Here is a letter I received via email from Wadsworth wrestling coach John Gramuglia:

Dear Grizzly Invitational Merchants, Workers and Sponsors,

The Wadsworth Wrestling team and coaches would like to thank the entire Wadsworth wrestling family and community for a superb job at the 26th annual Grizzly Invitational Tournament.

In order for the tournament to have run so smoothly, a great deal of dedicated people and community members gave their assistance and time over the busy weekend. In addition, the tournament also involved advertisements or donations from our wrestling parents and alumni and local merchants.

We salute and thank these parents, families, tournament workers and merchants for their generosity.

We would like to give special recognition to the following groups of people who were vital in making the GIT a success:

Athletic Director: Rich Berlin
Tournament Director: Sam Brandenburg
Tournament Mgr.: Larry Kaufman, Kip Shipley
Computer Technician: Tom Valenti
Announcer: Bart Randolph
Program & Ads: Gail Buzzelli and Angela Cart
Concessions: Cindy Gramuglia, Karen Synder, and Dunyell and Tim Conrad
Program Copies: Debbie Lake
Set-up Crew: Brandon Cobb, Kip Shipley, Larry Kaufman and Mike Wenger
Trainer: Summa WR Hospital: Ron Burdette
Computer assistants: Matt Hulme, Debbie Lake, and Lorrraine Brandenburg
Statistician/Managers: Julie Zollinger
Scorekeepers/Tableworkers: Alumni, dads and stats
Calligrapher: Becky Randolph
Little Sis Club Kathy Wenger, Lorraine Brandenburg, Cindy Squire, and Denise Warstler
Concession help and donations: Basketball Cheerleaders and parents – Jackie Arvay
Softball Team Coach Michelle DeAngelis
Various teams parents from football, tennis and baseball
Volunteer Hospitality: Deb Tavanello
Hospitality room: Kris Jones
Donations: Gail Buzzelli & Angela Cart
Bullpen/Security: Kip Shipley/Wrestler’s dads
T-Shirts: Primetime Sports – Dan Leemaster
Trophies: Wolf Trophies
Youth wrestlers and Parents
7th/8th grade Wrestlers/ParentsV/JV/Frosh Wrestlers/Parents
WCTV announcers: Matt Shiarla, Todd Baughman and Sam Brandenburg
WHS Administration: Jerry Parsons, Steve Moore, & Jeff Teringo
Wadsworth Board of Education
Wadsworth Superintendent: Dale Fortner

Thank you,

Head Coach John Gramuglia, the wrestling coaches, wrestlers, families and the entire program

Wadsworth senior running back Jack Snowball made an oral commitment to continue his academic and football careers at Miami University in Oxford on scholarship, Wadsworth Athletic Director Rich Berlin said Monday.

“Jack made an official visit this weekend,” Berlin said. “Sunday afternoon I got a text that they had offered and he accepted.

“The first thing that comes to mind for me is that he has worked very hard for that and he deserves that. He handled everything that happened [as a junior] with the injuries very well and he dealt with it. He came back and had a great senior year.”

The following list includes area football teams that are currently ranked high enough to make the post season and may include those just on the outside looking in.  The top eight teams will make the state playoffs.  Here are this week’s computer rankings as provided by the Ohio High School Athletic Association:

Division I, Region 2
No. 1:  Canton GlenOak
No. 5:  Canton McKinley
No. 6:  Massillon Jackson

Just outside:  Wadsworth

Division II, Region 5
No. 4:  Kent Roosevelt
No. 5: Walsh Jesuit
No. 6 (tied):  Copley with Aurora

Division III, Region 9
No. 3:  Ravenna
No. 5:  St. Vincent-St. Mary

Just outside:  Southeast (No. 8); CVCA (No. 9)

Division III, Region 11
No. 4:  Northwest
No. 5:  Marlington

Division IV, Region 13
No. 3:  Canton Central Catholic

Just outside:  Manchester (No. 7)

For a look at example of how rankings are calculated per OHSAA visit: http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/ft/boys/rankcalc.htm

Wadsworth High School senior Nick Tavanello will continue his academic and wrestling careers next year on scholarship at Ohio State University after giving an oral commitment.

Tavanello wrestled at 215 pounds the past three years, winning a Division I individual state title as a sophomore and junior and helping Wadsworth win a team state title as a sophomore.

Amateur Wrestling News ranked Tavanello as the top underclassman at 215 pounds in the country last season.

Tavanello enters this season with a 137-9 career record after going 42-7 as a freshman, 47-1 as a sophomore and 48-1 as a junior.

Pittsburgh, Ohio, Kent State, North Carolina and Virginia Tech also heavily recruited him.

Kenzie Wallace of Copley pitched out of two jams in the sixth and seventh innings had three singles and scored twice to lead the Indians (21-1) to a 4-2 victory Monday night for the Barberton Division I district softball championship, first in school history.

Casey Burns had a RBI triple in the first that scored Wallace, who scored in the second on a wild pich in the third inning and Emma Fish in the same inning had a RBI single. The Insdians other run was a RBI single in the sixth by Lauren Schoenewald.

Originally scheduled to be play Saturday aftenoon, the Barberton Division I district championship game will be play 4:30 Monday afternoon between Copley and Wadsworth at the Barberton Athletic Complex off Barber Road.

The Indians (20-1), which won the Suburban League this year for the first time in school history, play Wadsworth (22-6) for the third time this season after the Indians easily won the previous two games.

Copley got a RBI single with nobody out in the bottom of the seventh inning from Hannah Selzer to score Lauren Schoenewald, who doubled to lead off the ining, from second base for a 6-5 win over Medina (10-15) in one of the district semifinals in Barberton. Kenzi Wallace was the winning pitcher for Copley.

At the adjacent field, Wadsworth, which had split with Highland earlier this season, won the rubber match 7-4 in the other district semifinal. Sam Weaver (12-1) was the winning pitcher. Juniors Alli Beery had a double and three RBI and Alyssa Horton had two RBI and a double.

For more details, check out Varsity Letters at ohio.com later tonight and in Sunday’s Beacon Journal.

Here’s a quick look at tonight’s Division I Girls Regional Semi-Finals:

Wadsworth (20-4) vs. Twinsburg (23-0)

This is shaping up to be a good one.  Wadsworth – the No. 3 seed pulled a minor upset in beating second seeded Hudson in the quarterfinals. Twinsburg will have to contend with Wadsworth stars Taylor Woods, who scored 21 against Hudson, Kara Long and Robyn Rotterschmidt.  The Grizzlies will have their hands filled as well.

Twinsburg  is simply loaded and demolished Shaker Heights 61-33 behind the efforts Ashley Morrissette,  Leah Fechko and Malina Howard.  The most important thing to watch from the Explorers is their guard play.  They’re athletic, smooth and smart.

Canton McKinley (23-0) vs. Lyndhurst Brush (12-12)

On its surface this should be a cakewalk for McKinley.  The problem:  a team who entered the tournament with a losing record suddenly finds itself hot.

Below are the results from the finals of the 74th state wrestling championships at Value City Arena in Columbus (local athletes are in bold). For complete results from the state tournaments, click here:

DIVISION I

103: Brandon Thompson, Solon dec. David Bavery, Perry 2-0
112: George DiCamillo, Cle. St. Ignatius dec. Edgar Bright, Lakewood St. Edward 3-1 SV
119: Dean Heil, Lakewood St. Edward dec. Max Byrd, Cin. LaSalle 7-2
125: Joey Ward, Cin. Arch. Moeller dec. Kagan Squire, Wadsworth 2-1 TB
130: Anthony Collica, Solon dec. Mike Carlone, Mayfield Vill. Mayfield 7-6
135: Cody Shivener, Springboro maj. dec. Ruben Burrows, Canton McKinley 16-6
140: Zach Dailey, Perry maj. dec. Nate Ball, Wadsworth 11-2
145: Chase Delande, Hilliard Davidson dec. Tanner Lemon, Perry 9-4
152: Mark Martin, Lakewood St. Edward dec. Teddy Hammer, Medina 8-4
160: Domenic Abounader, Lakewood St. Edward dec. Sheldon Brandenburg, Wadsworth 5-1
171: Michael Baker, Twinsburg dec. Ian Korb, Cin. Elder 3-1SV
189: Sam Wheeler, Copley dec. Kevin Hyland, Cin. Elder 1-0
215: Nick Tavanello, Wadsworth dec. Ty Walz, Lakewood St. Edward 5-2
285: Kyle Rose, Centerville dec. Greg Kuhar, Lakewood St. Edward 3-2

DIVISION II

103: Mike Rix, St. Vincent-St. Mary dec. Cody Burcher, Uhrichsville Claymont 1-0
112: Ryan Taylor, St. Paris Graham Local dec. Cory Stainbrook, Walsh Jesuit 6-3
119: Micah Jordan, St. Paris Graham Local dec. Calvin Campbell, Lexington 9-6
125: Tyler Hackworth, Oak Harbor dec. Robby Reed, Canfield 2-0
130: Johnni DiJulius, Walsh Jesuit pin Alex Benedict, Canfield 3:19
135: Nate Skonieczny, Walsh Jesuit dec. Case Garrison, St. Paris Graham Lo 3-1 SV
140: Nick Brascetta, St. Paris Graham Local dec. T.J. Fox, Field 9-4
145: Bo Jordan, St. Paris Graham Local pin Zane Zeman, Avon 3:24
152: Matt Stephens, St. Paris Graham Local dec. Ian Miller, Oak Harbor 2-0 SV
160: Isaac Jordan, St. Paris Graham Local dec. Konner Witt, Oak Harbor 5-3SV
171: Cody Ryba, Crestwood dec. Jake Cramer, Oak Harbor 5-4
189: Chaz Gresham, Goshen dec. Huston Evans, St. Paris Graham Local 5-2
215: Travis McIntosh, Wash. C.H. Miami Trace dec. Logan Erb, Wapakoneta 4-2TB
285: Riley Shaw, Wash. C.H. Washington dec. Trevor Strickland, Clyde 4-1

DIVISION III

103: Nathan Tomasello, CVCA dec. Aaron Assad, Bedford St. Peter Chanel 7-4
112: Jacob Danishek, Day. Christian dec. Cody Steiner, Waynesville 11-9
119: Tyler Heminger, Galion Northmor pin Nick Goebel, Bloomdale Elmwood 2:23
125: Stephen Myers, Reading dec. Jeremy Border, Caldwell 10-4
130: Johnny Matacic, N. Jackson Jackson-Milton dec. Alex Carroll, Galion Northmor 8-2
135: Hunter Stieber, Monroeville pin Tyler Majoy, Milan Edison 1:00
140: Cam Tessari, Monroeville dec. Shane Brown, Manchester 11-4
145: Kyle Burns, Milan Edison dec. Dan Orrill, Bedford St. Peter Chanel 5-4
152: Felipe Martinez, Genoa Area dec. Dominic Prezzia, St. Clairsville 9-5SV
160: Cody Walters, Bedford St. Peter Chanel dec. Xavier Dye, Hamler Patrick Henry 1-0
171: Chris Phillips, Monroeville maj. dec. B.J. Toal, Troy Christian 16-7
189: Alex Utley, CVCA dec. Kurt Schaefer, Northwestern 6-0
215: Ethan Hayes, New Lebanon Dixie pin Kennedy Smith, Bedford St. Peter Chanel 5:31
285: Mimmo Lytle, Swanton dec. Clint Endicott, Ashland Crestview 6-0

1. Lakewood St. Edward 73.0

2. Massillon Perry 49.0

 3. Wadsworth 47.0

4. Cin. Arch. Moeller 28.0

 5. Medina 24.0

6. Solon 23.0

7. Mayfield Vill. Mayfield 22.5

 8. Cin. Elder 22.0

 9. Springboro 19.5

 10. Copley 19.0

The Hudson and Wadsworth girls basketball teams each secured a victory Thursday night in Division I district semifinal games at Ellet.

Hudson defeated Firestone 69-66 in the opening game, and Wadsworth beat Medina 57-37 in the nightcap.

The Explorers and Grizzlies will meet at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Ellet for the district title.

Explorers’ Monsman, Boesinger and Mummey too much for Falcons

Hudson overcame a 37-27 deficit with 7:03 remaining in the third quarter to knock off Firestone, the No. 6 ranked team in the final Associated Press Division I state poll.

The Explorers posted a 29-9 run to hold a 56-46 advantage. The Falcons cut their deficit to one point (65-64) with 56.1 seconds, yet was unable to tie and force overtime following a missed 3-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

Senior Jessica Monsman, a 6-foot-2 forward, led the Explorers (19-4) with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

Sophomore Hannah Boesinger finished with 21 points and a career-high 22 rebounds, and junior Laura Mummey contributed 11 points. Boesinger and Mummey both stand 5-foot-11.

Senior Imani Gordon, a 5-foot-9 guard, paced the Falcons (21-1) with 29 points and 11 rebounds. Senior Imani Vance and junior Shaia Horton both scored 11 points.

Cingel, Long and Woods propel Grizzlies past Bees

Wadsworth put together a 19-4 run to hold a 26-10 lead with 5:14 to go in the second quarter. Medina never cut its deficit to under 10 points during the remainder of the game.

The Grizzlies (19-4) utilized a balance scoring attack to dispatch the Bees (18-4).

Junior guard Christy Cingel, a 5-foot-6 guard, led Wadsworth with 14 points and six rebounds. Junior Kara Long (12 points) and senior Taylor Woods (11 points) also reached double figures for Wadsworth.

Seniors Dev King and Akilah Walton scored 14 points and seven points, respectively for Medina.

Recent history of Hudson vs. Wadsworth

Hudson and Wadsworth met earlier this season on Dec. 1, 2010 at Wadsworth, a non-league game that the Explorers won 51-46. Monsman scored 26 points in the matchup.

Monsman also guided Hudson past Wadsworth on March 3, 2010 when she finished with 37 points, 16 rebounds, six blocks and three steals in a 67-63 come-from-behind win in a district semifinal game at Ellet. Green beat Hudson in the district final last season.

Read Friday’s Akron Beacon Journal newspaper or check out ohio.com for the complete story from Thursday’s doubleheader.