I was just interested in hearing some peoples thoughts and memories on the state tournament. could be from when you were a qualifier, or just your favorite memories from watching. Bitterrunner-up, I am very interested on your memories of your senior year after hearing your gem of a comment "I have a Marysville kid in the quarter finals? I'm a state semi-finalist..."

I think my two favorite moments from the stands come in the 2010 tournament watched Ty Mitch maul Nick Brascetta and when Louden Gordon pinned Mark Martin and the place went psycho.

Two words... Dustin Carter

Coaching my first state placer...that and when I FINALLY broke through and won the match to place myself (many moons ago).

Watching my son wrestle there is priceless to me.

Ben Jordan his Freshman year is a great memory. Dustin Carters courage. David Taylor putting on a clinic, of course.

Last but not least, Tommy's pizza during one of the breaks.

My first wrestling son (2nd son) qualifying for his first trip... coaching him at the Schott... placing fifth... qualifying his senior year and poised to make a title run... heartbreak losing in the quarters and not regaining his desire and dropping the comeback.

My nephew qualifying as a sophomore....

My second wrestling son (3rd son) making it to state as a Jr... winning first round... winning quarters... winning semis in a come from behind... coaching in the finals... runner up finish... waiting for his Sr year...

My 2nd son's teammate becoming our school's 4th State Champ in history...

My nephew placing 3rd... waiting for his Sr year...

My trip through the tunnel at St John's my Sr year (first and only trip) walking on to the floor, looking around and turning to my coach who was nervous and saying "I am Spartacus... "

Being fortunate enough to have lived the experiences...

Back in 1996, at the Nutter Center, my coach gave me his credential pass to get down on the floor. I walked along the giant wall, down onto the floor and then looked up... the place was HUGE!!!!!

In 2008, the Port had "the Lumberjack" Seth Nelson qualify. I was up in the stands talking to some fellow coaches, watching either the D-II heavier wights or some D-I lightweights. A story or two into it - as I'm telling the coaches that our guy would be up soon - I see him walking across the floor. I jump out of my chair, run down to the warm-up room, disregard the guy sitting at the door to downstairs, jump three flights of stairs, bypass the photo of the Dernlan's - and their glasses - work my way through the tunnel, get to his mat, just in time to see him make his choice for the second period! UNREAL!!!

Another memory is 2010: Kwan "the Mayor" Bailey was wrestling in the placement match against a familiar foe in Ferguson (Pick. North). The match was a good one; close. As it unfloded, the match went into overtime. I remember Kwan standing up once the whistle was blown, looking over to my brother as if to say "Let's go!". He got on the line, waited for his opponent...and then two takedown. On his way to a 4th place finish.

Cruiser, I agree, the Nutter center was Huge.
I remember the Wave Broke out before my Finals Match at the State tournament. My dad got it on his VHS recorder. It was Amazing.

As a coach, it was getting my first 2 guys at the state tournament, and having a placer in Filandus Boyd.

watching tommy sasfy beat brad squire en route to a very close match with collin palmer in the finals, jasper few beating the returning state runner up in the match to place at the state his junior year, watching Higgins get teched twice by ian miller in the semis

I've been going to the Ohio State Tournament as a wrestler, coach or fan since 1986 (I missed a few years in the late-90s). There have been too many great memories to count. As anyone who knows me knows, my favorite memory as a "fan" was watching Brian Haring's run to the 119-pound title back in '89. I had lost to Haring in the Sectional finals that year and I was still licking my wounds from not making it down to wrestle at St. John Arena that year. Watching him dominate and then shock the world with the "I'm Not 101" match is still my best sports memory.

As great as that was, there were so many other great ones, too many to count really, but I'll try to narrow it down to one per year:

Mark Marinelli pinning Dan Donovan in the semis back in '86.
Fried/Pattie from '87.
The entire DI 152-pound bracket from '88.
Lake Catholic's title run in '89.
Musser vs Grove in '91 (freshman superstar in the making vs. senior defending state champ)
Chandler/Grammes in '92 (undefeated runners-up from the year before).
The Walsh explosion in '93.
Jayne/Marchette and Hicken/Clement in '94.
'95 more Walsh awesomeness, plus Kevin Welsh's win over Scott Overholt.
CP Schlatter's debut in 2000.
Harry Lester's 4th in '01.
Dustin Schlatter's finals major of defending State Champ, Jordan LaFollette in '02.
The DII 171-pound bracket from 2003 (Hahn, Hackett, Dennis, Knapp, Schutte), also Aaron Martin's pin of Steve Blunk at 135.
2005 - Josh Horne's tactical masterpiece over Mikey Davis (as smart a wrestled match as you'll see...for Horne that is).
2006 - Erique RobertsonOT semi-final win over Chris Honeycutt (I didn't like the result, but it was a great bout).
2007 -Bo Touris asking the ref not to give him the winning penalty point in OT against Mitchiff.
2008 - Tony Jameson's epic first round decision of Rudy Hendon, 23-20.
2009 - David Taylor's senior run through the Tourney.
2010 - The ridiculous team race (best ever IMO) and the qualification of Jason Russell.
2011 - Kind of down last season for me as a "fan". It was still a great tourney, but there weren't as many great moments. I think the Chaz Gresham throw heard round the world was the best moment of the tourney.

As I look back, this post is already too long, so I won't put the memories from my own trip. Maybe later Westie.

westie does not approve.

Alright Westie. I have had two distinct experiences participating in The Ohio State Tournament. The first was as athlete and the second as a coach.

As an athlete, It was truly amazing. It started at with a win in the District semis over a very tough opponent. I remember late in the match we reset and as he was getting in referee's position I was saying out loud over and over, "I'm going to State, I'm going to State". I had never really dreamed about being a State Champion, I just wanted to make it to The Show. I wanted to be one of those guys that I had watched and idolized my freshman through junior years. After another win in then District final, I filled out my "State Ticket" and left Firestone's Gym for the last time. BTW, that's a great District Tourney. If you ever have the opportunity to go watch it I highly recommend it.

For a fan of the sport like me, every aspect of The State Tournament experience was unbelievable. I remember just getting the packet and seeing your name in the program was a total thrill. My weight class fell on the middle page and my name was at the top of the bracket. At the weigh-ins I saw all the wrestlers I had only read about in the Brakeman Report. I saw the legendary coaches from great programs across the state. I drank it all in, probably too much. I remember being preoccupied with the experience and not so much on the reason I was there, actually wrestling. I watched every bout in DIII before going down to the bull pen and every bout in DI after my matches. And even when I got bull pen, I was distracted by the fact there were all these studs that I had seen last year and read about this year. For me, it was like celebrity watching. I'd tap my coach on the arm and say, "Hey, that's that sophomore big man everybody's talking about, Luke Fickell". My coach did his best to get me focused, but it didn't really work.

After looking at the brackets, I had to re-evaluate my goals. I had a great draw. There was a defending State Champion in my weight and a heavily favored returning runner-up. They were both on the other side of the bracket. I remember thinking I had a real chance of placing. My first bout was a gift from the wrestling gods...a junior with 13 losses, who, like me was probably happy just getting there. The bout was over before the end of the second by technical fall. After, I watched the defending State Champ and the returning runner-up meet in the first round. It blew my mind that one of them was not going to make the the final. It wasn't close, the defending champ went down 11-2, but I knew he would be carried through and I might actually meet him in consos. In a bout that raised my eyebrow a little, the guy I beat in the District semis, a junior from Benedictine, beat a 2X qualifier and third ranked wrestler from CAPE in a mild upset, 7-5.

In the second round I had a wrestler from Marysville, 35-3. Yes, Westie I do remember telling my coach that "I'm a semi-finalist". There was a certain swagger after you'd been battle hardened by that Firestone District. And the swagger built with each win at State. I won in the quarters 16-4 and I was a placer. But the real action was happening on the other side of the bracket. The returning runner-up and the guy I had beaten in the semis at Firestone were in a battle. The bout was much closer than anyone, especially me had expected. In the end, The powerful junior from Benedictine beat the 4x placer 5-4 to advance to the semis (eliminating the defending State Champ because of the "follow your man" rule). That result threw my world upside down. We were down to four, and I was the only undefeated one, and I had a win over the likely next best guy. That was the first time I really thought I could be a State Champ, on Thursday night.

I hardly slept the night before the semis. I hadn't really been nervous up to that point. It was all gravy. But now, I was a player, I had a shot. It changed everything. And honestly, I was mentally unprepared for it. As I warmed up, there was a different sense of urgency. There was a tension in the air I had not felt all year, and I certainly didn't feel the day before. My warm up was bad, my normal routine was splintered and sloppy, everything was just off. When I walked out on to the mat, I was very unsure and a little afraid. Up until this point I really didn't have any skin in the game, or I was too stupid to know that I did. Now I had a legit shot and I was feeling the pressure.

We shook hands and the next 3 minutes are a complete blur. Three firemen's carries, a couple single legs and an escape in the second and the bout was over, 20-5 in my favor. I remember feeling a great sense of accomplishment and real joy as I walked back to the center of the mat and took off my anklet. As they raised my hand I looked over to see that the only wrestler hotter than me was the junior from Benedictine who had just pinned his semi opponent in less than a minute-and-a-half. The finals were set, a rematch of the District semis. I was wrestling better than I ever had, but so was he. I knew it was going to be a war, but one I was totally confident I was going to win.

My little one's calling. I'll post more later...

Can't wait! Reading like a novel.

As a Graham fan-

Ben Jordan especially Freshman year. David Taylor. Tucker Armstrong. Cordell Longstreath. Kyle Ott. Schlatters. Bryce Markley. Cameron Doggett. Joe Dennis. Q-bert. Last but not least, my buddies in high school.

Bitter????? Finish the race.....you cant quit!!!! You are in the FINALS!!!!

Many memories, but my first year coaching, in a school who wanted someone with some coaching experience, Scott Howell, 138lb State Champion 1980, on Refs Criteria (old days), what a thrill. The parents weren't disappointed after that.

Where is the rest of Bitter's post???

...I had watched the placement round on Saturday morning/afternoon for the previous three years. And I got up went down to the arena just like I had done in the past. I watched all of the placement matches and didn't think once about the finals. I watched Todd Hill (Medina Highland) beat Rich Randall (Graham) for third at 112. I watched my weight class pan out with the predicted state champ in both DI and DII taking third. I watched Scott Petch take third and couldn't believe a guy that good never won a title. When the round was over they started tearing down the mats and getting set for the finals. There was a long break in between, so I went out and had a bite to eat with the family and my coaches. I spent some time picking the brain of my teammate who was also in the finals, but for him it was the third straight year. He seemed more nervous than I was. I was relaxed, confident and ready.

When we got back to the arena, I got to go down and do that cool pre-warm up. You know, when the wrestlers get to warm up before the Parade of Champions. It was so cool. I was hanging out with Mark Mollica and Dan LeeMaster from Walsh. I joked with Solon’s three finalists. I drilled with LeeMaster for a bit and took a couple laps, but mostly I just took it all in.

The Parade of Champions was awesome, the slow walk out, the speech, the handshake. I don’t think it really settled in until then, until the handshake. I was a 130-pounder, so I just headed down to the bull pen and waited to be called up. When we lined up, I stood next to my opponent. Behind me were the DI finalists Eric Kimble (IMO, the best 130-pounder in the state) and Jim VanCucha (the eventual DI champion) and in front of me was Dom DiSabito (going for his Second title) and Brian Miller (a defending champ himself).

We walked out and the crowd was incredible. The 125-pound matches had just started. I pretended to warm up as I watched Matt Dernlan destroy a previously undefeated Ryan Petrers over on the DIII mat. Over on the DI mat Steve St. John was winning his first title in workmanlike fashion. The DII bout was never in doubt with Matt McCoy wining by major. The bouts ended and it was my turn. I walked out on the mat, and paced around as the announcer introduced the participants. We shook hands and it was on. I tried to be aggressive from my feet; I had some success from neutral the week before with four takedowns in the bout. There was a lot of hand fighting and he took a bad shot. I scored on a go-behind with 20 seconds or so left in the first. I was riding a leg when there was a quick stalemate called. We reset with maybe 10 or 12 seconds on the clock. He exploded up on the whistle and got an escape point right at the buzzer. Looking back, that was the beginning of the end. I was a little frustrated that I had given up a cheap point like that, and I’m sure he felt good about going into the second period 1-2.

I had choice in the second and chose neutral. Second mistake, I gave up a cheap escape, I should have gotten it back, but I was already doubting. He rode me tough the week before, and I didn’t want go under him again. I was still pushing the action, but in the middle of the second, I tried an ill-conceived lat throw that blew the match wide open. He caught me as I attempted it and buried me for two and two. 5-2, just like that. As we rolled out of bounds, I had lost my composure. I was panicked and my mind was racing. That walk back to the center was the longest of my career. I had a whole conversation with myself in those six or seven steps. “What have I done? How stupid am I for trying that? It’s OK, I have enough time, I’ll get it back.”

I got set and hit a sit-out and then turned in and ended up on his legs. I came up to my feet and hit a little flair across for the two point reversal, 5-4. I then, stupidly, kicked him out to try to push the pace and score again from my feet. I got in a couple of times, but I was unable score. The period ended with him getting a stalling warning, the score was 6-4. He chose down in the third and I kicked him out, 7-4. I got in on a single and finished it out of bounds, frustration and even desperation were setting in. We reset, I took another single, after fighting through about 30 seconds of great defense, I scored on the edge, 7-6. I kicked him out again, putting him up by two and setting me up for a late takedown and an overtime victory.

But, as time started to tick away, he didn’t stall, he didn’t block and defend. He took a good shot and hung on to my leg, burning precious time and making me more and more desperate. We walked back to the center and got set, and in the state finals, with 20 seconds left, I put my foot on the line without being ready, without being mentally focused. He shot on the whistle, got a nice single, made a beautiful transition to a double and finished for two. Game over.

There were 10 seconds or so left on the clock, but I didn’t move. The whistle blew, I got up, removed my anklet and showed the proper respect to my adversary and walked off the mat in more pain then I had known in my 18 years. I didn’t know how much wanted it until it was gone. In that moment I realized what it would have taken. The times I didn’t lift, the runs I didn’t go on, the times I dogged in practice, they all came to in waves of regret. “Bitterrunner-up” was born.

I worked out with him several times over the next two summers up at Solon’s open mats. I don’t think I ever lost a go with him. But he won that day, and he deserved to because he was the better wrestler. Dan Carcelli went on to be a great champion. He went undefeated the next season and went on to All American in college. He’s also had some notable successes coaching.

Anyway, that’s my State Tournament experience.

First I have heard the Marysville part, either tell me the year and I can see if I can figure it out, or tell me the name

monarchpride...I have a ton of respect for the Marysville program. They've had some great teams and several truly outstanding wrestlers over the years. My comment was from the perspective of a cocky 18-year-old who felt that Northeast Ohio was king and that no one from Colmubus or Cincinnati was going to beat a District champ from the Northeast. I wrestled Rob Intnyer in the quarters. He ended up 4th.


said aouita...Were you around Graham for the Henerson, Randall, Abbott, Glover years?

That is who I was going to guess, I remember many if his matches. Had a mean cradle back, kind of funky before funk was really envouge

Bravo!

nice read! Inspirational for talented kids who dont train hard enough!!!!

I spent my senior year state tournament in my bed, in Canton, crying and eating.

knightflyer150;877763 wrote:I spent my senior year state tournament in my bed, in Canton, crying and eating.

Classic 4x sectional qualifier syndrome! Nice...