Top High School Wrestlers Rock Cleveland at the 2003 NHSCA Senior Nationals

Article by Mark Palmer, Photos by Al
Amateur Wrestling Photos
 

California’s Samuel Fragoza wrestles Virginia’s Matthew Lantz in the 103 lb finals.

CLEVELAND, OH - Cleveland is the home of the National Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. And, during the weekend of March 26-30, 2003, Cleveland was rockin’ in a different way as the best prep grapplers competed in the fourteenth annual National High School Seniors Wrestling Championships, sponsored by the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA).

Fittingly, the team from the host state of Ohio rolled over the competition, defending its team title with a tournament record 298.00 points. New Jersey came in second, with 202.50. The team from California earned 176.00 points, edging out fourth-place Minnesota by one point. In fifth place was Michigan with 151.50 points.

In terms of individual champions, Ohio also came in first with five: Ryan Lang (135 lbs), Daniel Mason-Straus (140), C.P. Schlatter (152), Jason Hackett (171), and Matt Koz (215). New Jersey can claim three champs: Robbie Preston (119), Mark Perry (160) and heavyweight Adam Cooney. California had two national champs in Samuel Fragoza (103) and Manuel Rivera (125). A total of four states had one champ each: Florida’s Obenson Blanc (112), Virginia’s Daniel Frishkorn (130), Pennsylvania’s Jeff Ecklof (145), and Michigan’s Roger Kish (189).

What’s more, Ohio led the All-American parade with twenty-two wrestlers who placed among the top eight in each weight class.

Final Team Standings – Top Twenty
1. Ohio 298.00
2. New Jersey 202.50
3. California 176.00
4. Minnesota 175.00
5. Michigan 151.50
6. Virginia 126.00
7. Pennsylvania 125.00
8. Florida 117.50
9. New York 113.00
10. Illinois 112.00
11. Oklahoma 94.50
12. Iowa 64.50
13. Kansas 62.00
14. Maryland; Texas 59.50
16. Arizona; Missouri 57.50
18. Indiana 57.00
19. Oregon 55.00
20. South Dakota 53.00

A “Who’s Who” of current high school mat talent. The Senior Nationals is open to any high school senior who has been a state tournament finalist during his career. In the single-class states of California, Indiana, New Jersey and New York, seniors who finish in the top four during their careers are eligible to compete

This was the second year in a row that the Senior Nationals was held at Public Hall in the Cleveland Convention Center downtown. This year, 739 wrestlers from 46 states competed. In addition, over 1,000 wrestling coaches attended the event, which includes a coaches’ convention and banquet before the wrestling event.

Many of these competitors were names that are well-known – and well-regarded – beyond their home states. In all, 75% of the most highly-rated wrestlers in the US were on the mats at the Senior Nationals.

The 2003 championships featured the number-one ranked wrestler in the nation in twelve of fourteen weight classes, including Matt Lantz from Virginia Beach, VA at 103 lbs; Gabe Flores from Clovis, CA at 125; Ryan Bridge from Absecon, NJ at 130; Antonio Mangione from Morristown, NJ at 140; Ryan Davis from Blairstown, NJ at 145; C.P. Schlatter from St. Paris, OH at 152; Mary Perry from Blairstown, NJ at 160; Jake Herbert from Wexford, PA at 171; Roger Kish from Lapeer West, MI at 189, Jared Villers from Akron, OH at 215, and heavyweight Jon May from Hutchinson, MN. Yet, among these top-ranked wrestlers, only Schlatter and Kish were crowned champs at the Senior Nationals.

Each weight class was packed with top-ranked talent. For example, the 125 lb weight class had five four-time state champions and six three-time champs in action. At 135 lbs, four-time Ohio HS champ (and Junior National freestyle titleholder) Ryan Lang, three-time Michigan state champ Josh Churella, four-time Iowa state champ C.J. Ettelson, and Stan Brown of Alaska (with an impressive 129-1 career) were among the contestants. The 152 lb class featured five of the top six wrestlers in the U.S.: C.P. Schlatter; Eric Tannenbaum of Naperville, IL; Mitch Kuhlman of Medford, MN; Charles Jones of Edmund, OK; and Zack Elliott of Garland, UT.

Just the facts:

• Four-time is not always the charm. Ten four-time state champions took to the mats in Cleveland, but not all took home titles. Ryan Lang, C.P. Schlatter, and Roger Kish went home as national champs. Among those who didn’t: Iowa’s Mack Reiter (upset in the second round by eventual 125 lb champ Manuel Rivera, who placed third in California’s one-class state tourney), Iowa’s 135-pounder C.J. Ettelson (losing in a third-round match to Donny Ooton of Virginia 8-7 in overtime) and Connecticut’s Anthony Hayes, who was pinned in his opening-round 140 lb bout by Shawn Plumley of Minnesota.
• Two national champs who were never state champs. Neither Daniel Mason-Straus nor Jason Hackett can claim a state championship in Ohio… but that may not matter as much to them now.
• Good as gold for the Golden Gophers. The future looks golden for the University of Minnesota wrestling program. Among the national champs who have committed to the Gophers are Schlatter, Kish and Koz.
• Cowboys lasso two champs. Senior Nationals champs Daniel Frishkorn and Ryan Davis will be wrestling for the 2003 NCAA champion Oklahoma State.
• Perry pours on the pinning power. In early-round action, 160-pound champion Mark Perry of New Jersey scored four pins… three of them in under a minute. One other match ended in a 15-0 tech fall. To cap things off, Perry was named tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. His power will be a welcome addition to the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

Finals results. Individual match descriptions are from a number of sources, including posts to TheMat.com forums.

103: California’s Samuel Fragoza got off to a great start, racking up four points in the first period over the number-one ranked wrestler in the country at this weight, Virginia’s Matthew Lantz. By the end of the second, the Virginian had tied the score… but Fragoza did all the scoring in the third, winning the first of the finals matches 7-4.

112: Call it a reversal of fortune… in more ways than one. Florida’s Obenson Blanc seemed to come out of nowhere to find himself in the finals where he faced New Jersey’s Dave Tomasette. Tomasette built up a sizeable 8-2 lead in the first period, and added to it in the second. However, in the third, Blanc pancaked Tomasette to his back, and never let him up, securing the pin at 5:10.

119: The highly credentialed Robbie Preston of New Jersey scored seven points in the first two periods, but Pennsylvania’s Michael Sees mounted a major comeback in the third, tying up the score at 8. However, in overtime, Preston got a quick takedown to the back to win 13-8.

125: Manuel Rivera was perhaps the highlight of the event, having placed only once in the California state tourney. His finals opponent, Brandon Hardy of Florida, scored two takedowns in the first 45 seconds of the match, but Rivera managed to put two on the board. Rivera did all the scoring in the second, taking a 5-4 lead… and added to it in the third, taking the title by the score of 8-4.

130: After a scoreless first period, Virginia’s Daniel Frishkorn scored an escape and a takedown on Ivan Wiggins of New Jersey. In the third, Wiggins got an escape and was awarded one stalling point… but Frishkorn won 3-2.

135: In the battle of Ohio Division I state title winners, four-time 135 lb state champ Ryan Lang of St. Edward incorporated powerful double-leg takedowns, tilts and turks to easily beat 140 lb state champ Zack Flake of Lakota West 15-2. Lang had defeated Flake for the 130 lb state crown last season.

140: In a high-scoring match, Daniel Mason-Straus of Ohio tallied up a 12-4 lead over his Florida opponent Levi Duyn who had turned a lot of heads on his way to the finals. However, by the start of the third period, the Floridian had narrowed the gap to 12-10. Each wrestler scored two points in the third, making the score at the end of regulation 14-12 in favor of Mason-Straus.

145: Pennsylvania’s Jeff Ecklof had been leading 6-3 in his title bout with Kyle Larson, when, midway in the second period, Ecklof used a cement special to pin the three-time Oregon state champ at 3:15.

152: It’s a weight class crowded with talent, and it came down to two of the best in the country. In one of the most anticipated match-ups of the weekend, four-time Ohio state champ C.P. Schlatter used a double-leg takedown towards the end of the first period on Eric Tannenbaum, the three-time Illinois state champ. Schlatter scored an escape and another takedown, while Tannenbaum’s only point was from an escape. By the end of the third period, the score was 5-1 Schlatter.

160: In the battle of New Jersey, Toms River East’s Vinnie Salek scored first… but top-ranked Mark Perry of Blair Academy racked up a score of 7-2 in the first period. By the end of the second, the score was 8-4. The third period saw a flurry of scoring by both wrestlers but Perry was the victor by a 13-8 margin. Perry wrestled with a maturity beyond his high school status, and earned Outstanding Wrestler honors.

171: One sure thing – the winner of this match would have the initials JH. After a scoreless first period, Jason Hackett of Ohio scored an escape and a double-leg takedown on Jake Herbert, making the score 3-0. The Pennsylvanian scored his points from two separate escapes, but Hackett prevailed by the final score of 3-2.

189: A match-up of big-time big men. After a scoreless first period, the nation’s top-ranked Roger Kish of Michigan turned on the power, scoring three takedowns on Ohio’s J.D. Bergman, and winning a 7-3 decision.

215: This weight class almost seemed top-heavy with talent, culminating in a nail-biter battle of three-time state champs that found Matt Koz of Ohio behind Nevada’s Chad Espinoza 4-1 after the first period. However, Koz rallied with three takedowns to tie the score 7-7 at end of regulation. There was no scoring in the overtime. In the tiebreaker, Koz got the escape… making the final score 8-7.

275: New Jersey’s Adam Cooney seemed to come out of nowhere, leaving a positive impression all the way to the conclusion of this tournament. In the finals, Cooney took the lead 2-0 over Ryan Kotzea of South Dakota… and added to that lead in the second (5-0). Kotzea was able to close the gap to 6-4, but, with a bit more than a minute left, Cooney scored a double-leg takedown to win by an 8-5 margin.


A sneak peek at future greatness. Because the Senior Nationals is a showcase for the “best of the best” among high school seniors, a number of the participants have gone on to enjoy considerable success beyond high school. Here are some examples:

• Senior Nationals -- NCAA predictor? At this year’s NCAA Division I championships, Ryan Bertin (157 lb champ from University of Michigan), Jake Rosholt (Oklahoma State’s 184-pounder) and Steve Mocco (University of Iowa heavyweight) were all past Senior Nationals participants. Last year, sixteen of the twenty NCAA finalists – and eight of ten champions – were participants in past Senior Nationals. Other past NHSCA champs who became NCAA titleholders include Eric Guerrero, Teague Moore and Cael Sanderson.

• All-American guys: Among the wrestlers who can list a Senior Nationals title AND All-American status from the 2003 NCAAs on their resumes: Scott Barker (University of Missouri), Matt Feast (University of Pennsylvania) and Jesse Jantzen (Harvard).

“The number and quality of wrestlers that we are attracting demonstrate that the Senior National Championships continues to fill a dramatic need in the high school wrestling community,” said NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro. “This tournament has become the must-attend event for the nation’s top high school seniors.”

All-Americans. The top eight placers at each weight claimed All-American honors:

103: Fragoza (CA), Lantz (VA), Bencomo (NM), Bergeron (MN), Figuero (FL), Atlas (MA), Contreras (CA), Khan (WY)
112: Blanc (FL), Tomasette (NJ), Meger (MN), Iovine (OH), Compton (OH), Federico (OH), Maldonado (FL), DeLorenzo (NY)
119: Preston (NJ), Sees (PA), Mendes (CA), Kinney (MI), Barth (IL), Berman (IL), Thone (NH), Sanders (MN)
125: Rivera (CA), Hardy (VA), Flores (CA), Easter (WV), Arias (OK), Dickey (MO), Earley (IN), McCormick (KS)
130: Friskhorn (VA), Wiggins (NJ), Enright (OH), Bridge (NJ), Latessa (FL), Lijo (NJ), Wagner (WI), Krieger (NY)
135: Lang (OH), Flake (OH), Churella (MI), Griffin (MO), Constantino (OH), Ooton (VA), Dyer (IL), Meyer (IA)
140: Mason-Straus (OH), Duyn (FL), Agozzino (OH), Leonard (ID), Needle (NJ), Payne (CA), Gross (OH), Heckman (PA)
145: Ecklof (PA), Larson (OR), Williams (IL), Dahlblom (MN), Dean (OH), Marsh (MI), Hurley (OH), Wittmeyer (MO)
152: Schlatter (OH), Tannenbaum (IL), Kuhlman (MN), Glenn (NY), Jones (OK), Frondorf (NJ), Pullano (VA), Lee (AZ)
160: Perry (NJ), Salek (NJ), Bertolino (OH), Dretsch (MN), Schultz (IN), King (TX), Slone (CA), Copeland (NM)
171: Hackett (OH), Herbert (PA), Weitzel (PA), Parkey (OK), Hogle (OR), Lynbaugh (MN), Knapp (OH), Pedretti (IA)
189: Kish (MI), Bergman (OH), Williams (CA), Davis (PA), Kehrer (TX), Razzano (OH), Massey (MN), Narkiewicz (PA)
215: Koz (OH), Espinoza (NV), Villers (OH), Patrick (ID), Villante (NY), Tarazon (AZ), Wilmoth (MI), Richey (OK)
275: Cooney (NJ), Kotzea (SD), Barrentine (OH), Gritter (MI), May (MN), Ogunwole (MD), Sullivan (CT), Bendau (OH)

The NHSCA: Born from a dad’s desire to offer his son a national wrestling event

The National High School Coaches Association is a not-for-profit 501c3 service organization founded in 1989 to provide support and leadership programs for the 50,000 high school coaches and their sports programs in the United States.

The NHSCA sprang from a father’s desire to provide his son -- a high school senior who was a state champion wrestler -- the opportunity to compete in a post-season event that was national in scope and provide preparation for the NCAA championships.

That father was Bob Ferraro, who had been a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at Indiana State in 1969 and 1970. Ferraro did considerable research and found nothing for his son and or other high school wrestlers seeking a national high school championship tournament. In an article he wrote for a program for a NHSCA-sponsored wrestling event, Ferraro said, “It was obvious there was a need, so I decided to conduct such an event. I designed a championship event that would fit the profile of my son’s credentials.”

Ferraro approached various athletic organizations for sponsorship but got no takers. So he approached the athletic director at Bucknell University where was head wrestling coach and director of intramural sports, who granted permission for the school’s wrestling booster club to sponsor the event. “I immediately began to set up a national network of volunteers to help distribute the marketing materials to every state champion in the country who was a senior in high school. My wife and children volunteered to stuff the packets of marketing materials,” says Ferraro.

The initial event was a success by any measure. “We had 262 state champions and more than 200 high school and college coaches representing thirty-nine states participating in the first event,” says Ferraro. “I contacted ESPN, and they informed me this was the first true national high school championship in any sport, and agreed to air it on national television. ESPN sent a full crew to Pittsburgh to film the event, which aired on Scholastic Sports America.”

According to Ferraro, after all the bills were paid, that first national high school wrestling championship generated a $500 profit, which was used to officially establish the National High School Coaches Association.

In addition to wrestling, the NHSCA has conducted championship events in basketball, golf, tennis, and soccer.