Jamey Kasser to lead girls wrestling program, among four new coaches for Olentangy Berlin
Olentangy Berlin athletics director John Betz saw the potential for growth in girls wrestling, which was named an emerging sport by the OHSAA this past winter.
Therefore, he found a coach in Jamey Kasser who Betz said not only would start the program but help it grow.
Berlin has had individuals competitors in the past, but this is to be the first year for a team.
Kasser was one of four new coaches along with Will Mathes (boys lacrosse), Brooke Delara (girls lacrosse) and Gus Blatnik (field hockey) named July 25, pending school board approval.
“There’s going to be more and more girls wrestling programs – not just two or three girls deciding to wrestle, but a whole team,” Betz said. “(Olentangy) Orange kind of led the way here in the district.
“I think we’re just following suit with them in terms of trying to build something. Right now, I know we’re a solid six to eight (wrestlers). I would assume with coach Kasser’s enthusiasm, that’s just going to grow.”
Kasser restarted the Fairbanks boys program in 2018 and started the girls program last winter. Before that, he was an assistant boys coach at Orange when the program started in 2008.
“I think once we get the word out and have some informational sessions … I think we’ll get a lot more girls,” Kasser said. “There’s a lot of athletes out there that are just not a good fit for basketball or other winter sports. (They would) fit right into wrestling. At Fairbanks, I was able to draw a couple of cheerleaders, a couple of soccer players, a couple of volleyball players and a couple of basketball players.”
Mathes went 37-21 in three seasons at Orange, leading the team to the program’s first league title in 2014 where it set a program-record with 16 wins and then equaled that mark in 2016.
He takes over for Dominique Alexander, who left to become an assistant principal at Worthington Kilbourne High School. Alexander went 25-32 in three seasons, including 11-9 last spring. In his only year at Olentangy in 2018, he guided the Braves to a 16-4 record.
“I actually live in the community, and I’m really close to the school,” Mathes said. “I knew that Berlin had a good program under Dominique. They’ve made great strides from Year 1. It’s always an attractive when a program is established. When it came open and that slot was available, I jumped at it.”
Delara recently finished her playing career at Capital and said she's "not ready for lacrosse to be done."
“It’s been my whole life for so many years now. I saw that Olentangy Berlin had the head job open up and I thought, ‘You know what, let’s go for it and see what happens.’ Now, I’m just getting ready," she said.
She replaces Meghan Matey, who went 16-18 in two seasons, including last year when the Bears posted their first winning record at 8-7.
Delara, a 2017 Orange graduate, helped Capital reach its first NCAA tournament last season and finished her career with 188 goals, 201 assists and 129 ground balls.
“This past summer was my first year coaching,” Delara said. “I coached a middle school team with Resolute … just an assistant helping out. (Coaching Berlin) is definitely going to be big switch up. But I have a lot of confidence in myself. (I) literally just finished playing. I know what works. I think that’s why I’m a unique fit for this job.”
Blatnik went from being a helpful father to his daughter, Clarissa, to the head coach doing almost everything in between. Clarissa Blatnik, a 2022 graduate, had 132 saves and six shutouts to lead the Bears in goal.
“My daughter started playing in junior high school, and I basically fell in love with the game,” Blatnik said. “I started helping out (as a) parent volunteer and along the way learning the game more and more. Her sophomore year, I started doing the stat book on the field and getting involved with practices. Last year, I became the j.v. coach and here I am today as the head coach.”
Blatnik, the program’s third coach, takes over for Allison Martin, who went 7-8-1 overall and 3-5 in the COFHL-West Division last season. Berlin had won two games the three previous seasons.
“She was a phenomenal coach, and I really enjoyed coaching with her last year,” Blatnik said. “I’ve grown fond of the players we have. We have a great team with hard-working girls.”
mrich@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekRich
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Jamey Kasser to lead girls wrestling program, among four new coaches for Olentangy Berlin
