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ORWELL — One week after the Ohio High School Athletic Association State Wrestling Tournament, Grand Valley Local Schools Superintendent William Nye said the sport is in a good place.
Six wrestlers with roots in Ashtabula County, or Madison, participated in the tournament last week at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Saint John’s Joe Piccirillo competed in Division III, and three Madison wrestlers placed in Division II; Chase White, Taylor MacAdam and Izaiah Siler. For Saint Edwards, Hartsgrove Township native Conner Whitely placed and Conneaut resident Bradley Eaton finished second in the state in Division I competition.
Eaton ended his career competing against Marcus Blaze, who finished his high school career with a 200-2 record and is headed to State College, PA. to wrestle for Penn State, which has been dominating college wrestling for a number of years.
Nye is a member of the board for northeast Ohio for the OHSAA, was a state champion for Grand Valley, and was an NCAA placer for the University of West Virginia.
Nye said the participation of girls in wrestling continues to grow exponentially, and the boys participants are about the same or declining slightly.
“All the [girls] brackets were full at the district level,” he said.
Attendance at the state tournament was the highest in 20 years, Nye said. He said that was attributable to the growth in girls participation.
While many sports are adding divisions, it is likely wrestling will continue in its present format, at least for a while.
The boys compete in three divisions, while the girls compete against all sized school participants. Nye said the amount of divisions are governed by a formula.
“There is a general rule if you have 120 or 130 [schools, a new division is created],” Nye said.
The tournament’s final evening now includes girls wrestling for state championships at the same time as the boys.
Continue reading...
Six wrestlers with roots in Ashtabula County, or Madison, participated in the tournament last week at the Schottenstein Center in Columbus. Saint John’s Joe Piccirillo competed in Division III, and three Madison wrestlers placed in Division II; Chase White, Taylor MacAdam and Izaiah Siler. For Saint Edwards, Hartsgrove Township native Conner Whitely placed and Conneaut resident Bradley Eaton finished second in the state in Division I competition.
Eaton ended his career competing against Marcus Blaze, who finished his high school career with a 200-2 record and is headed to State College, PA. to wrestle for Penn State, which has been dominating college wrestling for a number of years.
Nye is a member of the board for northeast Ohio for the OHSAA, was a state champion for Grand Valley, and was an NCAA placer for the University of West Virginia.
Nye said the participation of girls in wrestling continues to grow exponentially, and the boys participants are about the same or declining slightly.
“All the [girls] brackets were full at the district level,” he said.
Attendance at the state tournament was the highest in 20 years, Nye said. He said that was attributable to the growth in girls participation.
While many sports are adding divisions, it is likely wrestling will continue in its present format, at least for a while.
The boys compete in three divisions, while the girls compete against all sized school participants. Nye said the amount of divisions are governed by a formula.
“There is a general rule if you have 120 or 130 [schools, a new division is created],” Nye said.
The tournament’s final evening now includes girls wrestling for state championships at the same time as the boys.
Continue reading...
