Tag Archive for: High School Wrestling

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 13) FEATURING KEEGAN SELL & HUNTER ANDEL

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And that’s a wrap on the 2022-2023 high school wrestling season! As the state’s best grapplers got together in Columbus over the weekend, we got to see so many great YSN athletes compete. Last season YSN only crowned 1 state champion at the end of the year, but this year we get to praise 3. The first state champion came from Louisville as Dominic Hoffarth went back to back winning another trophy.  Both of the others came from the same program in Garrettsville Garfield.  The G-Men had never had a state champion before Sunday, and after Sunday they got 2.  Hunter Andel, and Keegan Sell both brought home the big trophy.

In this final episode of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser of the year, we brought on both Andel and Sell to talk about bringing home their program’s first state championship.  They also talk about how much they push each other, and what this will do for the future of Garfield wrestling.  Gary also recaps all of YSN’s performances down in Columbus as we put a bow on a great wrestling season.

GARFIELD BRINGS HOME A PAIR OF STATE CHAMPIONS

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COLUMBUS OH- Garfield has always had a strong tradition in their wrestling program. They build strong kids, that are technically sound, and able to navigate the grind of a long wrestling season. Through all the years and grapplers that have walked the halls in Garrettsville, that elusive state championship has always eluded them. That is until this season. After a long weekend in the Columbus Garfield came in to Sunday with two wrestlers having a chance to win a title. Hunter Andel, and Keegan Sell.

Hunter was up first.  In an incredible defensive battle against his fellow Portage County stand out Cody Coontz from Rootstown.  After two rounds the match was still scoreless, neither athlete could find space over the other.  Andel opened up the third with an escape to grab a 1-0 lead.  He would seal the deal later with two points on a takedown to Garfield their first ever wrestling state champion.

Keegan saw his teammate win his match and knew that his school couldn’t walk out of Columbus with just 1 title.  He would not be outdone.  It was Sell’s signature speed that gave him the edge in his title match. He took on Wyatt Ripke from Archbold.  He got a takedown in the first that was faster than you could blink, then another in the second while he made Ripke loose his footing as he tried to escape trouble.  With a third take down to follow Sell would hold on to the 6-4 win to give Garfield their second state champion of the day.

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 11) FEATURING NOAH MCKAY & ZACH HOSTETTER

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Tournament time in wrestling continues as the area athletes look to earn their way to state. There are so many familiar names that are looking to continue their dominant careers on the mats. Our wrestling expert Gary Althiser knows them all, and has it covered. Everything you need to know about the district tournament can be found here.

East Palestine sent wrestlers to districts for the first time ever. What a great time to give the community a positive story to look to. Noah McKay and Zach Hostetter we’re able to give us some time this week to talk about how hard they’ve worked to get to this point. Don’t miss this exclusive sit down with the pride of East Palestine in the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 10) FEATURING DOMINIC HOFFARTH

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It’s been a long wrestling season for all our teams in the YSN family.  It can be a grind for the grapplers to go through the long regular season. But now is no time for rest.  The tournament is upon us and the dreams that these wrestlers have put in front of them is now in their grasps.  As sectionals approach our very own Gary Althiser has a lot of thoughts on who to look out for in the brackets.  It’s time to see who shines brightest on the biggest stage.

The start of the tournament is a perfect time for our next special guest. This week we welcome in the only reigning state champion in the YSN family Dominic Hoffarth from Louisville. Being the hunted this year hasn’t phased Hoffarth one bit. He welcomes the competition, and usually dominates it.  As Hoffarth prepares to protect his title he talks to Gary and Anthony about what ifs been like being a reigning champion, what the feeling was like to hold the trophy, and much more. Check out Episode 10 of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser only on YSN.

 

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 8) FEATURING QUINTIN BURNS

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LIBERTY OH- The path to the State Duals has started as many YSN teams competed in their own regionals looking to advance as a team to the state championships. What teams shined the brightest on the biggest stage? What teams fell just short? Gary Althiser our resident wrestling expert has you covered. In the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays we see which grapplers has what it takes to lead their team to state, and how much some of them have to look forward to.

Our special guest this week is Quintin Burns from Liberty. Quintin is the latest Baird Brothers Big Dog Of The Valley Winner. He has had a tremendous career in Liberty. He is approaching the program record for wins in a career.  Gary and Anthony talk to him about all that and more on the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 7) FEATURING BOBBY BUCHHEIT

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Another week and another huge tournament to recap.  The EOWL brought together some of the best grapplers our area has to offer.  A big topic this week is the immediate success that we’ve seen out of multiple freshman this season.  The gap between middle school and varsity wrestling seems to be getting less challenging for these athletes. They train all season round, they travel to play high quality competition, and all of that pays off once they get into high school.

This week’s special guest is one of those freshman. Bobby Buchheit of Beaver Local is coming off of back to back winning weekends in the OVAC, and EOWL.  He’s been able to beat a handful of top seeds to get to where he is.  In this week’s episode he talks about the mentality of his wrestling, what prepares him for the big stage, and much more.

 

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 5) FEATURING JAKE STARKEY

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It’s another wonderful week of talented grapplers making their names known on the matt.  Although this past week was one of the slower ones as the programs gear up for the final stretch, their still were several duals and tournaments that gave us reason to talk. As always our in house wrestling expert Gary Althiser is here to break it all down and then help us preview the week to come.

On this week’s edition of Wrestling Wednesday, we brought in an athlete that not only has 100 wins in his career, but 100 pins. That’s pretty impressive considering that once you hit 105 you eclipse the top 50 in the wrestling history of the state of Ohio.  Jake Starkey is his name, and he leads a South Range team that is trying to repeat as state champions. When Starkey’s athletic career at South Range started, he never could have imagined he’d have an opportunity to hoist 3 state championship trophies before he graduated. After the football team won him his second in the fall, now it’s a serious goal.  Coming off a long championship football season and being ready to go wrestle is not east, but Jake doesn’t need easy, he just needs possible.  We hope you enjoy this exclusive conversation with Jake Starkey on the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.

 

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 4) FEATURING TYLER LEITZA

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It’s been a little of time since we’ve had the chance to catch up with our in house wrestling expert Gary. After the holiday break we are back with Wrestling Wednesdays on YSN! There was a lot to catch up on as plenty of wrestlers have taken big steps towards their goals. What teams have really impressed? What wrestlers have kept up their big expectations? These are questions that had to be answered. You’ll find it all in this week’s episode. Also featured this week is an interview with the head coach of the United Girls Wrestling squad. Tyler Leitza has taken a growing program under his wing in the first season where girls wrestling is sanctioned by the OHSAA as a state sport.  United had already been building their name in the girls wrestling scene.  Tyler talks to us about what makes United a special place for these young athletes to shine. Learn more about the Lady Eagle grapplers in the latest Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.

 

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 3) FEATURING BRITTAN ALLEN

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The wrestling season is officially in full swing. Wrestlers have plenty of reps under their belts now. As another week has come and gone, we’ve seen more big wins, and big performances.  The top teams in the area were all in action, and all of them put up solid results. We welcomed in Gary Althiser back for another week of Wrestling Wednesdays to talk about the week that was, and preview the week that will be.

This week on Wrestling Wednesdays the boys were joined by Brittan Allen from Salem. Allen is one of the senior leaders for the impressive wrestling squad in Quaker country. Allen is coming off a big 4-0 weekend in United to not only win the 138 division, but also help the Quakers win the whole tournament.

Brittan has become an awesome leader for this program. He leads not just on the mat, but also off it helping build the future of wrestling in Salem.  He’s building the program by raising interest among the student body and bringing in more wrestlers to join the program. Any player that cares enough to recruit his classmates to fill his team’s roster proves not just a big leader in the team, but also a big leader in the school. Join Gary, Anthony, and Scotty as they hear from this impressive young man in Episode 3 of Wrestling Wednesdays.

 

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER EPISODE 2

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EAST PALESTINE OH- Wrestling season is officially upon us. As we spent last week previewing the season in Episode 1, this week we finally have results in to talk about. It’s been a while since we had the opportunity to go over wrestling results.  There was a big tournament in Malvern featuring 9 YSN teams. With a ton of wrestlers and programs having a great day, Gary and the boys take you through who shined the brightest. They also look ahead to this week of action. With multiple big events, including the United Tournament in Hanoverton which will be another day that features a slew of YSN teams. Check it all out on Episode 2 of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.