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Ohio is one of the nation's top high school wrestling states in terms of talent ... right there with Pennsylvania and New Jersey on a year in and year out basis. This year is no different as Ohio is coming off the 2009 Junior National Freestyle Duals in Oklahoma in which they were crowned champions. Ohio returns a heavily talented recruiting class for 2010 that is second only to Pennsylvania in terms of InterMat Top 50 recruits. The anchor of this talented class is none other than Logan Stieber, who was third at U.S. Nationals in freestyle in April as only a junior in high school.
Logan Stieber (Photo/Tech-Fall.com)School: Monroeville
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125
Projected College Weight Class: 125/133
Scouting Report: Stieber, who is ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the country by InterMat, is looking to be a seven-time state champion this year (three junior high state titles, four high school state titles). Should Stieber do this, he will join only David Taylor and Collin Palmer with such an accomplishment. Stieber qualified this past summer for the U.S. World Team Trials at 121 pounds and should make an immediate impact at Ohio State in 2010-11. An Ohio State verbal commit since the summer of 2008, Stieber should continue to have no true challenges this year during the high school wrestling season. He will take a 129-1 record into this season ... and look to win his second Ironman title in dominating fashion.
2. Jamie Clark
School: Lakewood St. Edward
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 130
Projected College Weight Class: 133
Scouting Report: Clark is a very explosive wrestler who will be gunning for his third state title this year. If not for an ultimate tiebreak loss in the finals his freshman year to Sam White (now wrestling at Illinois), he would be going for his fourth. Clark finished last season as the top-ranked wrestler at 119 pounds, and is a candidate to start the season in the same position this year at 130 pounds. Last season, he claimed his first Ironman title as part of an undefeated season. Clark will continue his college career at Illinois.
3. Max Thomusseit
School: St. Paris Graham
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 189
Projected College Weight Class: 197
Scouting Report: Thomusseit is about as big and strong as they come for the 189-pound weight class and will enter the season as one of the top wrestlers in this weight. Thomusseit had a breakout year last year. He was runner-up the Ironman, losing to Blair Academy's Max Huntley in the finals. He then won a “rubber matchup” with rival Nick Mills for the state title; having beaten Mills in the semifinals at Ironman, but falling short in the finals at Top Gun. This summer he went an outstanding 9-1 at the Junior National Duals in Oklahoma, losing only to Huntley in a pair of 1-1 periods. Thomusseit will continue his college career with his brother, Zac, at Pittsburgh.
4. Nick Sulzer
School: Lakewood St. Edward
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160
Projected College Weight Class: 165
Nick Sulzer5. Josh Demas
School: Westerville North
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 160/171
Projected College Weight Class: 174
Scouting Report: Demas avenged his only loss of the season -- ultimate tiebreak in the finals at Medina -- when he beat Nick Sulzer for the state title with an exploding takedown in the last minute of the match. Demas is a very athletic wrestler and will be very hard to defeat in whatever weight he ends up at this year. Seeking a second state title this year, if he competes at 160, he could see Sulzer right out of the gate at Ironman. Demas will continue his career at Ohio State, wrestling for Coach Tom Ryan and company next year.
Ty Mitch won a Junior Nationals freestyle title in Fargo at 119 pounds (Photo/Dave Jedlicka/jedicheetah.com)School: Aurora
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 119
Projected College Weight Class: 125
Scouting Report: Mitch was relatively unknown outside of Ohio until he climbed to the top of the podium this past summer at Junior Nationals, claiming the freestyle title at 119 pounds. Mitch comes in this year as a two-time state champion and will be gunning for his third state title this year. Mitch will look to win his first titles at Ironman and Brecksville this year, but will face very stiff competition from all angles, much of it from in-state competition as well. Mitch recently gave a verbal commitment to Virginia Tech.
7. Jerome Robinson
School: Cleveland St. Ignatius
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 112
Projected College Weight Class: 125
Scouting Report: Robinson had a stellar junior season after being plagued by injuries the year before. It was a season in which he finally captured a state title, after taking third his freshman year, losing only to Jamie Clark, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. Robinson returns back to 112 pounds this year and looks to win his first Ironman and Brecksville titles as well. Robinson recently committed to wrestle for Old Dominion.
8. David Habat
School: Cleveland St. Ignatius
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152/160
Projected College Weight Class: 157
Scouting Report: The very talented Habat finally broke through and won his first state title last year at 145 pounds. If he is to do so again he will have just as many challenges; either having to navigate through Pierce Harger if at 152 pounds, or having to battle Sulzer and possibly Demas in the 160-pound class. Habat is one of two Ohio wrestlers listed in the Top 10 who has not yet committed to a college.
Pierce HargerSchool: Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 152
Projected College Weight Class: 157/165
Scouting Report: Harger is the best wrestler in Ohio that has yet to make a state finals appearance. He has been close in years past, including taking third, losing only to Habat in the state semifinals, 9-6, this past season. During the offseason, he was a finalist in both styles at the Western Junior Regionals (champion in Greco-Roman) and part of Team Ohio that won the Junior National Freestyle Duals in Oklahoma. Harger is a very dangerous wrestler and will score points in bunches. Harger has committed to wrestle at Northwestern and projects at 157/165 pounds.
10. Gus Sako
School: Lakewood St. Edward
09-10 Projected High School Weight Class: 125
Projected College Weight Class: 125
Scouting Report: Sako is the third member of the talented St. Edward squad inside the Top 10 recruits for the state. Sako is a two-time state finalist and was an overtime period away (against Robinson) last year from winning his second state title. Sako looks to move up two weight classes to 125 pounds, where he would be the early favorite right now to win the state title. Sako has not yet committed to a college, but his five official visits were to Cornell, Penn, Minnesota, Cal Poly, and Virginia.
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