Walsh wrestling fans treated to surprising success stories
Pat Galbincea, Plain Dealer Reporter
Freshmen aren’t supposed to advance to the quarterfinal round of the nation’s No. 1 high school wrestling tournament – the 15th Walsh Jesuit Ironman – nor are wrestlers who jump up four weight classes from the previous season.
But it happened Friday in front of a sellout crowd of about 2,200 at Walsh. The freshman sensation was Brent Fickel of Padua, a 125-pounder, and the ever-growing wrestler was St. Edward junior Nick Sulzer, third at state last year at 130 pounds but a 152-pounder this season.
Fickel and Sulzer were certainly more interesting stories than the team race, where the nation’s No. 1-ranked team, Blair Academy from New Jersey, is dominating the 57-team field. The Buccaneers have 109,½ points, while Ohio’s top school, St. Paris Graham – winner of the last eight Division II state titles and ranked No. 2 nationally – is in second place with 92,½ points. St. Edward, which has captured the previous 12 Division I state team titles, is third with 75.
Blair’s only problem was a non-mat issue. Coach Jeff Buxton, fully recovered from hip surgery last year, said he recently lost a finger on his right hand trying to move a metal fan while the blades were still spinning.
Fickel, the son of Wrestling USA magazine high school editor Dan Fickel, is a junior high state runner-up (to Nate Skonieczny, now at Walsh Jesuit) and 2007 Tulsa National champion. He made an immediate impact by beating 10th-seeded sophomore Matt Tadich of Shadyside, Pa., 6-2.
In the second round, Fickel stunned three-time Georgia state champ and No. 4 seed Brandon Westerman, 6-2, with a key second-period cradle and tough mat wrestling. The Padua freshman then pinned junior Pawlos Campbell, who competes for Division III state team champion Troy Christian, in a reverse half-nelson at 5:27.
“Brent does nothing fancy, “Padua coach Dave Morell said, “but he has a lot of guts, heart and desire, and that’s something you can’t teach. He’ll get the technique he needs down the road.”
Fickel is a tough mat wrestler, an art he said he learned from his dad and ex-Elyria Catholic state champ Scott Burnett.
“I don’t worry about who I have to wrestle because I’ve been wrestling since I was 8 years old, “Fickel said. “I win matches on the mat, and that’s the reason I was able to beat [Westerman]. I wore him down.”
Sulzer was a state runner-up as a freshman at 112 pounds and moved up three weight classes last year. The jump of four more weights didn’t hurt him Friday as he used double-leg takedowns and a cradle to beat powerful Wadsworth junior Aarick Jones, 12-3, then got three first period double-legs in besting St. Paris Graham freshman Huston Evans, 9-3.
“It’s hard jumping up all these weight classes because your opponents are bigger than what you were used to wrestling the year before, “Sulzer said. “Fortunately, my strength has matched my growth in weight and size. I lift weights three times a week and that helps.”
Sulzer’s older brothers Keith and Aaron were both state champions, a status he also hopes to achieve. “I’ve worked with both of them, and I took the best of both worlds, “he said. “Keith had great defense, and Aaron was tough on his feet. I think I have both skills.”
One great second-round match saw Wadsworth freshman Kagan Squire (112) surprise Aurora junior and state champ Ty Mitch, 3-1, with a grapevine takedown off a scramble in the last two seconds.
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