'Berg Grapplers Win OAC Title Outright
For the third time in the last four years the Ohio Athletic Conference Regular Season Wrestling Championship will reign with the red, orange and black of Heidelberg University. Heidelberg, ranked 11th according to the latest Brute/Adidas National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) national poll, topped visiting Wilmington College 36-6 to claim the title outright.
Heidelberg closed out the year 6-0 in OAC duals and are 9-3 overall, while Wilmington stands at 6-7 overall and 2-4 versus league foes. To take a closer look at the match up follow the action with www.flowrestling.org.
Over the course of the last seven seasons, head coach Jason Miller, has developed the Heidelberg program into a perennial power not only in the OAC, but within the nation. The Berg has been a mainstay in the national rankings and have not placed lower than third in the OAC under Miller’s watch. Its 2009 regular season title joins its 2006 and 2007 championships. In two weeks the Berg will look to win an unprecedented fourth-straight OAC Tournament Championship.
Jerrad Hoxie (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Northern) registered three takedowns in period one and extended his lead to 10-1 after two periods. Hoxie battled through a scoreless third period and finished with an 11-1 major decision. The victory extended his season record to 21-15 and kept his league mark unblemished at 4-0.
Tony Lawler (West Jefferson, Ohio / West Jefferson) recorded a Wilmington forfeit at 133 pounds to extend the Berg’s advantage to 10-4.
Wasting little time at 141 pounds was Boomer Fechko (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick). He picked up nine quick points and cruised to a 15-0 technical fall in 2:16. The win improved Fechko to 21-9 overall and 5-0 in the OAC.
Wilmington scored its first points of the match at 149 pounds. Tim Detwiller posted a 12-8 decision to cut Heidelberg’s advantage to 12 points at 15-3
Zach Mizer (Canton, Ohio / Perry) dominated early as he took an 8-0 lead within the first minute of the match. The lead pushed out to 11-1 leading to an eventual 16-1 technical fall in 5:44. The win increased Mizer’s team-leading record to 29-9 and he went a perfect 6-0 in OAC duals for the year.
Heidelberg held a 20-3 advantage at the halfway point of the dual and Matt Curley (Brecksville, Ohio / Lakewood) set out to extend that lead. At 165 pounds Curley marked the third technical fall on the night for the Berg with a 17-2 win in 4:18. Curley’s win joins Mizer’s mark of 6-0 against league foes. Overall Curley stands at 24-5.
Wilmington’s Zack Ziegel posted a slim 3-2 decision at 174 pounds to pull the Quakers within 25-6.
At 184 pounds, Ed Bizorik (Bellevue, Ohio / Bellevue) battled Wilmington’s Rex Pitsinger to a 2-2 tie after two periods, but prevailed in the third with a takedown, and added another point for riding time to post a 7-2 decision and gave the Berg a 28-6 lead.
Brad Rice (West Jefferson, Ohio / West Jefferson) led 19-5 after two periods and registered a takedown 10 seconds into the final period for a 21-5 technical fall, Heidelberg’s fourth of the night.
Rounding out the night was a matchup of unbeatens at heavyweight with Heidelberg’s Tony Carothers (Bloomingdale, Ohio / Harrison Central) and Wilmington’s Adam Salyers. In front of a standing crowd chanting Tony, Tony, Tony, Carothers had a takedown in the second period to erase an escape point by Salyers. Carothers carried the momentum into the third and finished with a 5-3 decision, which gave the Berg its OAC Championship by a 36-6 margin.
No. 11 Heidelberg 36, Wilmington 6
125 Jerrad Hoxie (Heid) maj. dec. Donny Herrington (Wilm), 11-1
133 Tony Lawler (Heid) Forfeit
141 Boomer Fechko (Heid) tech. fall David Evans (Wilm), 15-0 (2:16)
149 Tim Detwiller (Wilm) dec. Josh Levy (Heid), 12-8
157 Zach Mizer (Heid) tech. fall Thomas Bohrer (Wilm), 16-1 (5:44)
165 Matt Curley (Heid) tech. fall Rob Holt (Wilm),17-2 (4:18)
174 Zack Ziegler (Wilm) dec. Dayne Williams (Heid), 3-2
184 Ed Bizorik (Heid) dec. Rex Pitsinger (Wilm), 7-2
197 Brad Rice (Heid) tech. fall Coldy Hamilton (Wilm), 21-5 (4:10)
285 Tony Carothers (Heid) dec. Adam Salyers (Wilm), 5-3