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.

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.

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.

The 2007-2008 high school wrestling season started this week and is already in full swing with the some of the best wrestlers in the nation competing Friday and Saturday at the 14th annual Walsh Jesuit Ironman.

Stay tuned for Ironman updates and click here to check out a notebook from the Beacon Journal’s wrestling preview.

Click here to check out a story about the Beacon Journal’s featured wrestler: Barberton senior Adam Cogar.

ED SUBA JR./Akron Beacon Journal

Barberton senior Adam Cogar lifts a tire during his wrestling training. Cogar finished second in the 215-pound weight class at the Division I state tournament in Columbus last March.

The Louisville football team had the most successful 2007 season among area high schools.

The Leopards lost to Cincinnati Anderson 31-25 in the Division II state final and finished with a record of 12-3. No other area team advanced to a state championship game. Brunswick made it to the Division I state semifinal but lost to Mentor.

I was looking at Louisville’s roster recently, and I it made me think that the Leopards are going to have what it takes to make another long playoff run next season.

Junior quarterback Neal Seaman and his favorite target, junior receiver Brandon Mathie, will be back. Junior defensive back Bob Swigert will also return.

Don’t get me wrong, though. The Leopards will need some younger players to step up and fill in for some defensive standouts who will be graduating, including defensive end Matt Schooley and linebackers Clay Swigert, Marcus Poyser and J.D. Whaley.

I think Louisville coach Paul Farrah will find the players to fill those holes, and the Leopards will be among the best area teams again in 2008.

Wadsworth senior Dru Jones will miss the high school wrestling season for the second year in a row.

Jones, a Division I All-Ohio selection at running back who rushed for 2,096 yards and 17 touchdowns, injured his knee midway through the football season but finished the season, Wadsworth wrestling coach John Gramuglia said. Jones had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on Tuesday.

Jones was a standout wrestler for the Grizzlies during his freshman and sophomore years, but he missed last season because of another injury.

The Louisville football team is the lone area representative in this year’s state championships.

Louisville (12-2) will face Cincinnati Anderson (12-2) in a Division II state championship game at 7 p.m. Friday at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon.

Louisville defeated Mayfield last week to advance to the first state final in school history. Click here for a Louisville vs. Mayfield game story.

Brunswick was the only other area team that advanced to last week’s state semifinals. The Blue Devils ended their season with a 13-1 record after suffereing a 39-14 defeat against Mentor.

Click here for a Brunswick vs. Mentor game story.

Stay tuned for more Louisville coverage leading up to the big game.

BOYS BASKETBALL

KENMORE 68, WALSH JESUIT 54

Varsity Letters Player of the Game: Kenmore senior forward Antoine Norris had game highs with 18 points and seven rebounds to lead the Cardinals to victory in their season opener.

Click here for a Kenmore vs. Walsh Jesuit game story.