STEVE GOLDMAN
There are only three area wrestlers competing at this year’s state tournament, but they are coming from three different perspectives.
For Conneaut senior Patrick Sanford, his entry into the Division II state meet at 215 pounds for the second time is an opportunity to grab even more glory than he already has. The 2009 Star Beacon Ashtabula County Wrestler of the Year will be attempting to improve upon last year’s seventh place when he takes to the mat at Value City Arena for the first time at approximately 5:30 today against Bryan Day of Germantown Valley View.
Edgewood senior Thomas Butryn will get his one shot at the state tournament when he wrestles in the 125-pound weight class in Division II. He will be facing Josiah Dunlap of Pataskala Licking Heights in his opening match at approximately 4:30 p.m. today.
Promising Madison freshman Nick Montgomery will get his first chance to show he is among the state’s best at 103 pounds in the Division I tournament. He opens up against Brad Baas of Cincinnati Oak Hills at roughly 5:45 p.m. today.
Wrestlers who win their first matches today get the rest of the day off. If they lose, Division II entries will wrestle in the first round of consolation wrestling at approximately 8 p.m., while Division I consolation bouts begin at about 8:45 p.m.
If they advance to the second round of championship wrestling, Butryn and Sanford would be back in action sometime after 10:40 a.m. Friday, while Montgomery would wrestle at 11:20 a.m. Winners in the championship quarterfinals are guaranteed of placing no worse than eighth and return for the championship semifinals at 6:30 p.m. Friday in all divisions. Those who lose Friday’s quarterfinals drop into the second round of consolations at 1 p.m. in Division II and 1:45 p.m. in Division II. Consolation quarterfinals are at 8:50 p.m. Friday.
Wrestlers who reach the championship finals go again at 5:45 p.m. Saturday. Those who reach the consolation semifinals begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Sanford could not be reached for comment, but first-year Conneaut coach Matt Bidwell believes his wrestler is ready for a big performance.
“We’re happy with the draw,” he said. “I think Patrick is particularly motivated this year. He has really stepped it up in practice. The way he looks, if he can win his first two matches, I think he can place high.”
Sanford was ranked 10th at 285 pounds by the Brakeman Report, the authoritative voice on Ohio high school wrestling, but he decided to drop down to last year’s weight, so he is somewhat of an unknown factor there. But so is first-round opponent Day (35-7), who was rated fourth at 189 pounds.
A win in his first match could pit him against another somewhat mysterious opponent, either 19th-ranked Trevor Strickland of Clyde (42-4) or unrated Chase Redman of Newark Licking Valley (38-4). A win in the second round would put Sanford in line for an opponent he would probably like to see, potentially third-ranked Joe Poyser of Louisville (34-2), who beat him on 14-4 major decision in the championship semifinals of the district meet at Akron Firestone.
“Winning the first two probably gets him to another match with Poyser,” Bidwell said. “That’s when he’s really going to have to step it up. I don’t think Patrick wrestled to his full potential the last time against Poyser. If they wrestle again, I think it will be a lot closer.”
If Sanford (40-4) can get to the final, it would probably set up a meeting with projected state champion Jake Henderson of Toledo Central Catholic (46-0).
“The ultimate goal is to win,” Bidwell said. “We’re looking for him to do the best he can.”
Butryn may be in the final wrestling tournament of his career.
“I’m going to Heidelberg College to run cross country and track for (Lakeside High School graduate) Jason Headman,” he said. “I’m not completely closing the door on wrestling, but I think I’ll concentrate on running. I’m keeping my options open, though.”
Butryn (38-5) is considered one of the true unknowns of the Division II tournament, not even ranked in the Brakeman Report. But he’s facing another virtual unknown in Josiah Dunlap of Pataskala Licking Heights (27-11), who is also unranked.
After that, the path will probably be a little tougher, with a likely match against projected state runner-up Drew Stone of Oak Harbor (36-3) waiting in the second round. What Butryn would really like is to reach the semifinals for a possible rematch with Kenston’s sixth-ranked Tre Smith (41-3), to whom he lost in the semifinals at Firestone. In the other half of the draw is projected champion Johnni DiJulius of Walsh Jesuit (47-1).
“I think I got the good side of the draw,” the son of Lauren Malone and Eric Gebe said. “The first match is always the most important one. I don’t get nervous. I think I wrestled tougher competition at the tournaments we wrestled in at West Virginia and Michigan because that was against teams from all over the country.”
Edgewood coach Greg Stolfer is not one to put much stock in the pre-tournament ratings. He trusts Butryn’s skills and his resolve.
“This is all about Thomas,” he said. “It’s what it’s been all about for him for four months. He’s worked really hard. He’s done well against good competition.
“I don’t believe in the rankings. I’ve seen a lot of things happen in 25 years in this sport. We’ve worked on getting some of the bugs out.”
This chance might never have happened for Butryn if it hadn’t been for Stolfer’s persistence. He’s glad his coach insisted.
“I started wrestling in eighth grade and went 18-2 my first year, but my freshman year, I wasn’t going out for wrestling because I wanted to concentrate on running,” Butryn said. “He came over to me one day when I was talking with Mallory (Kreider, his girlfriend and state track champion) and asked me why I wasn’t out. He kind of embarrassed me in front of her.
“But I’m glad he did. I think it’s paid off. I think Coach Stolfer and I have a great relationship.”
Stolfer would like to see Butryn rewarded.
“Thomas is a gifted athlete,” he said. “He’s not burned out. I think he can get on the stand.”
Montgomery has gone where few products of Madison’s storied program have gone before. He is believed to be only the third Blue Streak freshman to reach Columbus, the last being Gary Skoch in 1995-96, according to coach Ryan Wirtzberger, himself a former Madison state runner-up.
The sky would appear to be the limit for Montgomery, who has excelled in the junior high ranks on a state and national basis. But why not touch the sky while he’s at it?
“It’s pretty impressive what Nick has done,” Wirtzberger said. “But we really don’t know what he’s capable of. I and the coaching staff feel he can beat anybody. He’s been in every single match he’s wrestled this year.”
“I’m going in as an underdog, so there’s no real pressure on me,” the son of Mike and Lisa Montgomery said. “The pressure’s on everyone else. I’m going to try to sneak up on everyone.”
The first step for Montgomery (35-7), who ranked eighth by the Brakeman Report, is Baas (28-7), who is rated 19th.
“I don’t know much about the wrestlers from Cincinnati,” Wirtzberger said. “I think he can deal with anyone in the first round. The real work is in the quarters and after.”
He is in a difficult half of the draw. A likely foe for Montgomery is the second round is St. Edward’s Dean Heil (28-2), the projected runner-up.
There are talented potential foes in the semifinals as well in projected state champion George Dicamillo of St. Ignatius (35-1), who defeated Montgomery in the semifinals last weekend at the Mentor district, along with sixth-ranked Austin Marsico of Pickerington North (37-5), 15th-ranked Brandon Jones of Wadsworth (27-14) and 13th-rated Brendan Walsh of Cincinnati Moeller (21-9). The third-, fourth-, fifth- and seventh-ranked wrestlers are in the other half of the draw.
“Heil and Nick have wrestled before when they were kids,” Wirtzberger said. “I think he’s looking forward to it.
“Nick has the natural ability and the work ethic to do it. He just has to be on this week. Our goal is to have him on the stand. There’s no reason he shouldn’t place, but it could be anywhere from the champion to eighth. It depends on how he handles the pressure.”
“I’d at least like to place,” Montgomery said.
There’s no time like now to find how any wrestler handles those situations.
“There’s nothing like the Ohio state tournament,” Wirtzberger said. “It’s a great show in the best wrestling state in the country.”
