North Olmsted senior pulls off improbable run

Beeman wins four straight in consolation bracket

North Olmsted’s Zach Beeman came into the March 1 and 2 Perrysburg District wrestling tournament under the radar but sported a sterling 30-3 record as a St. Edward Sectional runner-up.

Then Beeman went from under the radar to under the weather March 1, losing his first round-match and getting bounced to the consolation bracket — sometimes known as the blood rounds.

For the 190-pound senior to reach state for the first time and send a 190-pound North Olmsted wrestler to Columbus for the third straight year, he needed to win four straight matches March 2.

Beeman scored two pinfalls and a 7-2 decision before running into Shaker Heights’ Cornell Beard in the consolation semifinal.

Beeman wasted no time on the mat, pinning Beard in 39 seconds and celebrating with a roar and fist pumps galore, as Eagles coach Kerry McWoodson jumped from his chair in the coaches’ corner. The senior was going to Columbus after the brutal fourmatch slog through the blood bracket.

“He was coming at me with tons of forward pressure. That’s when I like to hit my throws,” Beeman said. “I don’t really like to force my throws when I’ve got so much momentum coming at me when I can lock in that overhook, I’m hitting that (sic) off every time straight to his back.”

The Eagles now have a run of 190-pounders advancing to Columbus from Perrysburg, which is especially impressive coming from Beeman, according to McWoodson.

“Freshman year, the kid was third string,” the veteran coach said. “He stuck around and you talk about appreciating the process. He busted his butt even though he was third string.”

Beeman moved up to second string as a sophomore to being hurt last year as a junior.

“He got a chance to show what he could actually do and he put

on a show.”

For the earlier mention of under the weather, Beeman was battling something March 1. He returned to the hotel early for as much rest as possible ahead of the challenge that awaited him the next. It took a mental fortitude and physical will to survive that gauntlet.

“Talk about mental toughness, he came into the tournament feeling a little under the weather, lost his first match and we sent him back to the hotel room,” McWoodson said. “He knew he had to win four matches in a row and to do that here at Perrysburg — everybody knows it’s a tough tournament and that’s what he just pulled off. It was an exciting show to watch.”

The moment and emotions from the pinfall of Beard were let loose, as the stoic off-the-mat Beeman was still riding that emotional high.

“It felt super electric. I felt great,” Beeman said. “As soon as they called that pin, a wave of just pure energy came through me. It was super tough. I lost my first match yesterday, 3-2, and that was definitely weighing on me pretty hard.

“It was tough to sleep last night, but I knew I could battle my way back to top four and qualify for state, for sure.”

It hadn’t sunk in for the senior he’d be making the trip down Interstate 71 a few minutes after the match, but it was still a huge match for a huge underdog.

“I felt a whole lot of stuff as soon as they called that pin. I’m definitely still processing the fact I’m going to state this year,” said Beeman. “It just feels great.”

When Beeman gets under the bright lights and with thousands of seats at Schottenstein Center, he knows what he’s looking forward to the most.

“Getting on the mat, wrestling tough, putting kids on their back and winning every match,” he said.

Beeman