison High School The Cruiser Invitational Participating Teams On behalf of the entire Cruiser community, we welcome you to the 3 rd

1 PRESENTS The Cruiser Invitational January 28 th, 2012 Groveport Madison High School The Cruiser Invitational Participating Teams On behalf of the entire Cruiser community, we welcome you to the 3 rd annual Cruiser Invitational. This year s field is again made up of teams from all three divisions, a variety of conferences, and a large portion of the state. Inside this booklet, we have given an overview of each program that will be competing in today s tournament. Please take some time to read through the information and better acquaint yourself with your team and the competition. Division III School Abb. Mascot Colors Page Beachwood BW Bison Gold & White 4 Nelsonville-York NY Buckeyes Orange & Brown 5 Division II School Abb. Mascot Colors Page Licking Valley LV Panthers Red & Blue 6 Tri-Valley TV Scotties Gold & Black 7 Whitehall Yearling WY Rams Black & Red 8 Division I School Abb. Mascot Colors Page Groveport Madison GM Cruisers Red & Black 9 Logan LO Chiefs Purple & White 10 New Albany NA Eagles Maroon & Gold 11 Olentangy Orange OO Pioneers Blue & Orange 12 Pickerington North PN Panthers Black & Silver 13 Troy TR Trojans Scarlet & Gray 14 Upper Arlington UA Golden Bears Black & Gold 15 Westerville Central WC Warhawks Silver & Black 16 Worthington Kilbourne WK Wolves Black & Blue 17 i

2 The Story of John S. Rarey and his horse, Cruiser This tournament is in honor of a trainer and his horse. In the mid 19 th century, the Earl of Dorchester had, what he believed to be, an untamable horse. After calling for the best trainers in all of England, he still found his horse to be an impossible ride and one that was prone to fits of rage. And then he got word of a man from the United States. That man was John Solomon Rarey. John S. Rarey was known in his parts as a man with unusual, but effective, means of training animals. Upon being summoned by the English royalty, he left to try his hand at Cruiser. When he arrived, he found just what was described; a mad horse that was filled with fury and rage. But, to the astonishment of the gathered crowd, Mr. Rarey walked out of the stable, a mere three hours after entering, with a calmed and tamed Cruiser. After John S. Rarey s work was complete, he returned back to his home. And, as it were, Cruiser returned to his ways. So, John revisited the horse, and upon breaking him again, the Earl handed over the horse. So, John and Cruiser made the trek to John s farm where both would live out their days. It is from this account that Groveport Madison gets its mascot (Cruiser) and its school colors (red for his fiery temper; black for his coat). ii The Cruiser Invitational Schedule of Events Event Description Time* Weigh-ins (In locker room) 7:30-8:45am Coaches Meeting (Coaches only) 9:00-9:15am Rat Tail Matches If necessary** Round I Championship Preliminaries 9:30-10:30am Rat Tail Consolation If necessary** Round II Championship Quarterfinals 10:30-12:15pm Round III Consolation Preliminaries 12:30pm - 1:45pm Round IV.a Championship Semifinals (Mats 1 & 2) 2:00-3:30pm Consolation Quarterfinals (Mats 3 & 4) Round IV.b Consolation Semifinals 3:30-4:15pm *** Gym will be cleared immediately following this round*** Parade of Champions 5:20pm Round V Final (1 st, 3 rd & 5 th ) 5:30pm Awards will be given at the conclusion of a specified weight class. Award winning wrestlers of each weight classes will be asked to report to the awards area and to arrive wearing their warm-up top. * indicates that the times are approximate goals for the day ** Rat tail matches and rat tail consolation matches will only occur in weight classes that have more than 12 wrestlers iii

BEACHWOOD 25100 Fairmount Blvd Beachwood, OH 44122 School Mascot: Bison School Colors: Gold & White II Conference: Chagrin Valley Conference Head Coach: Dugan Bentley Assistant Coaches: Mike Arnold,

3 BEACHWOOD Fairmount Blvd Beachwood, OH School Mascot: Bison School Colors: Gold & White II Conference: Chagrin Valley Conference Head Coach: Dugan Bentley Assistant Coaches: Mike Arnold, Adam Kriwinsky & Chris Romeo The Beachwood Bison are new to this year s field. They make the journey to Groveport from what some nickname the mecca of wrestling; northeast Ohio. (And in doing so, they win the furthest commute award! Not that we re actually giving and award though.) And the Bison certainly have its share of excellent wrestlers. To start, returning state place-winner and this year s projected state champion Samuel Gross (3 rd ) has continued what he started last year during his freshman campaign. He absolutely torched the field at the Olentangy Liberty tournament and did the same at Kenston. Helping him along the way today will be highly ranked fellow sophomore and returning state place-winner Ryan Harris (7 th ). But, make no mistake; it is not all youth with this team. They have excellent leadership from the seniors in Freidman (120), Blumenthal (152) and Shapiro (160). Beachwood has had excellent showings this year, placing in the top 5 at Hudson as well as placing in the top 10 at Olentangy Liberty tournament. The hope for this weekend is another strong team finish on the strength of a bevy of place-winners, to include a champion or five! Best of luck to the Bison, and a special Welcome back to Groveport for Coach Bentley NELSONVILLE-YORK 123 Buckeye Avenue Nelsonville, OH School Mascot: Buckeyes School Colors: Orange & Brown II Conference: Tri-Valley Conference - Ohio Head Coach: Matt Yinger Assistant Coaches: Sean McLaughlin & Andy Schein The Buckeyes return to this year s Cruiser Invitational with what could be its strongest team to date. The hope for Coach Yinger and Company is to make the next step to The Cruiser Invitational team champions after being two-time tournament runners-up. With the fire power the Buckeyes have, this could be the year. Let s start with Zach Mays (SQ) and Jacob Coon (SQ). Last year at the state tournament, neither was able to place. However, improvements were made between then and now because at Brecksville both lost close semifinal bouts but then rolled to a 3 rd place finish. Teammates Thomas McLaughlin (SQ), Dakota Hook (SQ) and Carl Moody (SQ) look to provide support for these battling Buckeyes. Aside from the Brecksville tournament, Nelsonville York also hosted their tournament in which they had 6 finalists and were able to crown two champions. To add to these two tournaments, the Buckeyes also participated in the 2012 State Duals. (Participants for the 2012 version of the state duals were selected by last year s district tournament underclassmen points.) All of this to say, the Nelsonville-York Buckeyes are hoping to have many individual champions today, all in order to bring home the elusive Cruiser Invitational team championship

4 LICKING VALLEY 100 Hainsview Drive NE Newark, OH School Mascot: Panthers School Colors: Red & Blue I Conference: Mid-State League - Ohio Head Coach: Jeremy Tate Assistant Coaches: Ryan Muzykoski & Roy Whisner The Panthers, who were last year s Cruiser Invitational champions, are poised to make another run at a team championship. As it turns out, they are the only team to win this tournament! And as 2x champions, the Panthers are looking for a three-peat! With the squad they have, it is certainly within reach. The Panthers enter this tournament with a group of talented and experienced wrestlers. They had a tremendous showing at Olentangy, placing 3 rd on the strength of 4 finalists. Shortly thereafter, they overpowered the field of the Licking County Championships with four finalists and three runner-up finishers! In dual meets, Licking Valley also had wins over Amanda Clearcreek, Newark Catholic, Big Walnut, West Jefferson, Hamilton Township, and Circleville. Although they have not won every tournament they have entered, they have put themselves high atop the leaders board in each tournament. More impressive is that they have had at least one champion in every tournament they have wrestled. I would imagine the likes of Parsons, Legace, Harble and McCown - among others - will do their best to keep the streak alive in today s Cruiser Invitational TRI-VALLEY 46 East Muskingum Avenue Dresden, OH School Mascot: Scotties School Colors: Gold & Black I Conference: Mid-State League - Ohio Head Coach: Jared Hindel Assistant Coaches: Ryan Morgan, Dustin Prouty& Mike Thomas Strides are being made out at Tri-Valley. The version of the Scotties are prepped and ready to go for this year s Cruiser Invitational. The Scotties return a number of wrestlers from last season s squad, and have welcomed the freshmen who have joined the team. Leading the way for the Scotties will be junior Austin Jones (170). As a sophomore last season, Jones was able to place 4 th in the OHSAA state tournament. During this season, Jones seems to be gaining ground in order to move up the podium in March. He placed 2 nd at an impressive Brecksville tournament, won the Robin Drumm Memorial, and is projected 3 rd by Brian Brakeman. But he is not the only Scottie gaining notoriety. Stand-out freshman Kade Kowalski (126) is out to prove that his bite is just as fierce as his bark. Kowalski faired very well at Brecksville, placing 4 th. He, too, won the Drumm Memorial and is also mentioned in the Brakeman Report. Other Scotties that look to make a name while boosting the team standings are Patterson (138) and Brock (145). Best wishes to the Tri-Valley Scotties as they hope to fulfill their individual and team goals today, at the Cruiser Invitational

WHITEHALL YEARLING 675 South Yearling Rd Whitehall, OH 43213 School Mascot: Rams School Colors: Black & Red I Conference: Mid-State League - Ohio Head Coach: Steve Pennington Assistant Coach: Corey

The Rams are currently the #2 team in the area and they are hoping today can be a springboard that puts them over the top of the #1 team, Licking Valley.

5 WHITEHALL YEARLING 675 South Yearling Rd Whitehall, OH School Mascot: Rams School Colors: Black & Red I Conference: Mid-State League - Ohio Head Coach: Steve Pennington Assistant Coach: Corey Dulaney, Dave Farrow & Kelly Young Coach Pennington s Whitehall Rams are ready to go. Period. The Rams are currently the #2 team in the area and they are hoping today can be a springboard that puts them over the top of the #1 team, Licking Valley. Already, the Rams have racked up two team championships; their own Dan Gartner Duals and Bishop Ready s Winter Classic. And it seems that if the Rams do not win the tournament, they make it very difficult for the championship team by placing 2 nd. At both Logan Elm and Licking Heights, Whitehall has walked away with runner-up honors. Leading the way for the Rams are senior Matt Straight (145) and junior Alex Farrow (220). At The Cruiser Invitational, Straight has been a runner-up (2010) and finished 3 rd last year. This year his eyes are fixed on an individual championship. He currently has 21 wins, which was good enough to earn him the third seed. Fellow Ram Farrow is also hoping to pin down a Cruiser Invitational championship, having placed 2 nd and 4 th the past two years. All in all, the Rams are preparing themselves for a final push into the postseason and the coaches are hoping that this is the weekend to start that push GROVEPORT MADISON 4475 South Hamilton Road Groveport, OH School Mascot: Cruisers School Colors: Red & Black Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Ohio Head Coach: Mark Niemann Assistant Coaches: Brian Novar & Jason Seiple G roveport Madison seems to be moving in the right direction at the right time. After starting the season with a spotty line-up due to weight class adjustments and injuries, they are now getting the pieces in place as they look forward to mid-february. Leading the charge for the Cruisers will be seniors Cameron Jones and Elum Johnson. Jones (126) has been coming on very nice as of late since just missing out on placing at the 32-man Marion Harding Winter Wrestling Classic. He placed at Dublin Scioto, and has won a couple of matches in dual meets, and just recently dropped a close loss to a former state alternate. Johnson (145) has been spending some time recovering from injuries but is ready to go for today s tournament! A nice addition to the team in the form of a freshman has been Shakur Laney (106). Laney is currently 17-7 with the majority of his losses coming up a weight class. Another freshman that has chipped in nicely is Malcolm Solack (182). Usually, the heavier freshmen have an adjustment period. Solack seems to have hit the ground running. Other Cruisers looking to contribute today are Mumper (120), Strong (132), Miller (170) - among others. Good luck to the Cruisers as they not only host the tournament but compete in it as well! - 9 -

LOGAN 14470 State Route 328 Logan, Ohio 43138 School Mascot: Chieftains School Colors: Purple & White Conference: Southeastern Ohio Athletic League - North Head Coach: Noah Straus Assistant Coaches:

However, the proverbial cupboard was not left bare, as evident by the 12 returning varsity letter winners. That is one large cupboard!

6 LOGAN State Route 328 Logan, Ohio School Mascot: Chieftains School Colors: Purple & White Conference: Southeastern Ohio Athletic League - North Head Coach: Noah Straus Assistant Coaches: Kelly Helber, Chad Rickets & Mark Vanbibber The Logan team lost a few talented kids from last year s tribe. However, the proverbial cupboard was not left bare, as evident by the 12 returning varsity letter winners. That is one large cupboard! Towards the start of the line-up, the Chieftains have junior Josh VanBibber (120). As it so happens, this is VanBibber s first action in The Cruiser Invitational. Through a series of ill-timed illnesses or injuries, he has had to miss. But not this year! So far, VanBibber has amassed 19 wins this season and a couple of high tournament placements. To be sure, adding an individual championship today would set him up nicely as he approaches the post-season. At 152, Logan has Sean Wotring. Wotring has a full bracket last week at the New Albany Tournament, but was able to navigate it quite well. He added to his win total by beating a locally ranked Pickerington Central wrestler, bringing his total to 28, with only 2 losses. In the end, the Chieftains are hoping to have a great showing both individually and collectively as The Cruiser Invitational unfolds NEW ALBANY 7600 Fodor Road New Albany, Ohio School Mascot: Eagles School Colors: Maroon & Gold Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Central Head Coach: Marc Cofer Assistant Coaches: John Galbreath, Brad Todd & Kai Whitt The New Albany Eagles, led by Marc Cofer, are moving in the right direction at the right time. As mentioned, the goal for the season is standard: have everyone healthy and wrestling their best come late January and early February. As it stands, it is late January Here come the Eagles. Leading the way for the Eagles are seniors Josh Park (132), Tommy Chamberlain (145) and Mac Ferguson (182). All three wrestlers have very competitive weight classes today, but based on past results, all three will be laced up tightly and reading to scrap. The Eagles do have a returning champion for this event in Nic Fulty. Last year, Fulty walked away with a pin in the finals of the 112 pound weight class. One has to imagine that he would love another TCI award for his collection. Other New Albany Wrestling Eagles looking to put their stamp on today s tournament are juniors Corey Mulvey (152) and Gabe Sheets (160). Keep an eye out for Harry Seward (138) as well

OLENTANGY ORANGE 2840 East Orange Road Lewis Center, Ohio 43035 School Mascot: Pioneers School Colors: Blue & Orange Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Capital Head Coach: Brian Nicola Assistant

7 OLENTANGY ORANGE 2840 East Orange Road Lewis Center, Ohio School Mascot: Pioneers School Colors: Blue & Orange Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Capital Head Coach: Brian Nicola Assistant Coaches: Jamey Kasser, Brian Hipsher, Phil Hardymon & Dave Simpson Brian Nicola is hoping his team can improve on the small successes of the past few weeks while competing in today s tournament. Coach Nicola and company have worked hard all off-season, on into the pre-season and all through the Christmas season and hope to keep rolling along as they head into February. To start the season, the Pioneers visited Upper Arlington, North Canton and Brecksville tournaments. All three were excellent experiences for the wrestlers. As the new year came, so did they Olentangy Orange Invitational, affectionately dubbed The Meatgrinder. The Pioneers won their own tournament, outscoring runner-up Pickerington North just over 50 points. The Pioneers did this on the strength of 6 finalists; 4 of whom won championships. On an individual level, the Pioneers are led by seniors Dan Dawson (145), Dante Ventresca (160), Zach Hall (220) and Yun Kang (285). This group of seniors sets the tone for the entire team; a team that seems to be following that lead. Look for freshman Borton (113) and junior Fath (126) to display this fact PICKERINGTON NORTH 7800 Refugee Road Pickerington, OH School Mascot: Panthers School Colors: Black & Silver Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Ohio Head Coach: Brad Harris Assistant Coaches: Andy Harris, Keith Harris, David McCampbell & Dan Salinas This year s installment of the Cruiser Invitational is glad to welcome the Pickerington North Panthers. This school, although just under a decade young, is building a tradition, from academics to the arts, including athletics. And wrestling is certainly a part of that athletic tradition. Coach Brad Harris is hoping that the early season tournaments, such as Solon and their own Panther Invitational, have prepared his team for not only The Cruiser Invitational, but also the late push into the post season. The Panthers have a number of bright stars hoping to continue wrestling on into March. Starting things off for the Panthers at 106 pounds is junior Peyton Gutierrez. Gutierrez is a transfer from Columbus DeSales High School, for whom he was a state qualifier as a freshman and placed 7 th as a sophomore. The other side of the spectrum has stellar heavyweight Pat Elflein. A state qualifier last year, Elflein looks to do more than qualify for this year s state tournament. Currently, he is projected 3 rd. Other Panthers looking to leave their mark at this year s Cruiser Invitational are the Notestine brothers, Orr (113)

TROY 151 West Stauton Road Troy, Ohio 45373 School Mascot: Trojans School Colors: Scarlet & Gray Conference: Greater Western Ohio - North Head Coach: Doug Curnes Assistant Coach: Andy Blankenship The

While the team did lose a state place winner to graduation, it does return some excellent talent. Senior heavyweight Ryne Rich is back and was a district qualifier for the Trojans last year.

8 TROY 151 West Stauton Road Troy, Ohio School Mascot: Trojans School Colors: Scarlet & Gray Conference: Greater Western Ohio - North Head Coach: Doug Curnes Assistant Coach: Andy Blankenship The Troy Trojans are one of a few out-of-town teams to journey to Groveport for this tournament. The Trojans travel from the Dayton area and set to do battle with the rest of the competition. While the team did lose a state place winner to graduation, it does return some excellent talent. Senior heavyweight Ryne Rich is back and was a district qualifier for the Trojans last year. Another wrestler that seems to be having a great deal of success this year is sophomore Kevin McGraw (182). Both wrestlers will have their work cut out for them as attempt to be the last man standing. Joining these two wrestlers will be senior Tyler Sparks (120) and junior Logan Schlosser (152) among others. As a team, Troy fared well at the Edgewood Invite, placed in the top half at both the Panther Invitational as well as their tournament. I would expect the same grit and guts from the Troy wrestlers today. Feel free to follow the rest of the Troy Trojans season at troytrojansports.com/wrestling_troy_trojans_ohio.html UPPER ARLINGTON 1650 Ridgeview Road Columbus, OH School Mascot: Golden Bears School Colors: Black & Gold Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Central Head Coach: Matt Stout C oach Matt Stout has been a part of the Golden Bear wrestling program for just over two decades! The beginning portion of his time was spent as a high school stand-out for the Golden Bears, qualifying for the state tournament each of his four years and placing 2nd in the state his senior year. This past summer/fall, however, he became the head wrestling coach for the team. (And discounting his affinity towards that school up north, he isn t that bad of a guy. ;-) ) Leading the way for the Bears will be a duo of wrestlers in returning district qualifier Vito DiBenedetto (138) and Skyler Sowry (170). Both wrestlers have been crowned champions or been in the finals at at least three tournaments. Others who plan to score points for the Golden Bears are freshman Keith Neely (132) - who was champion at the Lee Spitzer Duals, sophomore Keith Neely (152) - who finished 3rd place at a stout Kettering tournament and Jared Drake, also a sophomore, who finished 3rd at both the Spitzer Duals and the Bishop Ready Winter Classic. Unfortunately for the Bears, they will be without last year s Cruiser Invitational champion at 103 pounds, Kenji Gerhardt, who is out with an injury. Get well soon, young man. Hope to see you around soon

WESTERVILLE CENTRAL 7118 Mount Royal Avenue Westerville, Ohio 43082 School Mascot: Warhawks School Colors: Silver & Black Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Cardinal Head Coach: Bob Fresch

9 WESTERVILLE CENTRAL 7118 Mount Royal Avenue Westerville, Ohio School Mascot: Warhawks School Colors: Silver & Black Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Cardinal Head Coach: Bob Fresch Assistant Coach: Joel Brown, Phil Carney, Jim Edwards & Ryan Moran Westerville Central, in only its 9th year in existence, has already been able to crown a state champ, who was also the school s first overall placer and as it turns out, first two-time state placer. The Warhawks are currently grooming this year s flock to reach similar heights. Leading the charge is senior Zach Brown (160). Zach enters this tournament at 32-2, with individual championships at the West Jefferson Holiday Classic and the Orange Invitational, as well as a solid runner-up finish at the Alliance Top Gun Tournament. To go along with these, Zach is also a three-time district qualifier and two-time state alternate. Also, he recently chalked up his 150 victory. Another Warhawk that has been able to prove himself is sophomore Michael Hines (106). Hines was a district alternate last year, finished 2nd at the Orange Invitational, ended up 5th at West Jefferson and would like add placing at - or even winning - The Cruiser Invitational to his list! A trio of seniors that hope to continue improving are returning district qualifier D Ron Goosby (120), Dante Camboni (220) and Karim Cardoso (285) - who placed 5th at both the Orange Invitational and the West Jefferson Tournament WORTHINGTON KILBOURNE 1499 Hard Road Columbus, Ohio School Mascot: Wolves School Colors: Black & Blue Conference: Ohio Capital Conference - Cardinal Head Coach: Brett Shaut Assistant Coach: Tom Taylor, Andrew Terrell Brett Shaut, in his first year as head coach of the Wolves, hopes to continue the upward pattern that has been set in motion the past few years. This past fall, he put in a great amount of time in order to give his wrestlers the best chance at success. It appears that his wrestlers are buying in. To start the season, the Wolves started out at the Lee Spitzer Duals, hosted by Upper Arlington. They had an excellent showing, earning 2nd place. They were also runners-up in the Wolfpack Dual. They finished 6 th at the Lorain Holiday Tournament. To be sure, the Wolves would rather a championship finish than another runner-up finish. To help do this will be senior Mike Mayberry (195) - who is currently undefeated, junior James Gundling (145), as well as Lucky Shaut (113), among others. Note: Former District Qualifier Nico Shaut was a late scratch due to injury

SPONSORS The Groveport Madison Wrestling Cruisers

43230 A Friendly Place to Eat and Drink.

Circleville, Ohio 43113 www.ohiochatter.

10 SPONSORS The Groveport Madison Wrestling Cruisers are proud to show our partnership with these local businesses: Home City Ice 4505 S. Hamilton Road Groveport, Ohio Healthier than homemade! Giant Eagle 3841 S. Hamilton Road Groveport, Ohio Make everyday taste better! Gatsby s 151 North Hamilton Road Gahanna, OH A Friendly Place to Eat and Drink. Weller Construction 2480 Walnut Creek Pike Circleville, Ohio Results for this tournament can be found here. Meijer 8300 Meijer Drive Canal Winchester, OH Higher Standards. Lower Prices. REFEREE S PAGE

15th Annual Ohio Youth Basketball School Team State Championships February , 2018

15th Annual Ohio Youth Basketball School Team State Championships February 23-24-25, 2018 Central Crossing HS - Hilliard City Schools Boys/Girls School Teams Grades 3rd - 4th - 5th - 6th Entry Fee $ 275.00