Tournament Finals to be Webcast Live on TheWrestlingMall.com
By John Mascio “Special to The Wrestling Mall
Please send comments, questions or replies to: [email protected]
The 12th annual Asics/Ironman wrestling tournament is ready to rumble.
This stellar event will be held at Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio on Friday December 9th and Saturday December 10th. The appearance of seven number one nationally ranked wrestlers in the fourteen weight classes will highlight the tournament. A total of 42 teams from 12 states will be trying to unseat defending champion Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey). Blair won the 2004 event by 1.5 points over Great Bridge, Virginia, who also returns for this year’s event.
“This will be the toughest high school tournament in the country this year,” says veteran tournament director Bob Preusse. “And by far, the toughest Ironman ever.”
How difficult is this tournament?
Greg Urbas, longtime Lakewood St. Edward High coach, whose team is favored to contend for the team title this year, agrees.
“This is where state champs go to die,” says Urbas. “That’s how tough this tournament is. The competition is intense and anything can happen at the beginning of the season.”
Other coaches agree with Urbas. Many of them have had a state champion who failed to finish first in the Ironman. The fact is over the years state champs have often not even placed in the Ironman.
“The Ironman is by far the toughest tournament we wrestle in, and it is the best run tournament as well,” says Jeff Jordan, whose St. Paris Graham Falcons have won five consecutive Ohio Division II state championships. “We always want to come back.”
Brian Brakeman, Ohio’s foremost authority on high school wrestling and editor of the highly regarded Brakeman Report, says If you’re looking to scope out the wrestling scene in Ohio, there is no better place to do so than the Ironman.
“The toughness of this tournament is evidenced by the fact that in past years, such as 2001, no local wrestlers from powerhouses like Walsh Jesuit or Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary were able to advance to the finals,” says Brakeman. “Yet, they did have wrestlers who went on to win individual state championships.”
This fan-friendly environment will feature matches in both the Warrior Dome and the Ricco FieldHouse. One of the most likeable features of this tournament is the proximity of the fans to the action, they are as close as you can get. The event also features the latest in high-tech equipment with projection screens posted throughout the venue, which will show up-to-date results of all matches in action and will post point scoring changes as they occur.
The organization, flow and smooth way the tournament is run is credited to the experience of tournament directors Ken Dies and Bob Conley. Together they have run many tournaments over the years. They view the Ironman as their biggest challenge.
Veteran Cleveland Plain Dealer sportswriter Pat Galbincea has covered every Ironman tournament since 1994. Galbincea is one of the foremost wrestling experts in the Midwest, and his expertise and experience covering high school wrestling spans throughout the country. He has covered all 11 previous Walsh Jesuit Ironman Tournaments.
“I have a lot of good thoughts about it,” said Galbincea. “First, in my 36 years with this paper, 33 as a wrestling reporter, it is by far the best high school wrestling tournament I cover, both for field content and smoothness of the tournament. The matches I have seen over 11 years are, in fact, too numerous to mention and every year they seem to get more so – matches as early as the quarterfinals resemble some state championship finals. I’ve seen wrestlers who won the National High School Championships who did not even place at the Ironman! What does that say about the competition? I’ve always said nobody runs a better wrestling tournament than the Dies brothers, and the job Ken Dies and Bob Conley do is superior to the work done at the NCAA Championships – which are also fairly well run. The teams Bob Preusse attracts to the Ironman make it the No. 1 high school wrestling tournament in the country, and that makes it an easy sell for me to my bosses at The Plain Dealer.”
One of the premier wrestling web sites, TheWrestlingMall.com (TWM) will take its coverage of high school wrestling to a new level this season and is offering a live Web cast of the Ironman Tournament finals matches.
“We continually strive to provide new ways to promote the sport of wrestling through our Web site,” said TWM president and CEO Jesse Krebs. “We feel we are providing another avenue for wrestling fans to enjoy the sport by providing wrestling fans across the country the opportunity to watch college and high school wrestling matches right from their own computer. The Web casts will be available on a pay-per-view basis. All you have to do is sign-up on The Wrestling Mall prior to the match, follow the simple steps, and watch.”
The Web cast will also include a broadcast team to provide commentary, information and analysis of the event.
“We are excited about this,” said Krebs. “It’s new for us, and we are working hard to put together the best Web cast possible. We will strive to provide a quality, professionally done service and event.”
The tournament will begin on Friday, December 9 at 2 p.m. On Saturday, December 10 the quarterfinals begin at 10 a.m., the semi-finals are around 1 p.m. The finals will begin at 6:30 p.m.
If you want tickets, get them early.
“There will be no ticket sales for the finals on Saturday evening,” said Walsh Jesuit Athletic Director Grant Conzaman. “Each year the request for Ironman tickets has increased. The finals for the 2004 Ironman were sold out; I expect the same to be true in 2005.”
The only way to ensure a ticket to the finals of the 2005 Ironman is to purchase an All-Session pass for $24. The All-Session Pass guarantees entry to the tournament. All Session passes can be purchased by contacting the Walsh Jesuit Athletic Department at 330-929-4205.
Additional information about the tournament is available at: www.walshironman.com
For any other questions contact:
Walsh Jesuit High School
Grant Conzaman
Phone Number: 330-929-4205
FAX Number: 330-929-5118
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.walshjesuit.org
2004 TOP TEN TEAM SCORES
1. Blair Academy 213.5
2. Great Bridge 212.0
3. St Paris Graham 162.5
4. St Edwards 148.5
5. El Reno 121.5
6. Montini 110.0
7. St Joes 110.0
8. Reynolds 107.5
9. Parkersburg 103.5
10. Mayfield 90.0
2005 Asics/Ironman Tournament Participating Schools
Archbishop Hoban (OH)
Archbishop Moeller (OH)
Archbold (OH) (3 wrestlers)
Beachwood (OH)
Blair Academy (NJ)
Broomfield (CO)
Campolindo (CA) (1 wrestler)
Caesar Rodney (DE)
Christianburg (VA)
Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy (OH)
Dakota (IL)
Elyria (OH)
Fauquier (VA) (4 wrestlers)
Great Bridge (VA)
Hughson (CA) (1 wrestler)
Los Lomas (CA) (1 wrestler)
Marion Pleasant (OH)
Massillon Jackson (OH)(4 wrestlers)
Massillon Perry (OH)
Miami Valley School (OH) (1wrestler)
Montini Catholic (IL)
Mount St. Joseph (MD)
North Allegheny (PA)
Northview (CA) (1 wrestler)
Oak Harbor (OH)
Oviedo (FL)
Padua Franciscan (OH)
Parkersburg South (WV)
Ponderosa (CO)
Revere (OH) (4 wrestlers)
Reynolds (PA)
St. Edward (OH)
St. Francis DeSales (OH)
St. Paris Graham (OH)
St. Peter Chanel (OH)
St. Vincent-St. Mary (OH)
Troy Christian (OH) (3 wrestlers)
Uintah (UT)
University School (OH)
Upper Perkiomen (PA)
Walsh Jesuit (OH)
Wrestling Gear
