Top-ranked Blair sends 11 to Ironman Quarterfinals

By Mike Finn

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — No high school team has won more Walsh-Jesuit Ironman tournaments than Blair Academy and the New Jersey prep school put itself in great position to capture a 14^th team championship — and second straight —Saturday night in the 24^th year of the annual event in Northeast Ohio.

For it was Blair that will send 11 of 14 wrestlers to the Saturday morning’s quarterfinals and has already scored 97.5 points, nearly 18 more than St. Paris Graham High School (Ohio) and Montini Catholic (Illinois), which each qualified eight for the quarterfinals.

Among the most successful Bucs were a pair of top seeds in Andrew Merola (160) and Julian Ramirez (170). Merola is looking to improve on his second-place finish a year ago.

St. Paris Graham, the winner of three previous Ironmans (the last coming in 2014) also features a top seed in Mitch Moore (145), who won an exciting 2-1 tiebreaker against Jake Stiles of Montini Catholic in their Round of 16 match. Montini’s sole top-seed quarterfinalist is Joey Melendez at 120 pounds.

Wyoming Seminary’s Beau Bartlett (right), who beat Kenny Hermann of Bethlehem Catholic, to reach the quarterfinals at 126 pounds, is among three wrestlers looking to win two straight Ironman titles. (Robert Preston photo)

Overall, 12 wrestlers who appeared in last year’s finals, returned for the 2017 Ironman, including four who won championships a year ago. But only three —120-pound Julian Tagg of Brecksville Broadview Heights, Ohio, 126-pound Beau Bartlett of Wyoming Seminary, Pa., and Michael Beard of Malvern Prep, Pa. — are still alive to win this season. Gabriel Tagg of Brecksville Broadview Heights, lost his Round of 16 bout.

Of the eight who finished second in the 2016 tournament with hopes of winning a championship in 2017 are Lucas Byrd (113) of LaSalle, Ohio, Joey Silva (132) of Lake Highland Prep in Florida, Moore (145) of St. Paris Graham, David Carr of Massillon Perry, Merola (160) of Blair, Ryan Karoly (182) of Malvern Prep (Pa.) and Cohlton Schultz (Hwt) of Ponderosa, Colo.

Among these returning runner-ups with perhaps the biggest challenge is Carr, the Iowa State signee and ranked No. 1 by WIN at 160, who may have to get past Montini Catholic’s Will Lewan, WIN’s top-ranked wrestler at 152 pounds.

2017 Walsh-Jesuit Ironman

Top 10 Teams Entering Quarterfinals

2017 Quarterfinal Matchups (Begin 10 a.m. EST on Saturday, Dec. 9)

106 pounds

Isaac Salas (St. John Bosco, CA) vs. Jacob Moon (Clay, Ore.)

Diego Sotelo (Marmion Academy, Ill.) vs. Ryan Miller (Blair Academy, NJ)

Richard Figueroa (Selma, Calif.) vs. Nain Vasquez (Montini Catholic, Ill.)

Colton Drosias (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) vs. Jacob Decatur (Cuyahoga Valley Christian, Ohio)

113 pounds

Lucas Byrd (LaSalle, Ohio) vs. Cevion Severado (Christian Brothers)

Dylan Shawver (Elyria, Ohio) vs. Ryan Chauvin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)

Trevor Mastrogiovani (Blair Academy, NJ) vs. Giano Petrucelli (Clovis, Calif.)

Dylan Ragusin (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Antonio Lorenzo (St. John Bosco, Calif.)

120 pounds

Joey Melendez (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Matthew Cardello (Cuyahoga Valley Christian, Ohio)

Matt Lackman (Bethlehem Catholic, Ill.) vs. Julian Tagg (Brecksville Broadview Hts, Ohio)

Malik Heiselman (Castle View, Colo.) vs. Brendon Fenton (Elyria, Ohio)

Logan Heil (Brunswick, Ohio) vs. Michael Colaiocco (Blair Academy, N.J.)

126 pounds

Jordan Decatur (Cuyahoga Valley Christian, Ohio) vs. Travis Mastrogiovan (Blair Academy, N.J.)

Clevelan Belton (St. John Bosco, Calif.) vs. Jordan Crace (St. Paris, Graham, Ohio)

Malik Johnson (Christian Brothers) vs. Ryan Franco (Clovis, North, Calif.)

Peyton Hall (Oak Glen, W. Va.) vs. Beau Bartlett (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

132 pounds

Joey Silva (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) vs. Michael Madera (Blair Academy, N.J.)

Carson Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Jesse Vasquez (Corona Santiago, Calif.)

Ryan Anderson (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa.) vs. Josh Saunders (Christian Brothers)

Matt Kazimir (St. Ed’s) vs. Real Woods (Montini Catholic, Ill.)

138 pounds

Jaden Abas (Rancho Bernado, Calif.) vs. Bryce Andonian (St. Eds Ohio)

Fidel Mayora (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Luke Baughman (Wadsworth, Ohio)

E’lan Heard (LaSalle, Ohio) vs. Saul Ervin (Union County, Ky.)

J.D. Stickley (St. Paris, Graham, Ohio) vs. Malcom Robinson (Blair Academy, N.J.)

145 pounds

Mitch Moore (St. Paris, Graham, Ohio) vs. Kai Bele (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)

Kendell Coleman (Mt. Carmel, Ill.) vs. Quincy Monday (Carrboro, NC)

Victor Voinovich (Brecksville-Broadview Hts, Ohio) vs. Sam Dover (St. Eds, Ohio)

Sandro Ramirez (Wauseon,Ohio) vs. Brock Hardy (Box Elder, Utah)

152 pounds

David Carr (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Joey Sanchez (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)

Josh Humphreys (Parkersburg South WV) vs. Josh Kim (Corona Santiago, Calif.)

Anthony Artalona (Tampa Prep, Fla.) vs. Jake Silverstein (Hauppauge, NY)

Jake Marsh (Marysville, Ohio) vs Will Lewan (Montini Catholic, Ill.)

160 pounds

Andrew Merola (Blair Academy, NJ) vs. James Limonji (Genoa Area, Ohio)

Kevon Freeman (Lake Catholic, Ohio) vs. Jake Hendricks (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.)

Erich Byelick (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.) vs. Caleb Wise (Broken Arrow, Okla.)

Matt Ortiz (Montini Catholic, Ill.) vs. Ryan Thomas (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)

170 pounds

Julian Ramirez (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Grant Cuomo (Brewster, N.Y.)

Braeden Redlin (Allen, Texas) vs. Emil Soehnlen (Massilon Perry, Ohio)

Rocky Jordan (St. Paris Graham, Ohio) vs. Carson Kharchilav (Olentagy Liberty, Ohio)

Jacob Lagoa (St. John, Ohio) vs. DJ Shannon (Christian Bros)

182 pounds

Ryan Karoly (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. Gavin Potter (Broken Arrow, Okla.)

Victor Marcelli (Massillon Jackson, Ohio) vs. Leo Tarantino (Blair Academy, N.J.)

Trevor Lawson (Olentagy Liberty, Ohio) vs. Tate Samuelson (Castle View Colo.)

Darrien Roberts (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. A.J. Ferrari (Allen, Texas)

195 pounds

Michael Beard (Malvern Prep, Pa.) vs. Peter Christianson (Montini Catholic, Ill.)

Austin Cooley (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) vs. Dakota Howard (St. Eds, Ohio)

Zach Marcheselli (Broken Arrow, Okla.) vs. Gage Braun (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)

Jayden Woodruff (Ponderosa, Colo.) vs. Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, N.J.

220 pounds

Braxton Amos (Parkersburg South, W.Va.) vs. Braydon Ray (Corona Santiago, Calif.)

Owen Trephan (Blair Academy, N.J.) vs. Antonio McCloud (Elder, Ohio)

Ian Edenfield (Laurel Highlands, Pa.) vs. Johnny Shafer (St. Paris Graham, Ohio)

David Aranda (St. John Bosco, Calif.) vs. Ben Goldin (Lake Highland Prep, Fla.)

Heavyweight

Max Millin (Massillon Perry, Ohio) vs. Tyler Connolly (Marysville, Ohio)

Alec Moore-Nash (Elder, Ohio) vs. PJ Mustipher (McDonough, Md.)

Jordan Earnest (Wadsworth, Ohio) vs. Louden Haga (Parkersburg South, W. Va.)

Jacob Cover (Hillard Darby, Ohio) vs. Cohlton Schultz (Ponderosa, Colo.)