SPORTS
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CJN-MMA
March 9, 2011
HIGH SCHOOL | YOUTH | Editor Melanie Laughman | mlaughman@communitypress.com | 248-7573
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Gresham wins state, Simpson takes third By Adam Turer
eastsports@communitypress.com
Goshen High School junior Chaz Gresham is the 2011 Division II state champion wrestler at 189 pounds. He became the second state wrestling champion in school history and first in 32 years. He also accomplished the feat in the same year his stepbrother, Joey Ward of Moeller (see separate story), won a title in the 125-pound weight class. “It means a lot,” head coach Dallas Rise said. “He set the goal for himself at the beginning of the year that he wanted to win state.” Gresham placed at state in each of his first two varsity seasons, but fell short of first place. His coaches knew he had the potential to break through this season. Gresham faced some of the top competition in the state and in the country throughout the season. He wrestled at the Walsh Ironman Invitational in December, one of the nation’s top high school wrestling meets. “We put together a really tough schedule for him,” Rise said. “He lost some matches early in the year to some high-caliber kids.” After a second-place district finish, Gresham breezed through his first few matches at the state tournament. “He’s so good that kids
ERNEST COLEMAN/STAFF
Goshen High School Chaz Gresham gets a win over Mantua Crestwood’s Joey Monroe in the 189 weight class on March 4 in the Ohio High School Division II State Wrestling Tournament at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, Columbus. facing him for the first time have a real tough time trying to figure him out,” Rise said. The state final was a rematch from the previous weekend’s district final. Gresham avenged a controversial loss at districts. Despite losing to St. Parish Graham’s Huston
Evans the week before, Gresham was confident heading into the rematch. “In his mind, he knew that he could beat him,” said Rise, of Gresham’s mindset going into his championship match against Evans. Senior Aaron Walker traveled up to Columbus to
help Gresham train in between matches. Walker just missed qualifying for state himself at 140 pounds, but supported Gresham by warming up and drilling with him in Columbus. The state championship was a culmination of the grueling season and years of hard work for Gresham. It was an emotional moment for the junior, his coaches, and his family. “In the last few seconds of the championship match, his dad started to tear up a bit,” said Rise. “He’s not the kind of guy to do that, and seeing him choked me up a bit too.” Rise hopes to obtain a blown-up print of the final state bracket, showing Gresham as the last man standing. He wants to hang the print up in the school’s wrestling room to motivate future Warriors. “We have a few really good kids in our youth program and this gives them something to look to,” said Rise. “This can definitely be used as a motivation tool.” Clermont Northeastern senior Nick Simpson capped his record-breaking career with a third-place finish in the 103 pound class at state. “We’re very proud of Nick,” head coach Scott Wells said. “He lost a heartbreaker in the semifinals.” Simpson’s third-place medal was the second-highest in school history and
AMANDA DAVIDSON/STAFF
Clermont Northeastern’s Nick Simpson, a senior, shown grappling with Trey Davisson, a senior at New Lexington, during their match in the 103-pound division at districts, took third place at state. best since 2002. He set the CNE single season and career wins records this season. Simpson was named the Southern Buckeye Academic Athletic Conference American Division cowrestler of the year and won a district title this season. He also won his third sectional title. After crushing his first two opponents by a combined score of 28-0, Simpson fell to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s Mike Rix 10 in the semifinals on Friday, March 4. Rix went on to win the state championship. Simpson won both of his matches on Saturday,
March 5, to earn the thirdplace medal. In his five state matches, Simpson outscored his opponents by a total score of 33-2. He wrestled at 112 pounds during the regular season, but dropped down to 103 pounds for the postseason. He was the only senior in that class at state, and faced a strong batch of young wrestlers. Simpson finished his CNE career with 136 wins, to just 21 losses. He posted a 46-1 record this season, setting the CNE single-season record for wins. “Nick will be hard to replace,” Wells said. “I hope younger kids see that they can do this at CNE.” Simpson set the standard for all future Rockets wrestlers, both on and off the mat. He challenged himself in the classroom and in the gym. Simpson leaves behind a winning legacy at CNE. “Nick represented CNE very well,” said Wells. “He’s a classy young man and a great student-athlete. He’s well respected by his teammates and his teachers.” Simpson hopes to wrestle next year in college and will begin going on college visits in the coming weeks, said Wells. Wells is hopeful that Simpson’s achievements and positive influence will help boost the CNE wrestling program’s profile. “I hope the school and community recognize Nick’s accomplishments,” he said.
Moeller’s Ward wins championship By Scott Springer sspringer@communitypress.com
The Moeller wrestling machine continued on in Columbus as the Crusaders sent eight to state, along with three alternates, from March 3-5 at the Schottenstein Center. District champion junior Joey Ward proved his worth statewide by taking first place at 125 pounds in Division I. Ward beat by decision Kagan Squire of one of the big DI powerhouses, Wadsworth for the championship. "It's really (about) who's on, matchups and who can handle some of the pressure," coach Jeff Gaier said on winning a state title. Ward handled all of his pressure fine as he pinned
his first opponent, wasn't scored on for the next two, then hung on for the championship against Squire. Ward was Moeller's only state champion, and it was a family affair for the Wards as his stepbrother Chaz Gresham of Goshen won the state title at 189 pounds in Division II. "He was in a good position and a good spot on the bracket," Gaier said of his junior champ. "He believed he could win it. That's half the battle if you can get the kids to believe." Before Ward's feat March 5, Moeller's last state champions were from 2007 – Germane Lindsey at 140 pounds, who wrestled at Ohio University, and heavyweight Frank Becker, who
went on to play football at UC. Even though they had multiple qualifiers, a team title for Moeller was difficult. Lakewood St. Edward (near Cleveland) had 10, Wadsworth had nine, Massillon Perry had eight. Gaier saw those three schools as the top Division I threats and they were (it was Lakewood St. Edward, Massillon Perry and Wadsworth in that order). Elder finished fourth, with the Crusaders six points back in fifth. "They had guys that were ranked a little higher," Gaier said. "It was going to be tough to get past those three." Among Moeller's other wrestlers faring well was 119-pound senior Brian
MacVeigh who took third place over Del Vinas of Twinsburg. MacVeigh had to battle back through the consolation rounds after losing his first match 2-1 to Mitch Newhouse of Massillon Perry. Gaier also sent some youthful Crusaders to the state mat as freshmen Dean Meyer (140), Dakota Sizemore (145), Jerry Thornberry (189) and Chalmer Frueauf (215) all got a chance to tangle for a title. Of the four freshmen, Frueauf took fourth, losing the third-place match to Jason Gott of Elyria 11-6, while Meyer and Thornberry both placed eighth. "For them to put together as many good matches as they did as freshmen is
quite a feat," Gaier said. "We've only had a handful of freshman ever qualify for the state tournament. To have four of them in one year is a pretty nice accomplishment." It also means Jeff Gaier and Moeller will be loaded with talent again next season as only one of his five state placers graduates (Brian MacVeigh). The key to winning a state title is tough to teach. Moeller's advantage is their reputation and experience in being in the big venues. "The biggest thing is that the nerves don't get to you," Gaier said. "It is intimidating. You walk out there and you've got 17-18,000 people. We've had guys win state titles against guys that
GREG LORING/CONTRIBUTOR
At Value City Arena in Columbus March 5, Moeller’s Joey Ward wins the Division I 125 pound State Wrestling Championship. Ward’s stepbrother, Chaz Gresham, also won a state title in Division II for Goshen at 189 pounds. beat them handily the previous week and I think it was because of nerves. It just comes down to being loose and confident."
Goshen hoops exceed expectations By Adam Turer eastsports@communitypress.com
BRANDON SEVERN/ CONTRIBUTOR
Derek Koch of Goshen uses his speed to catch the McNicholas defense off guard. No. 3 seed McNicholas met the No. 4 seeded Goshen Warriors in the second round of the district tournament March 1.
It’s not every year that a high school basketball coach fields a team of 10 seniors. For Goshen’s Scott Wake, this was a special season. The Warriors exceeded expectations, but their season ended on March 1 with a 35-34 loss to McNicholas in their first game of the sectional tournament. The Warriors drew a bye in the first round and faced the 14-7 Rockets in the second round. McNick’s Ryan Haynes sunk a free throw with two seconds left to give the Rockets the one-point victory. “That was probably one of the toughest losses I’ve ever had,” Wake said. “Both teams played really well defensively. There weren’t a lot of
shots to be had.” Despite the heartbreaking tournament exit, the Warriors have plenty to be proud of this season. The Warriors posted a 9-1 record in Southern Buckeye Academic Athletic Conference American Division play to win the league championship. Wake said he picked his team to finish third in the league in the preseason coaches’ poll. The team finished with a 17-4 overall record, the most wins for a Warriors team since the mid-1980s, according to Wake. “Looking back, it was a great year,” Wake said. “We were not expected to win the league or win 17 games. I think we exceeded our own expectations.” The team’s 10 seniors have left an impressive legacy at Goshen. Derek Koch, Anthony Voto, and Nick
Wake earned first team, all-SBAAC honors. James Ashcraft was named to the second team. Nick Wake was named the American Division Player of the Year, while Scott Wake earned Coach of the Year honors. Nick Wake, the team’s leader in scoring, assists, and steals also earned second team all-Southwest District honors. “This was as good a group of seniors as we’ve ever had,” Scott Wake said. “They have always been successful, going back to seventh and eighth grade. They found a way to win. It’s a tribute to their hard work in the offseasons and during the season.” Next season, the Warriors will field an entirely new varsity roster. The junior varsity also had a winning season this year. The players will need to adapt quickly against
more experienced varsity opponents next year. For Scott and Nick Wake, this season was the culmination of years of working together. The father coached his son to be a successful point guard and leader. The son dedicated himself to the program, leading his team to its best season in nearly 20 years. The reality that their run together at Goshen is over after four seasons is starting to set in for coach Wake. “It’s going to be different not coaching Nick next year,” said Scott Wake. “It was harder than I thought it would be when that last night came.” “Hopefully someone will be willing to work as hard as he did to be someone we could always count on at that position.”