CINCINNATI — It would be great to have someone shovel your driveway for free.

On Thursday, a small group of teens who call themselves the “Winton Woods Weather Warriors” wrestled the elements to say thank you.

“This is just going to be a workout day,” said Winton Woods High School senior Pryde Geh. His classmate, Lonzi Murphy, agreed. “You gotta work hard if you want to get better.”

Both are members of the Winton Woods wrestling team. Their coach, Chris Willertz, said it’s about discipline and hard work. “They can burn some calories and make weight and do something for the community,” said Willertz.

Willertz explained the service project is directly about giving thanks. The Winton Woods City School District tried to pass a levy for years. Yet, election after election, they failed. This August, the district adopted a “pay to play” policy and the wrestling team had to fend for itself.

The team tried to earn money through a fundraiser by selling cookie dough. “We tried our best to sell the cookie dough, but we didn’t sell a lot,” explained Murphy. “We sold as much as we could.”

ATHENS, Ohio – Ohio Wrestling welcomes Ryan Lang, who will become a volunteer assistant coach for the Bobcats.

Over five stellar competition years at Northwestern University, Lang compiled a 104-27 career record, going 39-9 in dual meets. A native of North Royalton, Ohio, Lang was a four-time Ohio state champion in high school.

In his first year he wrestled unattached, going 7-1 overall, including competing at the Michigan State Open. He won his first three career matches and posted an undefeated 4-0 record at the Cleveland State Open.

His freshman year was marked by a 28-10 overall record, including a 4-2 mark in the Big Ten. He only missed All-American status by one win this season. Being one of only three freshmen to crack the 20-wins barrier, he was a perfect 7-0 in nonconference dual meets. He also recorded eight major decision victories this year, with eight pins and two technical falls.

In his sophomore season, he posted a 22-7 overall record en route to earning his first career All-America honor. He finished fourth at the NCAA Championships this season and placed second at the Big Ten Championships. His sophomore campaign began with eleven straight wins. In November he was crowned Themat.com’s Wrestler of the Week and Big Ten Wrestler of the Week. He was ranked top-ten by all four major wrestling polls this season.

The career: Punching guys in the face in the world of mixed martial arts.

The job candidates: Two wrestling state champions from St. Edward, two accomplished college wrestlers, two athletes looking for a way to turn their sport into a job.

The difference: Timing.

Six years ago, after he left Michigan State, Gray Maynard stumbled into his new life in a Las Vegas gym. For the latest generation of wrestlers such as Ohio State senior Lance Palmer, ultimate fighting is part of the plan.

Maynard and Palmer may wind up in the same place, but Palmer is starting his path much sooner

College basketball players have the NBA, college football players have the NFL, and now, college wrestlers have the adrenaline-stoked combat sport that combines the jabs and hooks of boxing, the takedowns and holds of wrestling and the kicks and attacks of judo and jujitsu.

For years, the booming world of mixed martial arts, led by its leading organization, the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC, has been populated by former college wrestlers, including big-name champions such as Randy Couture and Tito Ortiz. Former Ohio State national champion Mark Coleman helped introduce wrestling techniques to UFC as it entered the mainstream 13 years ago.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Wrestler J Jaggers has been named the 2008-09 Ohio State Male Athlete of the Year, the department of athletics announced Tuesday. Jaggers, a Northfield, Ohio, native who won his second-consecutive NCAA title as a senior in 2009, is the first wrestler to earn the honor in the 28-year history of the award.

Before making his debut as the volunteer assistant coach of the Ohio State wrestling team next season, Jaggers will be known for leaving an impressive imprint on the two-time national runner-up Buckeyes. In 2009, the All-American joined an exceptional class of wrestling Buckeyes as the 141-pound national champion in back-to-back seasons in 2008 and 2009. He joins Tommy Rowlands, a 2002 and 2004 heavyweight champion and Kevin Randleman, the 177-pound champion in 1992 and 1993 in the elite group.

Ending his senior campaign with a 28-7 ledger, Jaggers completed his career with a remarkable 108-33 record as a three-time All-American and four-time NCAA qualifier.

After winning his first national championship in dramatic fashion where he held on for the title with 16 seconds left despite suffering a severe ankle injury, Jaggers successfully defended his title this past spring, proving “you don’t just stumble on two national championships.”

Andrew Hipps, Senior Writer
andrew@revwrestling.com

Seriously … It’s impossible not to like David Taylor.

In an era where it’s become commonplace for athletes and teams to dodge competition, the high school senior from St. Paris Graham (Ohio), who maintains a 4.0 grade point average, seeks out competition.

In a battle of two of Ohio’s best ever, David Taylor moved up from 135 to 140 and beat Collin Palmer (Photo/Kevin Schlosser)

This past Saturday afternoon, in front of a packed gymnasium at St. Paris Graham High School, David Taylor, a three-time state champion, bumped up a weight class from 135 to 140 to face another three-time state champion, Collin Palmer of St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio.

The Iowa State-bound Taylor and Ohio State-bound Palmer did not disappoint. Palmer struck first with a beautiful duckunder. Palmer looked to be in control of the match after he picked up a reversal in the second period to go up 4-1. But Taylor battled back, picking up a reversal of his own to cut the deficit to one point, 4-3, going into the third period. In the final period, he picked up a quick escape and then added a takedown to go up 6-4. Taylor was then able to tilt Palmer for a two-point nearfall, which all but sealed the deal as Taylor won 8-5.

Cleveland State: Ben Stehura Named CSU Wrestling Coach
Ben Stehura, a graduate assistant at Cleveland State from 2001-03, is returning to the Viking program as the head wrestling coach. Director of Athletics Lee Reed made the announcement on Friday (Aug. 22) morning.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Ben Stehura, a graduate assistant at Cleveland State from 2001-03, is returning to the Viking program as the head wrestling coach. Director of Athletics Lee Reed made the announcement on Friday (Aug. 22) morning.

“I am extremely excited about the opportunity to return to Cleveland State and Northeast Ohio and become part of a great tradition that is CSU wrestling,” Stehura said. “I have a tremendous amount of pride in the wrestling program and I want to do everything I can to continue the success that the program has enjoyed.

“I am looking forward to working with a tremendous group of student-athletes, coaches and administrators and helping to write the next chapter in Cleveland State history.”

“I am thrilled about the addition of Ben as our head wrestling coach,” Reed said. “Ben really impressed us with his work ethic, his knowledge of wrestling and his committment to the overall well-being of the student-athletes.

“I really appreciate the opportunity that Cleveland State gave me 10 years ago and I will look back on this time with a lot of great memories,” said Jack Effner, who is leaving as CSU head wrestling coach.

Cleveland State University announced this morning that Jack Effner has resigned as head wrestling coach.

Effner, who has coached at CSU for 10 seasons, has accepted a school counseling position in Virginia. His resignation is effective August 2.

“I would like to thank Jack for the dedication that he has shown during his 10 years at Cleveland State,” CSU Director of Athletics Lee Reed said in a release. “Because of his effort, he is leaving the program in good shape and it should be easy to find a successor. I wish Jack
good luck in his new position.”

Effner was only the second head coach of the modern-day CSU wrestling program after replacing Dick Bonacci for the 1998-99 season. His record at CSU was 71-91-3 and he had 37 wrestlers qualify for the NCAA tournament. His overall record in 19 seasons, including nine seasons at Army, is 158-133-8.