Bison Wrestlers Claim Three Titles at Kickoff Classic

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The Beachwood wrestling team opened the 2012-2013 season with a sixth place finish in the 5th Annual Ron Madow Memorial Kickoff Classic at Beachwood.

Sammy Gross and Ryan Harris and senior Alex Angersola each won individual titles for the Bison while junior Gordon Hong was third and junior Trevor Sanshuck was fourth.

“Looking at it in terms of what we put out there this weekend and what we have coming up, I think it was a pretty good start,” said Beachwood sixth-year head coach Dugan Bentley. “We have a couple of kids that still have to get certified into our lineup. They were potential point scorers for us, but we did pretty well overall.”

Gross, a defending state champion,* needed just 7 minutes, 12 seconds total to pin all five of his tournament opponents on the way to the 120-pound championship.

It took Gross just 1:16 to flatten Medina’s Matt Hogue in the finals.

“He just dominated,” Bentley said. “Anything he wanted to do, he did.”

Angersola, a transfer from St. Peter Chanel, exceeded his new head coach’s expectations in winning the 145-pound title.

He was at his best in the finals, where he pinned Buckeye’s Anthony Kisiday in 52 seconds.

“He was kind of a pleasant surprise,” Bentley said. “He’s an easy going, soft spoken kid but he turned it up to another level. Being a transfer, we didn’t get the chance to see that out of him yet. He pretty much handled all his opponents.”

Harris, also a defending state champion,* battled through the loss of his grandfather earlier in the week to take home the 160-pound championship.

“He missed two days because of the funeral and even when he was here it was tough on him,” Bentley said. “He was very close with his grandfather but he went out and competed.”

Harris defeated Garfield Heights’ David Celinski, a Division I district qualifier and defending Kickoff Classic champion last season, 5-2, to claim his title.

Hong, a district qualifier last season, nearly earned a spot in the 152-pound championship round, but settled for third place after a narrow semifinals loss. He pinned Shaker Heights’ Amier Cobb-Bradley in 4:26 in the consolation final.

“He probably wrestled his best tournament of his career,” Bentley said. “He easily could have been in the finals. His offensive attacks were pretty impressive. We know he knows how to hit those moves, but he’s just had a hard time implementing them in match-time situations. We actually got to see him go out there and hit those things he hits in practice in a match.”

With Harris locked in at 160 pounds, Sanshuck bumped up to 170, where he finished fourth.

That’s a performance Bentley believes could help Sanshuck’s confidence moving forward.

“I think he surprised himself,” Bentley said. “I think he feels he’s a little undersized (at 170). He would probably go 160 if Harris would drop down, but he went out and wrestled these big guys that outweigh him by quite a bit. He has a lot of heart and a lot of fight. He goes out there and tries his best and he goes after it.”

Gross (lower weights) and Harris (upper weights) earned the tournament’s most valuable wrestler awards. 

About the Ron Madow Memorial Kickoff Classic

The Ron Madow Memorial Kickoff Classic was named in honor of former Beachwood wrestler and coach Ron Madow.

Madow, a 1971 Beachwood graduate, was the first Bison state qualifier and state place winner in any sport. He placed fifth in 1971 at a time when only two divisions existed.

After graduating from college, Madow returned to Beachwood as an assistant coach on Hall of Fame coach Domenick Iammarino’s staff.

Even after he stopped coaching he continued to be a mainstay at Beachwood wrestling matches and tournaments. Madow was a true inspiration to the Beachwood wrestling family. He set the tone for the future of Beachwood wrestling, which has crowned 15 state champions and over 80 place winners.

Madow had an infectious smile and laugh that could brighten anyone's day. He always had kind words of encouragement and advice. Madow died in 2005 at the age of 52 after battling Leukemia.

He is survived by his wife, Stacey, and daughters, Tara and Quinn. The Beachwood wrestling family remembers his legacy each year at its opening tournament of the high school season. His memory will continue to live on.

2012 Team standings: 1. Revere 343, 2. Austintown Fitch 341, 3. Cuyahoga Heights 317, 4. Shaker Heights 288, 5. Westlake 269, 6. Beachwood 258, 7. Medina 254, 8. Garfield Heights 244, 9. Buckeye 204, 10. John Adams 161, 11. Fairview 117, 12. Columbia 88

Championship round:
106: First-Andre Lowery (Shaker Heights) dec. Nick Orr (Cuyahoga Heights), 11-7. Third-Adam Koslik (Austintown Fitch) pinnedned Reggie Sudberry (Westlake), 0:50.

113: First- Reginald Lowery (Shaker Heights) over Cory Pucci (Cuyahoga Heights) by injury default. Third- Danny Gannon (Medina) pinned Josh Nelly (Garfield Heights) 0:33.

120: First- Sammy Gross (Beachwood) pinned Matt Hogue (Medina), 1:16. Third-Brandon Nagy (Buckeye) dec. Quinn Gullette (Fairview) 8-4.

126: First-Nate Frye (Cuyahoga Heights) pinned Micah Shorts (Shaker Heights), 0:55. Third-Kyle Flynn (Revere) dec. Stefon Inman (Buckeye), 10-6.

132: First-Adam Green (Austintown Fitch) pinned Kyle Fowler (Buckeye), 0:44. Third-Jacob Paul (Westlake) dec. Dustin Shaffer (Revere), 5-2.

138: First- Nick Chuha (Cuyahoga Heights) pinned Jaret Yoman (Buckeye), 0:22. Third- Zach DeFraine (Medina) pinned Zach Pugh (Austintown Fitch), 2:41.

145: First- Alex Angersola (Beachwood) pinned Anthony Kisiday (Buckeye), 0:52. Third-Josh Pappas (Westlake) dec. Mike Hafely (Austintown Fitch), 8-5.

152: First- Alex Fetzer (Revere) dec. Zach Mackall (Austintown Fitch), 11-6. Third-Gordon Hong (Beachwood) pinned Amier Cobb-Bradley (Shaker Heights), 4:26.

160: First-Ryan Harris (Beachwood) dec. David Celinski (Garfield Heights), 5-2. Third-Ross Torgerson (Cuyahoga Heights) major dec. Isaiah Jackson (Austintown Fitch), 12-2.

170: First-Javon Tolliver (Shaker Heights) dec. Zeck Lehman (Revere), 4-2. Third-Camran Rezapourian (Austintown Fitch) major dec. Trevor Sanshuck (Beachwood), 14-3.

182: First-Logan Paul (Westlake) pinned Ahmad Khatib (Revere), 3:23. Third-Taylor Balog (Austintown Fitch) major dec. Elliot Simpson (Garfield Heights), 11-3.

195: First-Stephen Suglio (Revere) pinned Bryan Jones (Cuyahoga Heights), 1:19. Third-Tyler Keating (Fairview) pinned Asam Zayed (Westlake), 4:05.

220: First-Kevin Agee (Shaker Heights) dec. Jake Totten (Revere), 3-2. Third-Alex Busser (Westlake) pinned Josh Camper (Buckeye), 0:16.

285: First-Tyler Bell (Austintown Fitch) dec. Rashaun Searles (Shaker Heights) 4-2, ultimate tiebreaker. Third-Roger Wolanski (Revere) pinned Salvador Sanchez (John Adams), 3:28.

Most Falls in Least Time: Sammy Gross (Beachwood), 120-pound champion, 5 in 7:12
Outstanding Wrestler (106-145): Sammy Gross (Beachwood), 120-pound champion
Outstanding Wrestler (152-285): Ryan Harris (Beachwood), 160-pound champion

Editor's Note: The original version of this article reported that Gross and Harris were two-time defending state champions.