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Monday, December 14, 2009

Wrestling: Findlay's Alexander second at Ironman
Little Caesars
CUYAHOGA FALLS -- Findlay High senior Michael Alexander nearly pulled it off.

The Trojans' standout 171-pounder reeled off four straight victories before running out of steam in Saturday's Walsh Jesuit Ironman Invitational finals, finishing second.

Amazingly, Alexander reached the title match in what is billed as perhaps the toughest prep wrestling tournament in the country without being seeded.

A seventh-place finisher in the OHSAA Division I state tournament last season, Alexander whipped Blair (N.J.) Academy's Marino Orlandi 8-1 in his opening round match before scoring an injury default win over two-time Division III state champion Chris Phillips of Monroeville, the nation's top-ranked 171-pounder.

Phillips injured his shoulder in his opening-round 7-4 victory over Justin Lozano of Selma, Calif.

From there, Alexander pulled out a couple of close victories to reach the finals bout.

He beat Brecksville's Josh Linden 3-1 in the quarterfinals before stopping Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy's returning Division III state runner-up Alex Utley 5-3 in the semifinals.

In the championship match against Charles Argue of Mount Carmel, Ill., Alexander gave up a first-period takedown to fall behind early 2-0. He battled back with an escape to start the third period to cut the deficit to 3-2.

But Argue, who has signed to wrestle at Northern Illinois, spun behind for a takedown as Alexander took a desperation shot late in the match trying to get the victory.

“I'm certain Mike could have beaten that kid. He hit a real nice double-leg takedown right off the bat and he was in too deep for Mike to fight out of it,” said Findlay High coach Ben Kirian.

“He's frustrated right now because this is something he really wanted. That first takedown was key; I think if he would have gotten it he could have controlled the match.”

Alexander's performance certainly drew the attention of many college coaches.

“I think there were eight Division I coaches that approached him,” Kirian said. “They asked where he had been. We told them he was right here all the time but not many schools were recruiting him.”

Findlay heavyweight Max Gladstone also put together a solid weekend as the Ohio State University signee ended up sixth in the 285-pound division.

Gladstone, the No. 6 seed, opened with a pair of victories, pinning Barry Reece of Smyrna, Del., in 49 seconds before stopping third-seeded Zach Corl of Central Mountain, Pa., 10-3.

Gladstone lost 5-0 to eventual champion Michael McMullan of Wyoming Seminary, Pa., in the semifinals and was forced to default his final two matches because of back spasms.

It was a perfect way to end a tough week for the Trojans, who had to postpone a mid-week match with Mansfield Madison because several wrestlers were either out with the flu or were being treated for skin diseases.

“It was a great weekend for the program because we got rid of the mystique that we couldn't compete with some of the best programs around,” Kirian said.

“We had two in the semifinals, just like St. Paris Graham did. I think we proved we have some guys on our team that can wrestle with anyone in the country.”


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1 Comment

Cindy wrote:
Ironman Wrestling, and wrestling in general
“ Those young men did great! My son joined wrestling at an area school last year, in 8th grade. I never realized how physically demanding the sport is! ”
Monday, December 14, 2009 7:13:19 PM

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