Graham favored to defend event title
Falcons feature five returning D-II state champions.
The area’s go-to midseason wrestling tournament will return to a familiar site this week when the Greater Miami Valley Wrestling Asso- ciation Holiday event returns to Butler’s Student Activity Center in Vandalia.
The two-day meet begins at 11 a.m. today and con- cludes with the champion- ships finals at approximately 5 p.m. Thursday, or 45 minutes after the consolation semifinals. The event is a major fund-raiser for the association with proceeds going to scholarships and its annual postseason banquet and awards.
The mega-meet has previously been held at But- ler, the University of Dayton Fieldhouse and, most recently, Wright State University’s Nutter Center.
Defending champion Graham is among the 48 teams committed to the tournament. The Falcons are loaded, with five returning Division II state champions, and earlier this month placed second to Blair Academy of New Jersey at the prestigious Walsh Jesuit Ironman tourney at Cuyahoga Falls. Most online national wrestling sites rank Blair No. 1 in the nation and Graham among the top five.
Also committed to the GMVWA event is Buford (Ga.). The Wolves are coached by Tom Beuglas, who led Geor- gia state power Archer to a defeat of Graham in the 2013 Holiday tourney.
All the teams will compete in combined brackets. An overall champ, big-school and small-school champs will be crowned. Dublin Coff- man is the defending bigschool champ.
The meet also coincides with a midseason addition of two pounds to all 14 individual weight classes. That went into effect on Monday.
“Really, more now it’s become not weight cutting, but weight management,” said veteran Butler coach Mark Peck. “Now, kids are technically pretty good because they don’t worry about weight cutting.”
Peck’s host Aviators ventured to the Southwest Wrestling Coaches Association tournament last week at Harrison and placed fourth, besting area teams Beavercreek, Centerville and Springfield. That event is the Cincinnati area’s equivalent to the GMVWA Holiday tourney.
Butler sophomore Logan Hoskins (120 pounds) won at the Classic and is a returning D-I state qualifier. He’s 12-0 with eight pins.
Butler senior Ronnie Pietro (10-3 at 132) was third at the Classic and is a defending Holiday champ. Butler also has the Love brothers, sophomore Jestin (152), a Holiday returning runner-up, and Janson (182), a senior who won at the Classic. Justin Love is 14-1 with eight pins and Janson Love 10-2 with seven pins.
Spr ingfield senior Joe Cochran (220) is 11-0 with four pins. He was fourth in the D-I state meet at 195 last season.
As usual, Beavercreek will skip the tournament in favor of the 42nd annual Medina Invitational. Also, Fairmont will participate in the Brecksville tourney, another highend northern event.