North Canton Hoover senior James Georgiades is receiving interest from the Ohio State football team, Vikings wrestling coach and assistant football coach Brian Dolph said.

Georgiades, a 6-foot-1, 240-pound defensive lineman, was a first-team all-district selection and the district’s Defensive Player of the Year in Division I. He had 30 solo tackes and 15 tackles for loss for the Federal League champion Vikings.

Dolph, however, said the Buckeyes are recruiting Georgiades as a fullback. He would be a preferred walk-on.

Wadsworth sophomore Brad Squire captured the title in the 130-pound weight class Saturday to help the Grizzlies win the 48th annual North Canton Holiday Wrestling Invitational.

The Grizzlies finished first in the team standings with 186.5 points. Lake (160.5) placed second and University School (155) took third.

A week before, Wadsworth defeated their most dangerous league foes - Barberton and Highland - in a Suburban League quad meet. Two weeks ago, Squire, a defending Division I state champion, captured a championship at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman - one of the nation’s most prestigious high school wrestling tournaments.

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Wadsworth’s early season success is that the Grizzlies are achieving their glorious run without a single senior on their roster.

Freshman Alfredo Gray (103) and sophomore Bart Randolph (171) placed second at the North Canton Holiday Wrestling Invitational. Junior Alex Gray (112) took third, and freshman Clay Wenger (119) and sophomore Ben Buzzelli (285) had fourth-place finishes. Sophomore Josh Otanicar and freshman Nate Ball wrestled each other at North Canton Hoover High School and finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the 145-pound weight class.

“Our youth and middle school programs prepared these guys,” Wadsworth coach John Gramuglia said. “We’re just trying to polish them.”

If any young wrestler in Ohio is polished, it’s Squire. His career high school record is now 48-0. His victory at the Ironman proved to any doubters that he is not only one of the best high school wrestlers in Ohio, but he’s one of the best in the United States.

Squire appears to be capable of becoming the area’s first four-time state champion since Harry Lester of Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy accomplished the feat with four state titles from 1998 to 2001.

Lester’s career high school record was 165-2. It will be interesting to see if Squire can come close to matching Lester’s amazing mark.

Click here for more about the North Canton Holiday Wrestling Invitational.

Brian Cross has resigned as head football coach at Canton McKinley High School.

Cross, 56, has accepted a head football coaching and teaching position at a Columbus area high school named Olentangy Orange. Cross coached in the Columbus area for 18 years prior to arriving at McKinley.

“When my wife (Karen) and I looked down the road I really felt I would end up back in the Columbus area some day, whether it be as a coach or in retirement,” Cross said. “This opportunity came up and it was a very good situation. I get to open a new high school and build brand new traditions. That is something I have never had the opportunity to do and that is very exciting. It will be a challenge.”

“It’s a district that is in good shape finanically with several open teaching positions. It was just a situation I couldn’t pass up. My wife is from Grove City and she has a lot of family there. The timing was just good for us to make that move.”

Cross compiled a 41-21 record on five seasons at McKinley. The Bulldogs were Division I state runner-up once during his tenure and were also a state semifinalist once. He will stay at McKinley until June to lead the weightlifting program and help students.

“It was very difficult to leave Canton McKinley,” Cross said. “It has great tradition, great facilities and a strong community that supports high school football. During my time there I enjoyed working with our kids. The program was down a bit prior to my arrival and we got it going again and had some success. This past season was just a bad year. I think it was a situation where things just did not go our way. There will be a lot of kids coming back next year and I think the program will return to the top.”

McKinley will start a search for a new coach in January.

“I am sure there will be many candidates that will apply for the McKinley job,” Cross said. “When you hear those two words, ‘Canton McKinley’ you think of football, the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Fawcett Stadium.”

Medina senior Paige Mawell will continue her soccer and academic careers at The Ohio State University.

Maxwell was named a NSCAA/adidas Youth All-American and earned Division I first-team All-Ohio honors this past fall after playing a variety of positions. She primarily played defense and at forward, and scored seven goals and had five assists for the Bees.

Maxwell also has experience in the Olympic Development Program and was selected to play with the Region II squad at the U-17/19 Inter-regional soccer tournament at Ventura College in Ventura, Calif. from Jan. 2-6, 2008.

BOYS BASKETBALL

BARBERTON 71, COPLEY 51

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Barberton senior guard Steve Pitts scored five of his 11 points to help the Magics close the first half with a 13-3 run. With the help of the scoring run, Barberton earned a 33-19 halftime lead and never looked back Tuesday in a game between two Suburban League rivals.

Pitts didn’t lead Barberton (4-0, 3-0) in scoring but his points came during a crucial time in the game. He also guarded Copley’s lone returning starter, senior forward/guard Michael Coon, and held him to six points.

“(Pitts is) probably our best defensive player,” said Barberton sophomore guard Jacob North, who had a team-high 14 points. “And he brings a lot of energy. He gets us all ready for the game. He’s a good guy, and he’s a great leader.”

Copley junior guard Elliot Brown is worthy of an honorable mention for player of the game. Brown made several mid-range jump shots on his way to a game-high 20 points.

“He obviously played very well,” Copley coach Steve Coon said of Brown. “He rebounded the ball well and shot it well, so he was a bright spot for us.”

Copley’s record fell to 2-3, 1-2.

Click here for the game story.

KEN LOVE/Akron Beacon Journal

Copley junior guard DeLon Evans (left) and senior forward Michael Coon (right) try to block Barberton junior guard Darryle Duncan’s shot. Duncan finished with 13 points to help the Magics defeat the Indians 71-51 on Tuesday night.

Lake senior Jared Lijoi has committed to continue his wrestling and academic career at Cleveland State University.

Lijoi is entering his fourth season as a key wrestler under Blue Streaks coach Mike Mattingly. Lijoi placd fifth at 145 pounds in the 2007 Division I state tournament in Cloumbus.

Lijoi compiled a 40-7 record last season. He entered this season with 94 wins despite injuries that limited him during his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Wadsworth sophomore Brad Squire defeated Perry junior Seth Horner by an 8-4 decision to win the title in the 130-pound weight class at the 14th annual Walsh Jesuit Ironman.

Squire, who is a defending Division I state champion, is the first wrestler in Wadsworth history to win an Ironman title and the first area wrestler to win an Ironman championship since CVCA graduate John Weakley accomplished the feat in 2005.

Squire went 5-0 during the past two days in one of the nation’s most prestigious high school wrestling tournament. Squire’s career high school record is now 39-0.

Two other area wrestlers made it to the Ironman finals.

Perry junior Sam White, a defending Division I state champion, lost by a 5-0 decision, and Walsh Jesuit senior Chase Skonieczny, a Kent State University recruit, was eliminated by injury default. Skonieczny placed second at Ironman for two consecutive years.

Click here for the story.

LEW STAMP/Akron Beacon Journal

Perry senior Dan Genetin gets Wadsworth junior Danny Foore in a hold during the 14th annual Walsh Jesuit Ironman. Genetin won the match and went on to finish third in the 125-pound weight class.

Heading into the second day of the 14th annual Walsh Jesuit Ironman - one of the nation’s elite high school wrestling tournaments - 11 area wrestlers were still alive in the championship bracket.

After Saturday’s quarterfinals and semifinals, only four of the 11 have advanced to a title match.

Perry junior Seth Horner and Wadsworth sophomore Brad Squire will face off in the championship match of the 130-pound weight class, meaning one area wrestler is guaranteed to win a title. Squire went 34-0 and won a Division I state title last season. Horner has placed third at the Division I state tournament each of the past two seasons.

Perry junior Sam White, a defending Divison I state champion, will meet Monroeville sophomore Logan Stiebler in a championship match in the 119-pound weight class. White finished fifth at Ironman last year, and Stieber placed second.

Walsh Jesuit senior Chase Skonieczny will face St. Edward junior Collin Palmer in a title match in the 135-pound weight class. Skonieczny, a Kent State University recruit, took third at the Division II state tournament and second at Ironman last season. Palmer is a two-time Division I state champion.

I’m at the tournament now, and I will update after the finals. Stay tuned.

Eleven area wrestlers went 2-0 during the first day of the 14th annual Walsh Jesuit Ironman and will advance to the championship quarterfinals, which are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Here are the 11 area wrestlers still alive in the championship bracket of one of the nation’s most prestigious high school tournaments:

103 pounds: Aurora sophomore Ty Mitch; Walsh Jesuit freshman Johnni Dijulius.

112: Wadsworth junior Alex Gray.

119: Aurora senior Johnny Papesh; Perry junior Sam White.

125: Perry senior Dan Genetin.

130: Perry junior Seth Horner; Wadsworth sophomore Brad Squire.

135: Walsh Jesuit senior Chase Skonieczny.

152: CVCA senior Jared Kusar.

215: Walsh Jesuit senior Tom DeRoia.

Check out this cool video from the first day of Ironman. At the very end of the video, CVCA senior Jared Kusar (152) pins one of his opponents.

Stay tuned for more updates Saturday.

This morning, I attended a banquet for the Jack Greynolds Memorial Classic.

At the banquet, the late Jack Greynolds was honored for the impact he made in Northeast Ohio. Greynolds compiled a 549-121 record in 29 seasons as a head boys basketball coach at Revere and Barberton. He led the Magics to a state title in 1976.

The third annual Jack Greynolds Memorial Classic is scheduled to feature seven boys basketball games Dec. 28-29.

Here is the schedule: (Friday, Dec. 28) Copley vs. Medina 5:15 p.m., Green vs. Jackson 7 p.m. and GlenOak vs. Warren Harding; (Saturday, Dec. 29) Norton vs. Wadsworth noon, Revere vs. Kenmore 1:45 p.m., Manchester vs. Northwest 3:30 p.m. and Barberton vs. Firestone 5:30 p.m.

Click here for more information about the Jack Greynolds Memorial Classic.

Several of the coaches whose teams will be competing in the showcase were at the banquet. Firestone coach Jerry Laria brought his senior point guard Ramel Mitchell with him.

I talked to Mitchell about the Falcons’ 3-0 start and his plans for college. He said he is receiving interest from Kent State University, but he is still undecided about which college he will attend.

I think Mitchell would be a good fit in KSU coach Jim Christian’s system. I think Mitchell is one of the best high school guards in the area, and perhaps the best pound-for-pound local player.