Small schools with big potential: Excelling on mats nothing new for three D3 programs

MANSFIELD – Today, class, we’re going to study history. Wrestling history. You might want to take notes for future reference as the excitement ratchets up on the mats this winter.

Plymouth is coming off a historic season under coach Jeremiah Balkin. The Big Red were 9-0 in duals, won three tournament championships, were runners-up three times, including the Firelands Conference meet, and produced two state qualifiers, along with a state alternate.

Crestview, just two years removed from sharing the FC title with Plymouth, will attempt to make a push back to the top in the conference behind what could be a historic season for its star athlete.

Northmor?

The Golden Knights’ storied history is well documented. Go to the program’s Facebook page and you’ll see a picture of the banner listing all 38 conference, sectional and district titles between 1981 and 2019. And don’t forget the five state champions.

Conor Becker, now wrestling at Duke, became the school’s most recent state champ in 2019 and third under current coach Scott Carr. Tyler Heminger (2011) pinned his way through the state tournament after being a three-time runner-up and Tyler Beck (2013) won a wild one in overtime. C.B. Dollaway (2002), who went on to UFC fame, and Brian Baldridge (2004) won titles for former coach Mike Skelton.

It’s worth mentioning now because this season could be another one for the record books depending on how quickly the youth movement in place at Northmor takes hold on the bigger stages.

These may be three of the smallest schools on the area wrestling scene, but history tells us that Northmor, Crestview and Plymouth are more than capable of creating some big-time buzz.

Here’s a closer look at all three Division III programs:

Crestview

The Cougars are getting off to a later start than most teams, but that’s been the trade-off the last two years after 10-0 regular seasons on the gridiron.

Given the winning culture established by coach Steve Haverdill in both programs, it shouldn’t take the Cougars long to get up to speed.

Just like in football, where Hayden Kuhn was an All-Ohio quarterback, Crestview will look to the senior to set the tone. At stake for him is unprecedented success. He could be the first in program history to be a three-time state medalist.

Kuhn was third in 2021 and fourth last winter. He goes into this season ranked No. 3. Listed as a 144-pounder, the reigning Firelands Conference champ was eight seconds away from competing for a state title last season when he got reversed as time expired in an overtime loss to eventual champ Hunter Long of Wayne Trace.

Kuhn finished the season 49-8.

Joining him in the lineup this season will be his younger brother, Liam. The freshman 138-pounder was a junior high state qualifier and is one of nine ninth-graders in the mix for lineup spots along with junior high state placer Jack Stephens (165), Dylan Burge (113), Gage Bowman (120), Cole Hughes (120), Dameon Swineford (157), Isaac Gabatz (165), Xavier Stuhldreher (175) and Josiah Freewalt (285).

The returning lettermen include sophomores Ryan Holloway (106), Andrew Mitchell (126), Nolan Moore (132), Blake Dickerson (138) and Brandt Goon (157) and juniors Jaden Hedrick (150), Landon Walters (150), Clete Rogers (175) and Caleb Cunningham (215). Cunningham is ranked ninth in the state, coming off a 39-13 season.

The only other senior besides Hayden Kuhn is veteran Owen Hamilton (190).

“The key for us will be staying healthy and peaking at the right time,” Haverdill said. “Monroeville (the defending champ) is the favorite to win the conference, but if we do what we are capable of doing then I think we will be right there in the mix of it all.”

There are also two girls on the roster: juniors Tarynn Eagle (144) and Kaylyn Sanicky (150).

Plymouth

After that historic 2021-22 season, coach Jeremiah Balkin doesn’t see why history can’t repeat itself.

The Big Red boast one of the top wrestlers in the area in senior 175-pounder Colton Sparks along with three other district qualifiers and a state alternate.

“With that experience we feel we can compete for a conference championship with Monroeville and Crestview,” Balkan said. “We have 13 of 14 weight classes filled. We may be young at a few spots, but with a strong wrestling room I feel we can be as competitive as last year in all of our duals and tournaments.”

Plymouth has a roster of 18 wrestlers, compared to 15 last year, and it all starts with Sparks. He was 40-5 last season, reaching state with a district runner-up performance. Despite a rough draw in Columbus, he did win one match and, during the regular season, beat two opponents who ended up on the podium.

Sparks has a chance to break the record for all-time wins at the school. He is already the only three-time district placer in program history and hopes to become the school’s second state placer.

Other top returnees include senior 132-pounder Andrew Miller and junior 113-pounder Cam Wagers. Miller was 36-12 last year and a state alternate after finishing as a Firelands Conference runner-up. Wagers is already a two-time district qualifier with two years to go and a reigning conference champ. He was 32-8 last season, which included a win at the district level.

Also keep an eye on sophomores Noah Robinson (215) and Zach Miller (144). Robinson was 26-14 last year and lauded for being a team player by competing up a class most of the time at heavyweight. This year he is moving down to his more natural weight. Miller is the younger brother of Andrew Miller and should be able to take all of their sparring sessions to improve on last year’s 21-19 mark.

Others locking down lineup spots are freshmen Thomas Winegardner (106), Ben Trimmer (138) and Ayden Keysor (285), sophomores Jackson Kennison (158) and Hunter McClure (165), junior Gunner Huston (175) and senior Cayle Pope (126).

There’s a three-way battle at  150 between freshmen Weston Lyons and Jack Stacklin and sophomore Noah Montgomery.

Northmor

The Knights will have four freshmen and three sophomores in their lineup, but that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it could be a very good thing.

If this youth movement takes off, Northmor could match or exceed what it accomplished last year when coach Scott Carr produced two state medalists. Even with the school’s rich history that would be extraordinary given the lack of varsity experience.

That didn’t stop Cowin Becker last year. He was the best freshman in the area and quickly displayed the potential realized by his older brothers Conor (state champ) and Conan (state runner-up).

There wasn’t a hotter wrestler in the area at the end of last season than Becker. Not only did he win conference, sectional and distinct titles en route to a 47-9 record and seventh-place state medal at 113, but his 11 wins in the postseason included six pins (four in the first minute and another in 61 seconds), two technical falls and a 13-6 major decision in the district finals to avenge two earlier losses.

Becker is ranked No. 5 by borofanohio.net at 126 pounds and has put himself in position to become just the second four-time state placer for Northmor, joining 2011 state champ Tyler Heminger.

When asked who fans should keep an eye on, Carr pointed to him … “because he’s a Becker!”

This year’s sensational freshman could be 138-pound Carson Campbell, ranked fifth, like Becker, in the state. The state championship he won in junior high obviously carries a lot of weight.

Other freshmen fighting for the spotlight are Ethan Amens, ranked 15th at 113, Brady Carr (120) and Braedyn Kiener (215). Carr feels his son Brady “could be a sleeper.”

Sophomores being counted on besides Becker are Ashton Clark (175) and Nick Arrmose (190), with juniors Cohan Hurst (106), Bryce Cooper (132), Caiden Martinez (157) and Colton Brammer (165) filling other slots in the lineup. Clark, a transfer from Mount Gilead, was 27-14 and a district qualifier last season. Cooper was a Knox Morrow Athletic Conference champ.

“We’re so young, I’ve never had such an inexperienced squad,” Carr said. “I hope their youth and hunger show up.”

Given Northmor’s track record you can probably count on it.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Excelling on mats nothing new for three OHSAA D3 wrestling programs