West Holmes wrestlers ‘fat and happy' on March 9 awards night
For anybody who has ever dreamed of witnessing a wild stampede, let it be known that no herd of buffalo nor band of wild horses has anything on a group of wrestlers charging toward a potluck style buffet table after a season of struggling to make weights, as evidenced by the scene in the commons area at West Holmes High School on Wednesday, March 9.
"We go through a lot of hard times," explained 20th year West Holmes head varsity wrestling coach Jeff Woods after watching his team complete a perfect 7-0 season in dual meet competition, finish as the runners-up at Sectionals, take third-place at Districts, and have four of his wrestlers qualify for the State tournament. "We go through a lot of not eating, so it's nice [for the kids] to have a night to kick back, relax, eat and enjoy themselves. There's no pressure on this night and that's nice. The kids are all fat and happy and it's nice to have all the guys recognized for their accomplishments throughout the year."
West Holmes varsity wrestlers recognized with a First Year award included, Tyler Butler, Lane Darr, Blake Day, Ray O'Donnell, Matt Schlegel, Tyler Singleton and Zach Hendershott. Hendershott, who walked away from the team a year ago – returning for his senior season in 2010-11 – also received the team's Most Improved award, after qualifying for the State tournament at 112-lbs. and finishing the year with a 27-12 record.
Second Year awards went to Will Morehouse, Ryan Obringer, Drew Jolley and Max Rohskopf.
The two second-year sophomores, Jolley and Rohskopf, both qualified for the State tournament in 2011, with Jolley bowing out in the second round of consolations after compiling a record of 27-10 at 135-lbs., and Rohskopf becoming the 15th State placer in school history – and first since 2008 – when he battled his way into seventh place at the 74th annual Division II State tournament down in Columbus, capping a 31-5 season at 130-lbs.
A repeat State qualifier and first-time State placer, Rohskopf received an additional award for finishing the season with the most takedowns (77).
Meanwhile, Tyler Brown, Jesse Etzwiler, Marshall Overholt, Chris Larson and Justin Stitzlein were each recognized for their Third Year of participation on the varsity squad, with the senior, Larson – nicknamed "The Red Fury" – also taking home the Coaches Award.
After qualifying for the State tournament for the second straight season, the junior 145-lb. Stitzlein (41-5) also loaded up on extra hardware, receiving trophies for the most pins (26) during the season and the most near fall back points (191) – a number that shattered the previous school record of 160, held since 1998 by former Knights grappler David White.
The lone Fourth Year award winner, Tyler Miller, also received the Leadership Award from Woods and his staff, as the senior stepped to the podium to accept the honor after Woods explained, "I don't take this award lightly. Good leaders are hard to find and great ones, even harder."
Woods also inducted three new members into the West Holmes wrestling Wall of Fame, including 2004 graduate Scott Vaughn, who compiled a career record of 129-29 as a Knights wrestler, finishing sixth in the State tournament in 2002, third in 2003, and eventually becoming an All-American at Campbellsville University; Clint Sponseller, who went 138-20 during his four seasons at West Holmes, finishing sixth in the State as a junior and third as a senior, before wrestling four years at Kent State University; and 28-year assistant wrestling coach and current West Holmes athletic director Todd Day, who helped produce 16 State placers, 57 State qualifiers and eight league championship teams during his tenure.
But turning his attention back to his current team, Woods said, "I am very proud of you. I am impressed with the effort you put forth and I look forward to next year.
"The neat thing about this sport is the more you put into it, the better you get," he continued, while outlining his goals for next season, including a Top 10 finish at State (the team tied for 37th this year), an Ohio Cardinal Conference Championship ("I'm getting tired of Lexington," said Woods) and to raise our GPAs – "that's our grades," the head coach explained after getting blank stares from his team following that proclamation.
The future of the West Holmes wrestling program looks like it will be in good shape for years to come, at least on the mats, after Middle School head coach Will O'Donnell introduced his 28 wrestlers – 23 of whom are seventh graders – making up a team that went undefeated in dual meets and produced two OCC champions in Cole Woods and Josiah Allison.
Going back even further to the grade school level Attack Team, coach Randy Sponseller saluted his team for going 10-0 in dual meet competition, while producing seven undefeated wrestlers, 12 District qualifiers, and four wrestlers who reached the Ohio Youth League State Tournament – Drew Campbell (undefeated Sectional champion and District runner-up), Luke Eastep (Sectional runner-up and fourth-place finisher at Districts), and the cousin combination of Cale and Cody Woods, who both finished fourth in the State, making them the 25th and 26th State placers in Strike Team history.
Oftentimes the measuring stick of a season can be gauged by talking to a team's biggest fan, and there is no bigger fan of West Holmes wrestling than current freshman Brian Johnson, who is confined to a wheelchair with a condition known as spina bifida, but still manages to attend nearly every single dual meet and tournament the Knights enter, dating back to the Colt Sponseller years – a fact not lost on the Knights wrestlers, who all took time to sign Johnson's West Holmes Knights Wrestling T-shirt, presenting it to him prior to the awards banquet.
"It's been crazy," said Johnson. "It's been a crazy year."
Has he had enough West Holmes wrestling after all these years?
"Oh no. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope."
Is he still their biggest fan after checking out all the action in 2010-11?
"Absolutely."
Published: March 9, 2011
