Jan. 16, 2007 • Wrestlers of the Week
Opponents are pointless vs. Farnsworth; Ward showed dominance in different ways
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
He may be the best senior 103-pounder in the nation. Nobody in North Carolina — or in New York — would dispute that.
After winning the title in the NHSCA National High School Juniors Wrestling Championships last season, it’s been full speed ahead for Cary (N.C.) High’s Joey Farnsworth. Not only is Farnsworth, third in the Class 4A state meet a year ago, 39-0 as of a week ago, but he has not given up a single point in those 39 matches; not even an intentional escape.
Could he through the entire season without giving up a point?
Among those on Farnsworth’s opponents log so far: the wrestlers ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in 4A, Michael Townsend of Boone Watauga High and Devin Solow of Chapel Hill High, David Henninger of Havelock High, ranked No. 2 in 3A, and all four opponents Tri-Valley League Tournament in New York in December.
With the schedule his school, Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita High, wrestles, Illinois commitment Jerome Ward (189) certainly will give up some points. He even has a loss this season: 4-3 to fellow state champion Joe Fagiano of Chicago St. Patrick High. Since that match, Fagiano has returned to last season’s state tournament weight of 215.
But look at the recent wins on his resume.
In dual meets last week, Ward moved up to 215 and stopped Northwestern recruit John Schoen of Chicago Marist High, 6-4. Two days later, Ward weighed in at 215 and went to heavyweight to record a 7-3 victory over Pete Kowalczuk of Oak Park-River Forest High, a former Cadet National place-winner.
Last week, Ward showed he hadn’t lost his touch a 189, either. He won the Geneseo Bi-State Tournament with an 8-3 victory over Scott Penny of Granite City High. All Penny had done in the semifinals was record a 4-3 victory over Junior National placewinner Brodie Ambrose of Eldridge (Iowa) North Scott High.
Not bad for a week’s work.
Despite four pins, Nazareth wins Virginia Duals
Christiansburg reverses Battlefield Duals loss to Great Bridge
The semifinal and final rounds at the Virginia Duals Jan. 12-13 at Hampton, Va. were filled, as always, with high drama.
When Virginia’s top two powers, Chesapeake Great Bridge High and Christiansburg High, took the mat for the second time in a week in one semifinal in the top-flight National High School Division, there wasn’t a seat to be had.
Great Bridge had won eight matches in their first showdown, at the Battlefield Duals, in a 34-27 victory, a meet that also had seen Stafford Colonial Forge High tie Christiansburg 34-34 on the mat. Colonial Forge lost a team point due to unsportsmanlike conduct made the actual final 34-33 in favor of the Blue Demons.
With some moving around in weights taking place, no less than eight match results were reversed this time, with five of the reversals going Christiansburg’s way in a 31-29 victory.
The key match saw Christiansburg three-time state champion Cody Gardner score a 15-3 major decision over Great Bridge’s 189-pound standout, Scott Cust at 215. The victory gave the Blue Demons a 31-26 lead, which held up when the Wildcats’ Matt Richardson edged Charlie Weber 1-0 at 285.
Nazareth (Pa.) High, despite being pinned four times, won eight bouts to take the title match 32-31.
Christiansburg’s first reversal took place at 103 pounds, where freshman Devin Carter pinned Taylor Wilde. Wilde had won a 7-4 decision the previous week. Great Bridge’s Garrett Haas and Christiansburg’s Ian Squires traded technical falls and Drew Squires (125) engineered Christiansburg’s second turnaround, beating Marty Carlson 6-4 to make it 14-5.
Great Bridge rallied on a pair of turnarounds of its own, victories by P.J. Clamp (135) and freshman Joey Granger (140) to take a 15-14 lead. The Blue Demons then engineered two more turnarounds, Andrew Clement’s 3-0 victory over Alan Clamp at 145 and Sam Rakes’ 4-1 victory over Willy Mello at 160.
Nazareth, which beat Cherry Hill (N.J.) Camden Catholic High 41-24 to advance to the finals, fell behind 16-0 as Carter and freshman Jacob Phillips (112) scored falls for Christiansburg and Squires added a major decision at 119. But the Blue Eagles came back with four straight wins and, including nationally-ranked Mike Greck’s pin over Sid Humphreys at 135, to lead 20-16.
After Clement stopped the streak with a win at 145, the Blue Eagles put the meet away with four more hard-fought decisions. Two-time state champion Tim Darling shut out Rakes 3-0 at 152, Thad Frick turned Luke Brugh 17-11, Eric Sergent edged Braden Carter 4-3 at 171 and state runner-up David Crowell beat Brett Buckner 10-5 to make it 32-19 with two matches remaining, making Gardner’s pin of state place-winner Mike Mutch at 215 and Weber’s pin at 285 inconsequential as far as the final score was concerned.
Great Bridge turned back Camden Catholic, 38-24, for third place.
A pair of Virginia Beach schools met for the American High School Division championship, with Cox High turning back Kellam High 44-26. Norfolk Granby High won the Black and Blue Division crown, 44-31 over Poquoson High.
The Outstanding Wrestler awards in the three meets all went to 130-pounders. Senior state place-winner Derek Gillespie of Great Bridge took the honors in the National High School Division after posting two pins, two major decisions and a decision. Zach Crain of Columbia (N.Y.) High, who had two pins and a forfeit, took the American High School Division honor.
Three-time Virginia champion Collin Dozier of Cox also was impressive with three pins and a 13-6 decision over state placewinner Leigh Tobias of Johnson City High. Ben Canning of Yorktown Tabb High had three pins, a technical fall and a forfeit to take the Black and Blue Division OW.
Previous Wrestlers of the Week
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
He may be the best senior 103-pounder in the nation. Nobody in North Carolina — or in New York — would dispute that.
After winning the title in the NHSCA National High School Juniors Wrestling Championships last season, it’s been full speed ahead for Cary (N.C.) High’s Joey Farnsworth. Not only is Farnsworth, third in the Class 4A state meet a year ago, 39-0 as of a week ago, but he has not given up a single point in those 39 matches; not even an intentional escape.
Could he through the entire season without giving up a point?
Among those on Farnsworth’s opponents log so far: the wrestlers ranked No. 2 and No. 3 in 4A, Michael Townsend of Boone Watauga High and Devin Solow of Chapel Hill High, David Henninger of Havelock High, ranked No. 2 in 3A, and all four opponents Tri-Valley League Tournament in New York in December.
With the schedule his school, Chicago (Ill.) St. Rita High, wrestles, Illinois commitment Jerome Ward (189) certainly will give up some points. He even has a loss this season: 4-3 to fellow state champion Joe Fagiano of Chicago St. Patrick High. Since that match, Fagiano has returned to last season’s state tournament weight of 215.
But look at the recent wins on his resume.
In dual meets last week, Ward moved up to 215 and stopped Northwestern recruit John Schoen of Chicago Marist High, 6-4. Two days later, Ward weighed in at 215 and went to heavyweight to record a 7-3 victory over Pete Kowalczuk of Oak Park-River Forest High, a former Cadet National place-winner.
Last week, Ward showed he hadn’t lost his touch a 189, either. He won the Geneseo Bi-State Tournament with an 8-3 victory over Scott Penny of Granite City High. All Penny had done in the semifinals was record a 4-3 victory over Junior National placewinner Brodie Ambrose of Eldridge (Iowa) North Scott High.
Not bad for a week’s work.
Despite four pins, Nazareth wins Virginia Duals
Christiansburg reverses Battlefield Duals loss to Great Bridge
The semifinal and final rounds at the Virginia Duals Jan. 12-13 at Hampton, Va. were filled, as always, with high drama.
When Virginia’s top two powers, Chesapeake Great Bridge High and Christiansburg High, took the mat for the second time in a week in one semifinal in the top-flight National High School Division, there wasn’t a seat to be had.
Great Bridge had won eight matches in their first showdown, at the Battlefield Duals, in a 34-27 victory, a meet that also had seen Stafford Colonial Forge High tie Christiansburg 34-34 on the mat. Colonial Forge lost a team point due to unsportsmanlike conduct made the actual final 34-33 in favor of the Blue Demons.
With some moving around in weights taking place, no less than eight match results were reversed this time, with five of the reversals going Christiansburg’s way in a 31-29 victory.
The key match saw Christiansburg three-time state champion Cody Gardner score a 15-3 major decision over Great Bridge’s 189-pound standout, Scott Cust at 215. The victory gave the Blue Demons a 31-26 lead, which held up when the Wildcats’ Matt Richardson edged Charlie Weber 1-0 at 285.
Nazareth (Pa.) High, despite being pinned four times, won eight bouts to take the title match 32-31.
Christiansburg’s first reversal took place at 103 pounds, where freshman Devin Carter pinned Taylor Wilde. Wilde had won a 7-4 decision the previous week. Great Bridge’s Garrett Haas and Christiansburg’s Ian Squires traded technical falls and Drew Squires (125) engineered Christiansburg’s second turnaround, beating Marty Carlson 6-4 to make it 14-5.
Great Bridge rallied on a pair of turnarounds of its own, victories by P.J. Clamp (135) and freshman Joey Granger (140) to take a 15-14 lead. The Blue Demons then engineered two more turnarounds, Andrew Clement’s 3-0 victory over Alan Clamp at 145 and Sam Rakes’ 4-1 victory over Willy Mello at 160.
Nazareth, which beat Cherry Hill (N.J.) Camden Catholic High 41-24 to advance to the finals, fell behind 16-0 as Carter and freshman Jacob Phillips (112) scored falls for Christiansburg and Squires added a major decision at 119. But the Blue Eagles came back with four straight wins and, including nationally-ranked Mike Greck’s pin over Sid Humphreys at 135, to lead 20-16.
After Clement stopped the streak with a win at 145, the Blue Eagles put the meet away with four more hard-fought decisions. Two-time state champion Tim Darling shut out Rakes 3-0 at 152, Thad Frick turned Luke Brugh 17-11, Eric Sergent edged Braden Carter 4-3 at 171 and state runner-up David Crowell beat Brett Buckner 10-5 to make it 32-19 with two matches remaining, making Gardner’s pin of state place-winner Mike Mutch at 215 and Weber’s pin at 285 inconsequential as far as the final score was concerned.
Great Bridge turned back Camden Catholic, 38-24, for third place.
A pair of Virginia Beach schools met for the American High School Division championship, with Cox High turning back Kellam High 44-26. Norfolk Granby High won the Black and Blue Division crown, 44-31 over Poquoson High.
The Outstanding Wrestler awards in the three meets all went to 130-pounders. Senior state place-winner Derek Gillespie of Great Bridge took the honors in the National High School Division after posting two pins, two major decisions and a decision. Zach Crain of Columbia (N.Y.) High, who had two pins and a forfeit, took the American High School Division honor.
Three-time Virginia champion Collin Dozier of Cox also was impressive with three pins and a 13-6 decision over state placewinner Leigh Tobias of Johnson City High. Ben Canning of Yorktown Tabb High had three pins, a technical fall and a forfeit to take the Black and Blue Division OW.
Previous Wrestlers of the Week