March 6, 2007 •Wrestlers of the Week
– Frank Becker and Zach Sanders
– Frank Becker and Zach Sanders
Sanders leaves no doubt; Becker finishes big
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
As good as the heavyweight class was in Ohio this year, you knew where we were going with this one when you read yesterday’s blog installment.
Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller High’s Frank Becker, who will play football at the University of Cincinnati next year, was nothing special during the regular season — a schedule loaded with quality big men had something to do with that — but he was plenty special in the Division 1 state tournament last weekend at Columbus. Becker posted three consecutive victories over nationally-ranked opponents to win.
Becker pinned Hilliard Darby High’s Antonio Jeremiah in the quarterfinals, nipped Reynoldsburg High’s Andy Hartshorn 3-2 in the semifinals and then scored a huge stunner in the finals, getting a takedown in overtime to topple defending champion Brendan Barlow of Westerville Central High 3-1 in overtime in a finals round that featured plenty of upsets and near-upsets.
Jeremiah, who finished third, also is headed to the college gridiron at Michigan State University.
Meanwhile, Minnesota now has two five-time state champions and they’re from the same family.
While the Twin Cities area was dodging snowflakes outside, nobody could escape Minnesota recruit Zach Sanders inside St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center inside. Sanders made it look easy in Class A’s 119-pound class, easily winning the crown to join his older brother Eric, who won five straight from 1999-2003.
None of Sanders’ matches went the distance as he racked up a 54-second pin and three technical falls to finish his senior year 44-0.
More from Juniorland, a.k.a Minnesota…
Apple Valley High and St. Michael-Albertville High repeated as champions in Class 3A and 2A, respectively. A strong second-place performance in The Clash National Duals propelled the Eagles to a strong second half and victory in a 3A field that was one of the deepest in recent memory. Apple Valley was pushed in two of its three state tournament matches, beating Albert Lea High 34-22 in the quarterfinals and Hastings High 35-18 in the title match. In between, the Eagles pounded St. Paul Mounds View High, 56-3.
Leading the Eagles were their killer lower weights, Eric Devos (103), Destin McCauley (112), Tom Kelliher (119) and Matt Mincey (125). The four combined for 16 points against Albert Lea, 22 against Mounds View and 17 against Hastings as they won 15 of 16 matches, nine with bonus points. The only loss of 16, Devos’ 5-1 loss to Albert Lea’s Cody Hansen, was avenged in the individual state finals as Devos, a seventh-grader, prevailed 8-6 in overtime. The rest of the lineup wasn’t bad, either, as they took nine of the 14 matches in the final against Hastings.
Kelliher and Mincey are just two members of what constitutes one of the nation’s top junior classes this year.
Meanwhile, St. Michael-Albertville, arguably the state’s top team a year ago regardless of class, managed to repeat despite graduating 10 senior starters from last year’s powerhouse.
None were easy, however, as STMA prevailed 33-24 over Annandale/Maple Lake High in the quarterfinals, 30-24 over Kasson-Mantorville High in the semifinals and 28-25 over Perham High for the title. David Thorn (112-119), Alex Becker (125), Joe Grygelko (145-152) and Kyle Schumm (215-285) were STMA’s three-match winners.
Here’s the rest of the story.
Class 3A: Only another standout junior, Wayzata High’s Derek Schreiner, thanks to a 2-1 squeaker over Kelliher in the final at 119, prevented Apple Valley from making the first four weights a clean sweep. Eighth-grader McCauley (112) didn’t give up a point in registering three pins and a 13-0 major decision. At 125, Mincey scored a 14-7 victory over Wayzata’s David Zilverberg, who had pinned 2005 champion Trey Bertram of Hastings – yes, another junior – in the semifinals.
The division’s remaining standouts all won. More juniors – Jake Deitchler (145) of Anoka High, Josh Wiseman (130) and Sam Maresh (285) of Champlin Park High and Jake Kahnke (189) of Prior Lake High – all showed why they’ll also be heavily recruited a year from now. Deitchler (40-0) and Kahnke (41-0) had identical records, both recording two technical falls and two major decisions. Maresh racked up two pins, and a major decision, then breezed 10-3 in the final. Deitchler’s workout partner at Anoka, senior Lucas Murray (140), also won to finish 43-0.
As it had been all year, the 215-pound weight class was a two-man senior show, with Junior National champion Pat Mahan of Owatonna High again coming out on top, 5-4 over Tyler Hemmesch of Elk River High. Mahan finished 45-0 and was responsible for Hemmesch’s only two losses of the season, both by one point.
Class 2A: Thorn (112) and Grygelko (145) both repeated for St. Michael-Albertville. Jackson County Central’s trio of junior stars – there’s that word again – Cole Von Ohlen (119), Torey Stewart (135) and Travis Rutt (160) all reached the finals. Von Ohlen and Rutt took titles, but defending champion fell 5-2 to Belle Plaine Scott West High’s Tony Valek. Mankato East High senior Cody Adams (125) won his third title, Stewartville High senior Mike Schmitz (171) also repeated and Staples-Motley High senior Hakan Binek (215) won the title by pinning all four opponents.
Class A: Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City High downed perennial power Frazee High 33-21 to take its first state title. Seniors Joe Murphy (130) of Bloomington Trinity School at River Ridge and Tad Merritt (152) of Canby High won their second titles.
By Rob Sherrill, W.I.N. High School Editor
As good as the heavyweight class was in Ohio this year, you knew where we were going with this one when you read yesterday’s blog installment.
Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller High’s Frank Becker, who will play football at the University of Cincinnati next year, was nothing special during the regular season — a schedule loaded with quality big men had something to do with that — but he was plenty special in the Division 1 state tournament last weekend at Columbus. Becker posted three consecutive victories over nationally-ranked opponents to win.
Becker pinned Hilliard Darby High’s Antonio Jeremiah in the quarterfinals, nipped Reynoldsburg High’s Andy Hartshorn 3-2 in the semifinals and then scored a huge stunner in the finals, getting a takedown in overtime to topple defending champion Brendan Barlow of Westerville Central High 3-1 in overtime in a finals round that featured plenty of upsets and near-upsets.
Jeremiah, who finished third, also is headed to the college gridiron at Michigan State University.
Meanwhile, Minnesota now has two five-time state champions and they’re from the same family.
While the Twin Cities area was dodging snowflakes outside, nobody could escape Minnesota recruit Zach Sanders inside St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center inside. Sanders made it look easy in Class A’s 119-pound class, easily winning the crown to join his older brother Eric, who won five straight from 1999-2003.
None of Sanders’ matches went the distance as he racked up a 54-second pin and three technical falls to finish his senior year 44-0.
More from Juniorland, a.k.a Minnesota…
Apple Valley High and St. Michael-Albertville High repeated as champions in Class 3A and 2A, respectively. A strong second-place performance in The Clash National Duals propelled the Eagles to a strong second half and victory in a 3A field that was one of the deepest in recent memory. Apple Valley was pushed in two of its three state tournament matches, beating Albert Lea High 34-22 in the quarterfinals and Hastings High 35-18 in the title match. In between, the Eagles pounded St. Paul Mounds View High, 56-3.
Leading the Eagles were their killer lower weights, Eric Devos (103), Destin McCauley (112), Tom Kelliher (119) and Matt Mincey (125). The four combined for 16 points against Albert Lea, 22 against Mounds View and 17 against Hastings as they won 15 of 16 matches, nine with bonus points. The only loss of 16, Devos’ 5-1 loss to Albert Lea’s Cody Hansen, was avenged in the individual state finals as Devos, a seventh-grader, prevailed 8-6 in overtime. The rest of the lineup wasn’t bad, either, as they took nine of the 14 matches in the final against Hastings.
Kelliher and Mincey are just two members of what constitutes one of the nation’s top junior classes this year.
Meanwhile, St. Michael-Albertville, arguably the state’s top team a year ago regardless of class, managed to repeat despite graduating 10 senior starters from last year’s powerhouse.
None were easy, however, as STMA prevailed 33-24 over Annandale/Maple Lake High in the quarterfinals, 30-24 over Kasson-Mantorville High in the semifinals and 28-25 over Perham High for the title. David Thorn (112-119), Alex Becker (125), Joe Grygelko (145-152) and Kyle Schumm (215-285) were STMA’s three-match winners.
Here’s the rest of the story.
Class 3A: Only another standout junior, Wayzata High’s Derek Schreiner, thanks to a 2-1 squeaker over Kelliher in the final at 119, prevented Apple Valley from making the first four weights a clean sweep. Eighth-grader McCauley (112) didn’t give up a point in registering three pins and a 13-0 major decision. At 125, Mincey scored a 14-7 victory over Wayzata’s David Zilverberg, who had pinned 2005 champion Trey Bertram of Hastings – yes, another junior – in the semifinals.
The division’s remaining standouts all won. More juniors – Jake Deitchler (145) of Anoka High, Josh Wiseman (130) and Sam Maresh (285) of Champlin Park High and Jake Kahnke (189) of Prior Lake High – all showed why they’ll also be heavily recruited a year from now. Deitchler (40-0) and Kahnke (41-0) had identical records, both recording two technical falls and two major decisions. Maresh racked up two pins, and a major decision, then breezed 10-3 in the final. Deitchler’s workout partner at Anoka, senior Lucas Murray (140), also won to finish 43-0.
As it had been all year, the 215-pound weight class was a two-man senior show, with Junior National champion Pat Mahan of Owatonna High again coming out on top, 5-4 over Tyler Hemmesch of Elk River High. Mahan finished 45-0 and was responsible for Hemmesch’s only two losses of the season, both by one point.
Class 2A: Thorn (112) and Grygelko (145) both repeated for St. Michael-Albertville. Jackson County Central’s trio of junior stars – there’s that word again – Cole Von Ohlen (119), Torey Stewart (135) and Travis Rutt (160) all reached the finals. Von Ohlen and Rutt took titles, but defending champion fell 5-2 to Belle Plaine Scott West High’s Tony Valek. Mankato East High senior Cody Adams (125) won his third title, Stewartville High senior Mike Schmitz (171) also repeated and Staples-Motley High senior Hakan Binek (215) won the title by pinning all four opponents.
Class A: Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City High downed perennial power Frazee High 33-21 to take its first state title. Seniors Joe Murphy (130) of Bloomington Trinity School at River Ridge and Tad Merritt (152) of Canby High won their second titles.